Participants: Hal Steenson (Host)
Series Code: HPOV
Program Code: HPOV000001
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00:01 Hello, I'm
00:03 and I'd like to welcome you to Heaven's Point of View. 00:04 Our topic for this new series is the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 00:07 We'll be answering many of your questions about the Holy Spirit 00:10 and His gifts, such as, Do you know what the gifts 00:13 of the Holy Spirit are? Do you know the proper operation 00:16 of the gifts according to the Word of God? 00:18 Do you understand the necessity and value of receiving 00:22 the Holy Spirit? And are you familiar with the main purpose 00:24 of God's Holy Spirit as first given to the church? 00:27 And are any of the gifts of the Holy Spirit still valid 00:31 for this present-age church? 00:34 So, don't go away, because we are going to answer all these 00:37 questions and many more from Heaven's Point of View. 01:01 As many of you know, I was a charismatic Pentecostal minister 01:04 for almost 20 years. I was involved in and associated with 01:08 the gifts and the workings of the Holy Spirit in almost 01:10 every service where I officiated or attended. 01:13 I demonstrated and observed what I then believed to be the 01:17 true manifestation of all nine gifts of the Holy Spirit 01:20 as listed in I Corinthians 12. However, I now realize that 01:24 many of those manifestations were merely demonstrations 01:28 of the flesh that produced no fruit for the kingdom of God. 01:33 Several people have asked me how I could possibly stand before 01:36 the entire world and admit that I was in error concerning 01:39 the correct interpretation of God's Word. 01:41 I can do this because the Word of God is true and 01:44 anything contrary to it is a lie. 01:46 One brother told me that it was impossible to change horses 01:49 in the middle of the stream. I responded that I didn't 01:52 change horses, I just got off the one I was on because 01:55 it was the wrong horse going the wrong direction. 01:57 I then made it to the shore of the truth of God's Word 02:01 and got on the same horse that Jesus will be riding. 02:04 For the first time in my Christian life, 02:07 I am at peace with myself. I don't have to perform 02:10 for God's children, and I now know that God's love for me 02:14 is not based on performance. 02:33 I have been set free from the pressure of every church service 02:37 having to be more powerful than the previous one. 02:40 I no longer have to try and come up with some new, heavy 02:43 revelation to stimulate the congregation. 02:46 I do not have to preach the same thing that the big shot 02:50 preachers are preaching in order to be in tune with God. 02:53 I now rely on the power of God's Word and the demonstration 02:58 of the Holy Spirit. The series that we are beginning 03:02 here today will reveal the truth and the necessity of the gifts 03:06 of the Holy Spirit. Please keep me in your prayers 03:09 as I counteract the counterfeit with the truth of God's Word. 03:17 Have you ever wondered how Ellen White did it? 03:19 How did she go so deep into the truth of God's Word? 03:22 How did she leave such a legacy of end-time interpretation 03:26 of Scriptures for our church so we could move forward 03:29 in the faith? I'm sure that you'll say, Oh, that's easy. 03:32 She had the gift of the spirit of prophecy. That's correct - 03:35 but at the same time, there had to be more to it. 03:38 She had the same Bible that we use today yet there is little 03:41 current enlightenment in our present-day church. 03:44 I believe Ellen White used the Word of God as her map. 03:47 This map included the Old Testament, the New Testament 03:51 that we use to study to show ourselves approved unto God 03:54 a workman that need not be ashamed but rightly dividing 03:57 the word of truth. Christian Education states: 05:31 Now this is from Christian Education page 86, paragraph 2. 05:35 The map, the Word of God, she used was explored, charted 05:39 and penned by the Lewis and Clark patriarchs of old such as 05:43 Isaiah, Daniel, the Pauls, the Johns, the Peters 05:47 and all the writers of the Gospels. 05:48 They detailed every river of life 05:51 and every tributary of truth so we wouldn't 05:54 wander around in the wilderness of want for the truth. 05:57 Their charting of the truth has kept us from stumbling over 06:01 man's misconceptions and misinterpretation of God. 06:05 Because we have the map of God's Word, we know where we've been 06:09 we know where we are, and we know where we're going. 06:12 But are we sure we know how to chart that final destination 06:17 to our Lord? The Christopher Columbuses 06:20 and the Lewis and Clarks used a remarkable device 06:23 to boldly go where most men have never gone before. 