We're turning again to the Acts of the Apostles, chapter eight, Acts chapter eight. And we'll read from verse one of Acts eight. And so let's hear God's word. And Saul was consenting on to his death, speaking of Stephen. At that time, there was a great persecution against the church, which was at Jerusalem. And they were all scattered abroad throughout all the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and killing men and women, committed them to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them. and were taken with palsies, and they that were lame were healed, and there was great joy in that city. But there was a certain man called Simon, which before time in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of a long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. But when they believed Philip, preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. And Simon himself believed also. And when he was baptized, he continued with Philip and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles, which were at Jerusalem, heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent on to them Peter and John, who, when they were come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost. For as yet he was fallen upon none of them, only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. We'll end our reading at verse 17, and we'll seek the Lord in a word of prayer. Our loving Father, we come before the word again, and we thank thee for the central act of worship ever around the book. May it ever be the cry of this congregation of people, bring me the book. Oh, help us, dear Father, to abide by the law and by the testimony Help us, dear Father, to be those who rightly divide the Word. Help us, O God, to be in the place where our hearts are affected by the Word. We think of these people, how they heard of Christ and how they believed on hearing of Him and how they were changed and how they came to decipher the great difference between the power of Simon the sorcerer and the power of God in salvation. Simon's power was seen to be so much lesser than the power of the gospel. And Lord, there is the great power of darkness. And Lord, we are aware that the devil has power. But Lord, we bless thee for the power of God. And we cry, O God, for a manifestation of that power so that those within this community might come to acknowledge that there is a greater power the power of God. Lord, come, we pray. Grant, O God, thy blessing as we meet around this thy precious word, for we pray this in and through your Savior's precious name. Amen and amen. Well, that's Lord's Day. I did feel to conclude on the message concerning the ministry of God the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts and so forth. Today we want to conclude that message. For those who were unable to be with us last Lord's Day and at that meeting, just let me recap, and it will be very briefly of what we did consider together last Lord's Day. I did highlight to you that although the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, it was not the only manifestation of the third person of the Holy Trinity within the book of Acts. We came to consider that the Holy Spirit was ministering to the church even in days of great persecution. Whether that persecution was directed towards the body of Christ as a collective whole or to specific individuals within the church, we saw that the Comforter, God the Holy Spirit, enabled the church to press on in that God-given task that was given to her in preaching the gospel in the face of such merciless We then came to consider the ministry of the Holy Spirit within the structure and within the government of the New Testament church. We noted that the deacons were filled by the Spirit, and the elders, and the ministers, and the preachers, and even the presbytery as a body was filled, infilled, and guided by the Holy Spirit when it came to the governing of Christ's church. I ended last Lord's Day by encouraging you pray for such a church that are all within every level of the church, especially those who hold office that they may know the infilling, what it is to be possessed and to be governed by the Spirit of God. Well, we want to conclude our study, as I've said, on respect to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts. As I hinted at last Lord's Day, there was one level It was one level of church structure that I made a passing remark upon that I want to dwell and address my comments on for a few moments just now. Because while it is important and it is essential that the moderator, the officers of Presbytery and all Presbyters are filled. and guided by the Holy Spirit. While it is essential that the minister of Christ within a local church is filled and guided by the Holy Spirit, and while it's important that the elders and the deacons know what it is to be infilled by the Holy Spirit in order to effectively administer their duties and responsibility, it is also vital that every born-again Christian within the body of Christ, within the church of Jesus Christ, knows the infilling of God the Holy Spirit in order to enable them to live a life to the glory and to