A Living, Breathing Demonstration

Under the control of the Holy Spirit of God, you are walking, living, breathing proof that Jesus is who he says he is.


Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:12, 1 Corinthians 2, Ephesians 4, 1 Corinthians 2:11-12, 6:19

Transcript

Alright, thank you very much. And hello again, radio friends. How in the world are you? Well, of course, I wait for you to answer, you know that. I care how you are, and I know that for some of you the days are rough and for others, things are going a little better and lots of us are in between. And everyday, you have to get up and live and go on through things that face you. Oftentimes when the day starts I know we feel like saying, “Oh, do I have to live this day?” But God brings you through, beloved. Let’s always remember that. He hasn’t brought you this far to dump you now. He says I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, so you can trust in Him.

Well, this is your good friend, Bob Cook, and I’m walking with you through the fourth chapter of 1st Timothy. We’re in this wonderful 12th verse. 1 Timothy 4:12, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation-” that means lifestyle, manner on life- “charity”- that’s our word “love” calvary love- “in spirit, in faith, in purity.” You can be a walking demonstration of what it means to know the Lord Jesus Christ, that’s what he’s saying. Be a walking demonstration, living proof that Jesus is who He says He is and that He’ll do what He says He will do.

Bob Pierce had that oversimplification of truth in a message he gave in Taiwan many years ago. Our Brother Pierce of course now is with the Lord several years. But in those years when he was traveling the world and ministering to people who had needs everywhere, he told us in a large rally in Taipei, and he said in effect, “If you want to know the reality of all of this, you open your heart to the Lord Jesus and He will prove to you that He is who He says He is: God in the flesh, the living Savior, the one who by His Spirit comes to dwell within you. And He will also prove that He can do what He says He can do, save to the uttermost.”

That in effect was the type of message that our Brother Pierce gave at that time. Big stadium, full of people, and it was a great meeting. The next morning came and the group was on their way to Tokyo and then changing planes to go right back to the States. In the airport, there came up a Chinese gentleman to Bob Pierce and said, “Are you the man who spoke last night?” “Yes.” “Did you say that if I trust Christ, that He would prove that He is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do?” And Bob Pierce said, “Yes, I said that.”

“Well,” he said, “I have to talk with you.” Well just then they were calling the plane and Pierce said, “Well, I’m sorry I have to board the plane.” He said, “I’m on that same plane. I have to talk with you.” And so, the plan took off and shortly after the seatbelt sign was turned off this Chinese gentleman came and looked up Bob Pierce who happened to be sitting in an aisle seat and he said, “Now tell me about this.” And our Brother Pierce opened the Gospel to him and told him about the Lord Jesus. And the man said, “I need to do this right now.” And so he knelt down there in the aisle facing Bob Pierce, knelt down, and the stewards and stewardesses going back and forth had to step over him. But he prayed to received Christ his Savior right there.

And then he said, “I have to talk more about this with you. I have to find out more.” “Well,” Bob Pierce said, “We’re just changing planes in Tokyo and we’ll be on our way to the States. I don’t know whether we can get together but we certainly will write to you and be in touch with you.” “Oh, no!” the man said, “I have to talk with you.” “Well,” Bob Pierce said, “We’ll see how it works out.” By some miracle or other, the man arranged his flight arrangements so that he was on that plane when it left Tokyo and they spent then a number of hours talking about the things of the Lord as they winged their way back to the United States. It turned out that this man was a high government official and was going back to buy x-ray equipment for the hospitals there on the island of Taiwan.

Jesus is who He says He is, and He can do what He says He can do. You be a walking proof of that. When you open your life to the Lord Jesus and the blessed Holy Spirit comes to dwell within you and when you then by faith open all the rooms in your heart house to the control of that indwelling Spirit and you can say, “I thank Thee that Thou has filled me with Thy Spirit.” When your life, in other words, is under the control of the Holy Spirit of God, you are walking, living, breathing proof that Jesus is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do. That’s what that means. You be an example. You be a type. You be a walking demonstration of the believer.

I thought I’d tell you that story just to illustrate what it really means. Before, we’ve talked about this word, “You be an example in what you say, in the way you live, and in the quality of Calvary love in your life.” Now we come to this word “spirit”. Be thou an example of the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

Now there are two approaches here and we find both of them summed up in 1 Corinthians 2. Paul says “For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him?” That’s the first approach. You be an example in the spirit that you exemplify. Your human spirit that is to say. You know of course that every human being has an envelope of influence around him, an atmosphere, an envelope of influence.