06:26 That device was a compass. Something so simple and yet 06:30 without it they would have ended up going in circles 06:32 accomplishing absolutely nothing. 06:34 Something as simple as a compass kept them on the right track 06:37 and going in the right direction. The compass 06:40 the early explorers used was the common kind 06:42 we are all familiar with in our society. 06:44 It is a magnetic north compass. It can be purchased at almost 06:47 any Wal-Mart store. It's an amazing little instrument 06:50 that tell us what direction we are headed in 06:52 by a needle always pointing to magnetic north. 06:55 However, it's incapable of showing us what's over the next 06:59 mountain range or what's within a mysterious myth. 07:01 It cannot comfort our fears of exploring the unknown 07:05 that lies ahead. It cannot speak and assure us 07:08 that it is with us and tells us it will never leave us and never 07:12 forsake us. However, Ellen White used a compass 07:15 that can do all of that and much, much more. 07:17 Her compass was the Holy Spirit. 07:19 The Holy Spirit that God's Word says will be our guide 07:23 and will lead us into all truth. The Holy Spirit knows what's 07:26 over the next hill of hope and what's in the deepest valley 07:30 of despair. The Holy Spirit is the compass who understands 07:33 our expectations and hears our heart's cry to pursue 07:37 the proper path to our Lord. Jesus Himself used 07:40 this instrument as He was led by the Spirit 07:43 into the wilderness and then returned from the wilderness 07:46 under the power of the Holy Spirit. 07:48 This compass is the one Paul writes about in: 08:00 The Holy Spirit is not only our compass but He is also our 08:04 map legend. My father was a safety design engineer 08:07 for the Alabama State Highway Department. 08:10 I laugh when I say that because I got an in-depth lesson on maps 08:14 and map legends from him up and down every highway we traveled. 08:19 Because of his unceasing road lessons, I am now amazed 08:22 when I encounter people who can't read road maps 08:25 or they don't understand the symbols explained in the 08:28 map legend. They have in their hand a detailed map 08:32 of their city, their state, their nation - but they can't 08:36 understand it because they don't know how to use the legend. 08:39 The same thing may be said about the Holy Spirit if we 08:43 refuse to allow Him to be our guide as we study the 08:46 Word of God. Jesus plainly told us that the Holy Spirit 08:49 will not just be our guide through the Word of God 08:53 but He will also show us things to come. 08:55 He will be our spiritual compass to direct us into the future 09:00 purpose of God. 09:20 I believe Ellen White embraced the Holy Spirit and said 09:23 "Lead me, guide me, take me, so you can make me whatever 09:27 you want me to be. " She may have said something like this: 09:30 "Yes, Lord, I have the map of Your Word - but your Holy Spirit 09:35 is the legend and the compass, and I need Him to discern 09:38 your Word correctly. " Christopher Columbus set sail 09:42 with all the current knowledge available to him at the time 09:45 but he also sailed under the influence of ignorance and the 09:48 fear of the unknown. Throughout history one of the most 09:51 stagnating fears has been the fear of the unknown. 09:54 This fear has not only kept a bit in the mouth of natural 09:58 progression and exportation but also caused the spiritual 10:02 development of God's church to move at a snail's pace. 10:06 The people of Columbus' day thought you would be destroyed 10:10 if you sailed out far enough from land because the world 10:13 was flat, you know, and you would fall off the edge. 10:18 Some Christians still believe the same thing about 10:20 the Holy Spirit. They fear that going too far 10:23 with the Holy Spirit will be catastrophic because He's flat, 10:26 you know, and we'll fall off the edge and perish in error. 10:30 This irrational reasoning has come about by those we observed 10:34 go over the edge of spiritual error while declaring they were 10:39 led by the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit, our compass and our 10:42 guide, leads you by using God's Word - His mouth - there will 10:46 never be an end to His leading or a bottom to His depth. 10:50 Because we have encountered some counterfeits of the Spirit, 10:53 we have become a people fearful of falling off the edge of God. 10:58 We say we mustn't go too far. We proclaim we have the map 11:01 of God's Word and this is all we need. This is where the vision 11:05 dies and the spiritual progression ceases. 