the praise of God. You see, it's all well and good for God's servant to be infilled by the Holy Spirit. It's all well and good for God's servant to know a message given to him by the Spirit of God for a congregation. But for that message to take an impact, and for that message to do that which God has designed the message to do, the congregation before the minister needs to be infilled by God, the Holy Ghost. You need to be infilled by the Spirit of God. in order that the word will take root and take effect in your life and in your heart. Because if not, you'll go as you've come. And really it will have been no benefit of you being in the house of God today. And so you need to be filled by God, the Holy Spirit. And so that brings and turns our attention then to the third truth that we were thinking about in this little two-part message. We want to think about the Holy Spirit's ministry in relation to the members within the church, the members within the church, a membership controlled and infilled by God the Holy Spirit. Every blood-bought child of God belongs to and is a member of the invisible church of Jesus Christ. Some members of that invisible church are already in the glory, and others are still awaiting here on earth. their day of final promotion. In the book of Acts we find that the members of the church knew what it was to be infilled and under the influence of God the Holy Spirit. Now we want to look at some references. I want to encourage you to take the Word of God and turn to the passages today. We're here in Acts chapter 8. Let's consider even just this chapter. Here's a people People in Samaria who come to know the infilling of God the Holy Spirit, especially in the words of the verses 14 through to 17. Peter and John come down from Jerusalem to minister to them. Now these are believers. They've been regenerated, they've been enlightened, they've been sanctified by the Holy Spirit, they've been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. But that is as far as their spiritual experience has gotten to. Because none of them, until Peter and John come, none of them have come to experience the fullness of God, the Holy Spirit. None of them have come. to know what it was to be infilled by God the Holy Ghost. That infilling would have helped and would have encouraged and would have qualified them for the propagation of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, the infilling of God the Holy Spirit was conferred upon these New Testament believers to furnish the ungodly world around them with the striking proof of the truth of Christian religion. These individuals becoming possessed by the Spirit of God were going to become living examples of the truth and the evidence of a change that is wrought within the soul. And so we have here in the city of Samaria, a godless city, a Christ-rejecting city, a heathen city, a people called out by the Spirit of God and then infilled by God the Holy Ghost as a proof to the truth of the Christian religion. They have come to experience the fullness of God, the Holy Spirit. What a congregation, what a congregation that would have been to pastor, where every member was filled by the Holy Ghost. I tell you, there would have been few emergency session meetings having to be called in that church when every member was filled with God, the Holy Ghost. There have been very few home visits required by the pastor to try and sort out family problems and to sort out conflicts within the church of Jesus Christ. The church meetings of the church officers would have been harmonious and they would have been courteous because every member was filled by God the Holy Ghost. God's people would not have had to be coerced to come to the church meetings because they would have all been filled with God the Holy Spirit. Who wouldn't want to pastor a congregation where every member was filled by God the Holy Spirit? May God make this congregation of people. May it make this congregation of people a congregation where every member of the invisible church, every member of Christ's blood-bought church, that they're all filled with God the Holy Spirit. Here is a congregation of people knowing the infilling of the Spirit of God. And if it was known in Samaria, It can be known in Portlanone, an infilling of God the Holy Spirit. If you turn then to Acts chapter 9, we find an individual within the church of Jesus Christ, infilled by the Holy Spirit. Verse number 17. Let's read it. Ananias went his way. God has spoken to him concerning Saul, and he entered into the house, that house on Straight Street, the house of Judas. He's asked for Saul of Tarsus. He's entered the house, and putting his hands on him, said, Brother Saul, the Lord even Jesus hath appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. Here's a man, an individual, he joins himself to the church later on in Jerusalem, but here's a man who comes to experience personally the infilling of God the Holy Spirit within his life. Now just think for a moment, Just think for a moment of what such a Spirit-filled individual was unable to do for God, having been infilled by God the Holy Spirit. He carries out at least