Can you tell when someone dislikes you or likes you, without a word being said? Of course, you can. Can you tell when someone is just tolerating you and just waiting to get rid of you? Of course, you can. Husband, can you tell when you’ve gotten out of line somewhere, let’s say you forgot your wedding anniversary date and came home without a present? Can you tell when you walk in the door that something seems to be amiss? Oh, yes you can. [chuckle] We can tell, can we not how people feel?

I sometimes illustrate this by asking my audience whether they have a little pet dog at home. Now he may be the nicest dog that ever bit a mailman, [chuckle] but you let somebody come to the door who is afraid of dogs or who hates dogs or both of the above and what will Fido do? Or Rover? Whatever his name is. Why he will back up in the corner and bury his little teeth and try to look like a lion before any word is said! Why? Because the spirit of a person is telegraphed to man’s four-footed loud mouth flea-bearing best friend, your dog, that there’s somebody there that doesn’t like him. Not a word said.

There is an envelope of influence around each of us, beloved. Now Paul says you can be walking proof that Jesus is real by what God does in that envelope of influence, which you carry with you and which projects itself out to other lives. Jesus can be proven to be real by what other people feel about you before they ever say a word to you. Do you buy that concept? There it is. You’ll be an example of the believers in spirit. What man knoweth the things of a man but the spirit of man which is in him?” That envelope of influence which is around you can be so sanctified and so full of God that people will sense God’s Presence and God’s love before you ever open your mouth. Big order? Yes, but not impossible for with God all things are possible.

“Manifesting the truth in love,” says Paul in Ephesians 4. That is part of the miracle of the Christian life but he goes on now-we’re still in 1 Corinthians 2:11 and 12. He says, “Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God.”

You got three spirits here: [1] the spirit of man, [2] the spirit of the world, [3] the Spirit of God. The spirit of the world is that: a concentration of concepts and attitudes which embodies the world culture in which we live, a godless culture presided over by the prince of the power of the air. The spirit of the world is me first, after that you. Nice guys finish last. Don’t bother with God, you can get along better without him. That’s secular, godless humanism today, but it’s always been in existence ever since the Garden of Eden. The spirit of the world is, you can get along without God and don’t bother about on whom you step on your way up the ladder, go ahead climb up, claw your way up, succeed at any cost, be good to yourself because you only go around once. That’s the spirit of the world. “Now,” he says, “we’ve received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit of God.”

You see, when you open your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ, the blessed Holy Spirit comes in to dwell in your life. So that Paul could say in this same book of 1 Corinthians in a little later chapter 6:19, “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which you have of God and you’re not your own, for you’re bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, both of which belong to God.” Not the spirit of the world but the Spirit of God. Why? So that He can manifest Himself through you. And he said, “In order that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.” Now it doesn’t say that we might show, it says we might know. Because, beloved, you are evaluated ultimately by other people on the basis of what you really know and can prove in your life. You understand me?

You are evaluated by other people not on the basis of what you profess, but what you really know. We have received, it’s not the spirit of the world but we have received the Spirit of God in order that we might know that which is freely given to us of God. I’m reading this out of my Greek New Testament. There are several verbs for “know” in the Greek language. One of them means to know by a personal experience. This one is just to find out, to know, to have your mind opened to. Do you realize that you never really understand what God can do for you until you open your life to the Lordship of the Lord Jesus and open the rooms in your heart house to the Holy Ghost?

Now, we have all different denominations. Listen to me, we’ve got all sorts of people listening to this broadcast and I don’t propose therefore to get into a big brouhaha about our differences on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. But all of us agree that the Holy Spirit is active in salvation, born of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is active in filling the life. He comes in to dwell when you’re saved and He is active in filling the life. And two things that He does: He makes you a good witness, ye shall be witnesses unto me. After that the Holy Ghost is come upon you. He makes you a witness and He also creates Christian character in you.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Those two things we all agree on. That being so, he says, “We’ve received the Spirit of God so that we can find out what God has for us in our own lives. You can be a living proof that Jesus is real and the Holy Spirit is in charge and you can know the tremendous possibilities that God has for your life. Hallelujah. Oh, we get at some more of this the next time we get together.

Dear Father today, fill us with Thy Spirit and prove the reality of Jesus through us. I pray in His name, Amen.

Till I meet you once again by way of radio, walk with the King today, and be a blessing!



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