11:14 I want the vision along with the happiness. 11:17 When you become happy having 11:18 only the Word without the vision, 11:20 the ongoing truth, the redemptive revelation, 11:23 your spiritual growth will stop and you will cease developing. 11:27 If we are to progress to the center of God's Word 11:31 and to the center of His will, we must not be fearful of using 11:35 the compass of the Holy Spirit. The expression to use the 11:38 Holy Spirit does not mean that we are commanding Him or 11:41 directing Him. God forbid. But it is allowing Him to use us 11:44 and direct us. Ellen White states it this way: 12:21 If the Holy Spirit is leading as our guide, we will become aware 12:24 that He is not flat, He is not flat and we will not 12:28 fall off or over the edge as long as we use the map 12:31 and the compass together. We must never try to use the 12:35 compass of the Holy Spirit without aligning everything up 12:37 with the map of God's Word. The natural compass always 12:41 points to true north, and the compass of the Holy Spirit 12:44 always points to spiritual north and it's scriptural - the 12:48 city of our God. 13:08 Based on my years as a charismatic minister, 13:10 I observed many objections to what was considered apparent 13:14 error in many charismatic and Pentecostal churches 13:18 and many who declared everything done in those churches 13:21 was counterfeit. We should take a closer look at what 13:25 counterfeit means. Random House dictionary defines 13:28 counterfeit as an imitation intended to be passed off 13:31 as real, as real. If something is not real, 13:35 then there cannot be a counterfeit. 13:37 Did you hear that? If something is not real, 13:39 there can't be a counterfeit. Several years ago, a man 13:42 gave a young worker at a Dairy Queen in Kentucky a $200 bill. 13:46 $200 bill. Not knowing what it was, she gave him back 13:51 his change - and he took it! He was found by the authorities 13:55 but all they could do was charge him with a misdemeanor. 13:58 They could not charge him with passing counterfeit money 14:01 because there never was a real $200 bill made. 14:04 The bill he gave this cashier was not counterfeit because 14:08 there never was a real $200 bill. 14:12 The reason the Holy Spirit can be counterfeit is because 14:15 He is real and He is our compass, He is our guide 14:20 through the map of God's Word. He is our map legend, 14:22 and without Him we are unable to figure out how far it is from 14:27 where we are to where we are going. Without the Holy Spirit 14:30 we are not able to read or understand the signposts 14:33 along our journey through God's Word. 14:36 Our federal government has a special agency that deals with 14:41 recognizing and apprehending counterfeits 14:44 and counterfeit money. The way they learn to recognize 14:47 the counterfeit money is not by studying counterfeit money, 14:51 it is by studying REAL money. They are so familiar 14:56 with the real that they can immediately spot the phony. 15:01 This is what the Word of God should be and do for us. 15:04 It should make us so aware of truth that we do not try 15:09 to prove what's counterfeit. And this is what most people do. 15:12 They get on and tell you everything that's error, 15:14 everything that's wrong. We should look at what's right! 15:17 We should just naturally recognize what is real 15:21 and what is not real. This is what happened in my life. 15:25 As I began to see the truth of God's Word, my errors were 15:27 immediately exposed. I had to do something. 15:30 And the something I did was to continue my quest 15:35 for the truth of God and the truth of God's Word. 15:38 There were several reasons why I departed from the charismatic 15:42 tongues movement. However, some of those reasons concern 15:45 me now more than ever. Could it be that the 15:50 charismatic movement will be the vehicle that Satan uses to 15:54 establish this end-time, world-wide ecumenical church? 15:58 Please, please, hear what I am saying here. 16:02 I am not saying that the people within this movement, involved 16:06 in this movement, are Satanic. That's not what I'm saying. 16:09 I am saying that Satan may use this movement because it is 16:12 established on the common bond of their experience of tongues 16:16 and not on Biblical doctrine. I was amazed in the 1970's 16:21 as hundreds of thousands of Christians left their 16:25 denominational churches and flooded into the charismatic 16:27 arena. I watched it. I was witness to it. 16:30 I can see great dangers ahead for many denominations 16:33 including the Seventh-day Adventists. Hear me! 16:36 All of the signs present indicate that this movement 16:40 may be the critical mass for establishing the soon-to-come 16:45 ecumenical church. You can attend almost any 16:50 of these churches and find people from almost every 16:54 denomination sitting together in the same row. 16:56 This movement has become the common denominator 16:59 for organizing a world-wide ecumenical body of unbelieving, 17:04 let me make sure I say this right, UNBELIEVING believers. 