three missionary journeys, some believe possibly even five. He travels on those missionary journeys hundreds of miles. He visits over 50 cities in his travels. He preaches the gospel to many, including the Emperor Caesar and his entire household. He establishes churches here, there, and yonder. And in his spare time, he writes 14 of the New Testament epistles. Not only that, but he mentors and he enables and trains other evangelists and preachers like John Mark and Timothy. He endures five years in prison. Here's a man infilled by the Spirit of God, and I believe that the reason why Paul was enabled to do so many things for God was because that he came to experience an infilling of God the Holy Ghost. He knew what it was to be full of the Spirit of God. I ask myself the question, and I trust that you do, I ask myself the question, is it the case that my accomplishments for God are so insignificant and so little because we have labored more in the energy of the flesh? and we actually have under the indument of God the Holy Spirit. The minister's week of prayer, one of the ministers was the Reverend Alan Smiley. He's a minister of our Ballygown congregation. He made a statement in the midst of his preaching. He was preaching in Acts chapter one, the visitation of God, and then into Acts chapter two on the day of Pentecost. He made a statement that resonated within my soul and he said this, Brethren, we have plenty of energy in the church, but very little power. Brethren, we have plenty of energy within the church, but very little power. And there's a great difference between energy and power. There's no doubt that among some, there's plenty of zeal, plenty of enthusiasm, plenty of energy in the work of God. But where is the power? Where is the power of God? Where's the power that transforms lives? Where is the power that changes homes? Where is the power that alters communities? Where is the power that shifts God's people from being mere bystanders in the work of God to actually involving themselves in the work of Jesus Christ? Where is the power? that the ungodly see and hear so much about, but see so little evidence of within the church of Jesus Christ. Where is the power of God? Plenty of energy in the pulpit, plenty of energy maybe in the pew, but where is the power of God? God forbid we would rely merely on physical energy and not heavily indument to do God's work. Where is the power of God? Here's a man who knew what it was to enter the kingdom of darkness and rob its citizens out of the hand of the enemy by God the Holy Spirit's help. And oh, for such an infilling for this preacher, and such an infilling for you as a child of God, because we're speaking about members. Paul was a member of a church. He joined himself to the believers in Jerusalem. He believed in church membership. Here's a church member. Now God, yes, then takes him and calls him. God has a purpose and a plan for him, but he's simply a church member within a local church, and he comes to experience the infilling of God the Holy Spirit. Now we need to move quickly. Acts chapter 10. We're going in the right direction, we're always going to the right. Acts chapter 10 and the verse number 44. And we're told that upon the Gentile household of Cornelius the Spirit of God was outpoured as it was in the day of Pentecost. We refer to this verse last week, Acts 10 verse 44. while Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them that heard the word. This visitation of the Holy Spirit upon now the Gentile believers was the evidence needed by the New Testament church authorities as the verification that repentance onto life or the salvation had been granted not just to the Jews, But now to the Gentiles. This outpouring of God's Spirit is the verification that God gives to the church authorities that salvation, the gospel, is not only for the Jews. That's what it used to be thought within the Jewish church. They believed that it was only for the Jew. But now this outpouring of the Spirit upon the Gentiles, God is confirming, God is sealing the work that He has done in the hearts of these individuals. And He is doing so by pouring the Spirit upon them as He poured the Spirit out on the day of Pentecost. And just as those Gentile believers could experience the infilling of the Spirit, here's a family filled with the Holy Spirit. Yes, the body of Christ in Samaria, the church there, we're finding there filled by the Spirit. We're thinking about a member, Paul, he's unfilled by the Spirit. Here's a family within the church, and they're filled by the Holy Spirit. I tell you, that would make home a little sweeter. When mom and dad are filled by the Spirit, the Spirit of God, where the children are filled by the Spirit of God, having been regenerated by the Spirit, now being filled by the Holy Spirit. I tell you, that would make your marriage sweeter. That would help you in your marital problems, when you're filled by the Spirit of God. That would help with respect to the troubles and the trials that you're going through within your own family circle, to know the infilling of the Spirit of God, because He is the Spirit of wisdom. And in his wisdom, he'll guide you as a family. He'll guide you as a couple. He'll guide you in the way that you should go. He'll lead you into all truth. He'll lead you into the Word, and the Word will guide you and help you and sustain you and comfort you and bring you through the trials of life. Oh, that all of our families, those all that are redeemed by precious blood, every blood-bought family would know what it was to be filled by the Spirit of God. We find an example of that, don't we? Before the day of Pentecost, Elizabeth, Zacharias, John the Baptist, all filled by the Spirit of God, a family controlled by God the Holy Spirit. Oh, may my family be like that. May God redeem my child. May God redeem your child and then fill them with God the Holy Spirit. Acts chapter 11 brings us again. We're considering now two individuals within this chapter. The first is Barnabas. Notice the Holy Spirit's testimony concerning him. Verse 24, Acts 11 verse 24, speaking about Barnabas, for he was a good man and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith and much people. were added to the Lord. And then in the same chapter, put your eye to the verse 28, and there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be a great dearth throughout all the world which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Here we find two men. each filled by the Spirit, enabled to do and empowered to do what God the Holy Spirit had tasked them to do. Barnabas' ministry was different than Agabus' ministry. They had different ministries, but the same Spirit to help them in their specific roles and their specific duties that God has assigned for them to do. And maybe God is dealing with you. Maybe God is working in your heart. Maybe God is speaking to you, something that he would have you to do. And here you are and you would think to yourself, how could I ever do that? How could I ever stand and preach? How could I ever testify? How could I ever be involved in the work of God to some specific level? Within the children's work, the youth work, within the works of God, how could I ever do that? But let me assure you, God by His Spirit can help, because God never asked you to do what He will not equip you for. God always equips whom He calls, and He always does so by the infilling of His Spirit. Barnabas and Agabus, they know the infilling of the Spirit of God. Chapter 19, chapter number 19, verses 1 to 6. We'll not read it all, but here we have the Ephesian church. And they know what it is to be infilled by the Spirit of God. These Ephesian saints, they're infilled by the Holy Spirit. Verse 6, And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Ghost came on them, and they spake with tongues and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve. And here we have a little company of people, just twelve men. I'm sure there were other ladies there, and children possibly there, we're not told. But here's a small company of men, and they know what it is to be infilled by the Holy Spirit. But don't forget, Paul writes to this church. We said this last week, but we want to emphasize again, here they know the infilling of the Spirit, but Paul writes to these, this little company of believers later on, And he writes in Ephesians 5 in the verse 18, be not drunk with wine. We're in his access. But be filled with the Spirit. And so yes, they had this filling. This is their initial filling. But they needed to be filled again and filled again and filled again. And you may have known, you may have known the infilling of God's Spirit in your past. But brother, sister, you need a fresh infilling every day. For every service, for every trouble, every trial, you and I need the infilling of God the Holy Spirit. This event in Acts chapter 19 was not a once and for all filling, but rather it was the first of many fillings that they required to live a life to the glory of God. And I tell you every day, if you want to live a life to the glory of God, you need to be infilled by the Holy Spirit, and he will infill you in answer to prayer. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? Isn't that an amazing thing? I was just thinking in my own quiet time, you know, there are certain prayers. There are certain prayers that God is obliged to answer. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, which giveth to all men liberally, and of great not, and it shall be given to him. In other words, if you ask God, he is obliged. He is obliged to give wisdom. There are some prayers that God would say no to. There are some prayers that God would say wait to. But never this prayer. Everyone who comes to ask for wisdom, the answer is always yes. God always gives wisdom. And I believe that prayer concerning the infilling of the Holy Spirit is another such prayer. If we ask, he will infill. He will infill. Acts chapter 21, in the final reference, the verse number 4, And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days, who said to Paul through the Spirit that he should not go up to Jerusalem. Now the believers entire, alerted by the Holy Spirit of all that would befall their friend Paul there, and express their desire that Paul would not go