17:08 They have laid aside doctrine to embrace what they refer to 17:13 as the unity of believers. The unity of believers. 17:17 This is unscriptural. 17:56 Now let's look at the word unity in the scripture. 17:59 This word is connected with both faith and knowledge. 18:03 Now hear this. Unity is connected with both faith and 18:06 knowledge: that is unity of faith in Christ and the unity 18:09 of knowledge of Christ. Faith is always associated with 18:14 knowledge. The reason so many people of different 18:18 denominations, backgrounds, beliefs, and doctrines can 18:22 can worship and fellowship together in the charismatic 18:25 circles is not because they agree on doctrine 18:29 but because they agree on a common religious experience. 18:34 Tongues. This is a very dangerous thing, very dangerous 18:39 setting. To set truth aside in order to have unity will 18:44 ultimately put the one who is the truth - the Lord 18:49 Jesus Christ - outside of the movement. 18:52 That's just what we see predicted in Revelation: 19:05 Is this going to be a picture of the state of the church 19:08 in the last days? We see the Lord Jesus standing 19:12 outside the church knocking, trying to get in. 19:14 However, there is no room for Him - for the Word - because it 19:18 contradicts their experience. So doctrine and truth have been 19:22 neglected - set aside. Experience has become the 19:25 important thing, and the only requirement 19:28 for church membership or fellowship is that experience. 19:31 No longer is it faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ 19:34 that makes someone an accepted Christian. 19:36 Jesus - who IS the truth - is no longer wanted, no longer welcome 19:42 in the church but is left standing outside. How pitiful. 19:48 Can it be possible that this charismatic movement 19:53 established on the misuse and misinterpretation of the gift of 19:58 tongues, will be the instrument that will usher in the great 20:02 world church of Revelation chapter 17? 20:07 Here is a powerful statement from the Review and Herald 20:10 about the true gifts of the Holy Spirit: 21:06 It is possible if they continue on the course of unity 21:12 and in the interest of unity that they will succeed 21:18 in putting experience ahead of the doctrine of the Word of God. 21:24 Anything can happen to the church that moves away 21:29 from the solid foundations of the truth of God's Word. 21:34 Now let me explain this the way 21:37 that it comes across in the 21:41 simplicity of this old Alabama country boy's mind. 21:45 I don't smoke and I don't drink 21:51 and thank God that God has delivered me from that. 21:56 But if I am moving in a spirit of unity and I want to be 21:59 in unity with people that are out there in the world, 22:02 serving the purpose of the world, serving Satan and serving 22:05 the lust of their own flesh then this is what I've got to do. 22:09 I've got to set aside the fact that I've been delivered from 22:11 drinking, I've been delivered from smoking, because I want to 22:15 set up a spirit of unity. 22:19 What do I have to do to do that? 22:21 Now stop and think about this. 22:23 What I have to do, even though I do not do that, 22:27 is I would have to go to the bars. I would have to sit down 22:31 there on that bar stool. I would have to associate with 22:35 them even if I didn't drink with them, 22:37 even if I didn't smoke with them, 22:39 in order to create unity. 22:42 God wants unity of the doctrine. God wants unity of the faith 22:47 and this faith is the doctrine of Jesus Christ. 22:50 And it's not just a matter of unity of believers, 22:53 let's just all get together no matter what 22:56 Somebody said that Christianity and salvation is a mountain. 22:59 As long as you get to the top, you're all right. 23:03 It doesn't matter how you get there. But let me tell you 23:05 something right here, from my heart. The Word of God says 23:09 that Jesus says "I am the Way, I am the Truth, I am the Life. " 23:13 He is the only way. He is the only way up that 23:16 mountain. He is the only way which is through the Word of God 23:20 led by the Spirit of God, according to what God has said. 23:26 If you've been confused about what the Bible says 23:29 about the Holy Spirit's amazing gifts for the church, 23:31 you'll want to order your very own copy of this 13-part series. 