up to Jerusalem. They are expressing their desire. This is not Paul being disobedient to the Holy Spirit. They are just by the Spirit expressing their own heart's desire. Paul, he goes up to Jerusalem. He's not being disobedient here. They are just informing him of their own heart's desire by the Spirit that he would stay in Jerusalem with them. Now it's very interesting. I don't know if you've considered each of these Bible references geographically. Very, very interesting to notice that some of the happenings happen in Jerusalem. And then some of the happenings, they happen in Samaria. And then other happenings that we have read about, they happen further afield in places like Ephesians, or Ephesus, sorry, and Cyprus, because Barnabas was, I believe, a native of Cyprus. Jerusalem, Samaria, Cyprus, Ephesus. You think of those geographical locations, does that not sound familiar? Acts 1, verse 8, Christ said to his disciples before going back to heaven, but ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. As the gospel spread through the endeavors of the apostles and others, So we find the Holy Spirit accompanying their endeavors, affirming the work that was being done as a genuine work of God. You see, God told them to go and to spread the gospel message. But they did not go alone, because every place they went, there was a fresh manifestation of God, the Holy Spirit. And as we go out, And as we, as it were, break into new land and try to reach others with the gospel, may we know a fresh visitation of God the Holy Spirit each time. And so from the book of Acts, we think about the Holy Spirit's ministry with respect to the persecution of the church and the governance and also the members of the church, but I want to remind you That the infilling of God the Holy Spirit was not given to make the New Testament believers feel warm and fuzzy inside. The infilling of God the Holy Spirit was given that they might serve God acceptably. And so I want to conclude by thinking about the ministry of God the Holy Spirit in relation to the ministries of the church. The ministries of the church. The apostles and the other 120 disciples were filled by the Spirit of God on the day of Pentecost. They didn't sit in the upper room looking at each other until they were taken to glory. No, rather we are told that they departed the place of meeting and they went into the city of Jerusalem and they preached Christ. the perishing multitudes that were thronging the city at that particular time. The infilling of God the Holy Spirit resulted in the church becoming evangelistic in its ministry. It gave them a heart for the lost. He gave them a desire to reach others with this glorious message. It did not cause them to become hyper-Calvinists, saying that if God is going to save His elect, they'll come anyway. But rather, they understood the great responsibility of going out and preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as you make your way through the book of Acts, you'll come to appreciate that in the area of evangelistic ministry and in the area of evangelism, the Holy Spirit plays a pivotal role within this very book. Let me direct you to a number of passages. Let's turn back to Acts chapter 13. Acts chapter 13, because in this chapter we find that it is the Holy Spirit that furnishes His work with workers. It is the Holy Spirit that furnishes the mission field with Christian workers. We're told here in this chapter that while the church leadership in Antioch ministered unto the Lord and fasted, We're told in verse 2 that the Holy Ghost said, "'Separate me, Barnabas and Saul, for the work we're on to I have called in.' And obeying the Spirit's directive and with the laying on of hands, Paul and Barnabas is sent forth by the church to preach the gospel and to evangelize the lost." But it's interesting to note in the verse number 4, it tells us, "'So they being sent forth,' who by? By the Holy Ghost. That's who they were sent by. They were sent by the Holy Ghost. They departed into Seleucia and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. Yes, they were sent forth by the church, these missionaries, but they were also sent forth by the Holy Ghost. And by that detail, we find and we come to understand that missionary enterprise was initiated and furthered by God the Holy Spirit and therefore missionary endeavor as an activity of the church has God's seal of approval on it. This is God's seal of approval. Descending out of missionaries, God has so ordained it. God is so pleased to put his own seal of approval upon it, this activity of reaching the loss with the gospel. Now today, missionary enterprise is seen as an integral work of God's work, an integral part, a branch of ministry within this denomination and other faithful preaching churches. But that has not always been the case. At a meeting of Baptist leaders, In the late 1700s, a newly ordained minister, he stood up to argue for the value of overseas missions. That young man was abruptly interrupted by an older minister who said these words, young man, sit down. You are an enthusiast. When God pleases to convert the heathen, he'll do it without consulting you or me. That young man's name, was William Carey. Increasingly dismayed at his fellow Protestants' lack of mission interest, he penned a pamphlet entitled An Inquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens. In it he argued that the Great Commission to go into all the world and preach the gospel applied to all Christians of all times and he castigated his fellow believers of his day for ignoring the Great Commission. He said, multitude sit at ease and give themselves no concern about the far greater part of their fellow sinners who at this day are lost in ignorance and idolatry. But William Carey did not stop by simply writing a pamphlet. Because in 1792, he organized a missionary society. And at its inaugural meeting, he preached a sermon with a call, accept great things from God, attempt great things for God. Within a year, William Carey, John Thomas, a former surgeon, and Carey's family, with his wife expecting another, were on board a ship heading for the continent of Asia and for the country of India. I know, brethren and sisters, I believe that the spirit of this generation is the spirit of our generation. There seems to be a very lack with respect to evangelizing the lost. I'm not speaking about evangelizing the lost of Africa, or India, or China. I'm speaking about evangelizing the lost within our families, within our neighborhoods, and within this town, and our family and our friends. And we seem to expect God just to do everything. And God does. He sees the lost. We understand that. But faith, saving faith, comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Have you been evangelistic this week? Who did you invite to the gospel meeting? Who did you invite? You see, whenever men and women are filled by the Holy Spirit, they get a concern for their fellow countrymen and countrywomen. And as I've said, this evangelizing of the lost, having God's seal of approval upon its missionary enterprise, I ask myself then the question, why are there Christians that are reluctant to come and hear our missionaries when they come to our deputation meetings? Why are they not there? It has God's seal of approval on it. Missionary endeavor. And what they're doing is biblical, because whenever Paul reported and finished his missionary journey, he reported all that happened to the church. Why is it that sometimes at our deputation meetings, you're not there? Missions, whether they be home missions or foreign missions, are divinely ordained. And so we must never despise this branch of Christian service, but we must do all that we can to support and encourage those who serve God in the mission field, having been sent to the field by the Holy Ghost and by the church. Acts 13, the Holy Spirit. Acts chapter 8. We will go quickly. Acts chapter 8, we find the Holy Spirit directing one of his servants as he's serving God on the field of service. Philip is preaching, obviously. He's preaching in the city of Samaria, and God tells him to leave the city and make his way south to the desert place. And with unquestionable obedience, Philip leaves Samaria, and he makes his way to the place of God's choosing. And soon he comes to appreciate why God has directed him there. because traveling through that arid landscape is an Ethiopian government official. He's been on a government errand, he's returning home again. Whilst he is traveling through and whilst, sorry, he's sitting in his chariot, we read in Acts chapter eight, verse 29, these words, and then the Spirit said unto Philip, go near and join thyself to the chariot. Philip is under the influence, the guidance of God, the Holy Spirit here. Just as much as he was in Samaria, so he is in the desert place, just among a handful of people, just among one individual. And yet he required the Spirit to lead him as much among a small company as he did among almost an entire city. And how that reminds us that if a man preaches to 300 on a Sunday, or if he preaches to merely three, He needs as much the infilling of God, the Holy Spirit. And that continual guidance is part of Philip's life because verse 39 tells us that after he administers Christian baptism to him, it says, and when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip. Here's a man being guided by the Holy Spirit. From this event, we learn that the success of any person's ministry for the Lord is always in proportion to that person's nearness to God and obviously to the influence that the Holy Spirit has on their lives. Did the Holy Spirit prompt you to do something this week, speak to someone this week? Did you obey the promptings of the Spirit? Did you obey the promptings of God the Holy Spirit? Christian workers must ever be sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit of God. Obviously, that prompting will always be in concordance and with respect to the Word of God. He's not going to direct or to guide you in some way that is not in obedience to the Scriptures. But, oh, to obey His leading, even when that leading is against human logic and human reasoning, we are to simply obey. and allow the rest and leave the rest to God. Acts chapter 16, and with this I close. We find here