23:35 It's available on DVD or video cassette from 3ABN 23:39 at a very special price. This 13-part series 23:42 with Pastor Hal Steenson makes a wonderful gift 23:45 for a friend or a family member. Just call us at: 23:51 and we'll be happy to take your order. 23:53 You may also order it online at: 24:12 Hey, welcome back! You know in these times of great 24:15 calamity, our world is in desperate need of all that God 24:17 provided for humanity through the gifts of His Holy Spirit. 24:20 As a charismatic pastor for nearly 20 years, I had 24:24 first-hand experience in numerous church services 24:27 conferences, seminars, teaching on how the gifts of the Spirit 24:29 were supposed to function on behalf of believers today. 24:32 You know, there are a countless number of books written 24:35 on the subject of the gifts of the Spirit, 24:37 and no two seem to agree. I found these books to have 24:40 their foundation based on either someone's personal experience 24:44 with the gifts or their personal observations of the gift. 24:49 Confusion will always follow when our foundational basis 24:52 is anything other than God's Word. 24:55 The most important thing is what the Word of God 24:58 says about the gifts. 25:00 Now, I've endeavored to explore the Biblical use of the gifts 25:04 of the Holy Spirit using the Word of God as our foundational 25:07 source in this series. I hope to dispel confusion 25:10 associated with the gifts that God has so graciously given 25:13 to His church. My background as senior pastor of one of the 25:17 largest and fastest growing charismatic churches in 25:19 southern Illinois as well as my experiences from evangelizing 25:23 in charismatic services both nationally and internationally 25:27 lends itself to a store of information. 25:29 I formed many close relationships with godly men 25:33 and women of faith during those 20 years. 25:35 So it is with prayerful consideration that I endeavor 25:38 to inform and not offend anyone by the teaching of this series. 25:43 It is my desire to approach the subject of the gifts of the 25:47 Holy Spirit from Heaven's Point of View 25:49 which is God's Word. It was from this point of view 25:53 that my hunger for the truth of God's Word exposed apparent 25:57 errors in my interpretation of the scripture about the 26:01 spiritual gifts. This revelation demanded an ultimatum. 26:06 I could accept or reject God's truth about my error. 26:09 My acceptance of that truth meant giving up 26:11 all opportunities to minister in circles where I had formerly 26:14 been welcome. I chose to embrace the truth 26:17 based solely on scripture. I discovered the truth about the 26:20 gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially tongues, 26:23 in God's Word and immediately had to make several 26:24 life-changing decisions to continue as a priest to God. 26:29 We often quote the first part of Hosea 4:6 but seldom look 26:32 at the second part: 26:50 I don't want that! It's terrible when God's people 26:53 are ignorant of His Word. But it is far worse for people 26:57 to acquire Biblical truth and then reject it. 27:00 They give God no alternative but to reject them 27:03 and their children. Not because He wants to but because 27:06 He has been given no other choice. 27:08 I believe that this series on the gifts of the Spirit 27:11 will not only expose the errors of the gifts of the Spirit's 27:15 misuse but will bring to reality the gifts of the Spirit 27:19 into present-day truth. 27:23 One of the most debated questions of Christianity 27:26 doctrine in the last 100 years has been the gifts of the Spirit 27:29 speaking in tongues, and so forth. 27:31 I have seen several churches, homes, families divided 27:34 and even destroyed because of the misinterpretation 27:37 of the gifts. I now believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit 27:40 are God-given - but only like they were given on the 27:44 Day of Pentecost. Now this is what we are going 27:47 to be looking at in this series that we are going to do. 27:50 I want to share my heart, I want to share the experience 27:53 - the good, the bad, and the ugly - along with the truth. 27:56 So I encourage you, check your 3ABN World 27:59 for the dates and for the times and get your Bibles and join us 28:03 as we look at the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit 28:06 and how they impact the church of today. 28:30 On our next Heaven's Point of View program, we'll take 28:32 a closer look at the main purpose of the Holy Spirit 28:35 as the major player in the remnant church and also in the 28:38 Lord's return, so check your 3ABN World for the dates 28:41 and the times, and I hope to see you then. |
Revised 2014-12-17