Paul on his missionary journey, and we find that the Holy Spirit closes doors as much as he opens doors. It's a lesson we need to learn. We need to learn that God sometimes closes doors as well as he opens doors. And so we find them as they travel through, even desiring, their heart's desire is to go into Asia. Note verse number six, now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia. With that door shut, they attempt to go into Bithynia. Verse seven, but the spirit suffered them not. I'm sure the bewilderment and confusion that they experienced was only but short-lived because they were soon to realize that God was going to open a door into Macedonia for them to preach. It would lead to Europe hearing the gospel, at least for the first time, with respect to evangelism and missionary endeavor by the church. Beloved, there are times when God closes doors just as much as he opens them. At times we may question God's wisdom in that, But who are we then to question an all-wise and all-knowing God? His ways are always higher than our ways. His thoughts higher than our thoughts. Maybe today finds you pushing against some closed door. Stop pushing. Stop trying to get through a door that God doesn't want you to go through. Instead of pushing at a God-shut door, wait on God. and ask him to open the right door. He knows what is best. Are we not glad? We're Europeans. Well, we trust, hopefully not for too much longer, but we're Europeans nonetheless. We live in the continent of Europe. But as we as Europeans, are we not glad that Paul wasn't pigheaded? Put in his heels, his wear, and says, well, I'm going to Egypt anyway. I believe that's God's will for my life. We're not glad that he wasn't pig-headed. We're not glad that Paul was sensitive to the Holy Spirit. And we're not glad that he didn't throw up his head and resign from the mission board because he wasn't allowed to go into Bithynia. What's the point in being a missionary? No, Paul didn't do this. He just simply obeyed the Holy Spirit. The door is opened. and Europe hears the gospel. Thank God for that. Thank God that Paul was obedient. Brethren, sisters, who knows how many people will reap the benefits if we only but obey the Spirit as he leads and guides us in the matter of serving God within his church. God knows what is best. and God knows where best to put us. We thought much over the last two weeks about the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the life of the New Testament church. He was there in days of persecution. He was there in days of revival because he's always with his church. My spirit remaineth with you. That was said to a people who had forsaken the house of God, and had went and they made their own houses, and they equipped their own houses with the best of the best, and God's house lay a waste, and God said, my spirit remaineth among you. God's spirit is always with his blood-bought church. Yes, he can be grieved, we understand that, but he's always with his church. In days of persecution, in days of revival, he's always there. But in the membership of the church, he wants to infill every member. And in the ministries of the church, he wants to guide those ministries and bring those ministries to the place where he can put his blessing upon them. And many are brought to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Let us pray then for the Spirit. Let us pray for his ministry among us. His ministry through the church's ministry, so that lives and hearts are changed and transformed by and through the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. May God's glory be known, and may we know a visitation of His Spirit again, individually, corporatively, denominationally, nationally and internationally, a day of God's power. Let's bow our heads in prayer. Let's pray. O God, our Father, we seek Thee for such a day, a day of power, a day of blessing, a day when every member in Thy blood-bought church is filled with the Holy Ghost. We think of a city, a city transformed, Jerusalem, whenever the membership of the church was filled by thy Holy Spirit. And Lord, yes, they had their problems, no doubt about that. There were difficulties, there were troubles that had to be sorted out. But Lord, I'm sure they were far and few between because everyone was just walking by the Spirit. and they were filled with the fruit of the Spirit, and they were just being obedient to the Holy Spirit. O God, grant it in this congregation, we pray. And if there be those who have grieved the Spirit, maybe something this week, O God, surely could we not say, have we not all grieved the Spirit? We don't even have to ask, maybe there's someone. Lord, surely we all have. Forgive us, we pray. Give us a fresh unfilling. And give us, O God, a day when God is at work and God is dealing with all hearts. So answer prayer, bless us, help in the rest of this day. May we be found in thy courts. May, O God, our hearts desire to be here. May that be the case. May we not be here under duress. But may it be the longing of our souls just to be in thy courts and in thy presence, for we offer prayer in and through our Savior's wondrous name. Amen and amen.