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"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."
(Galatians 5:16)
This week, we are back in our study of the 30 life principles that Dr. Charles Stanley preached and lived by. All 30 messages can be viewed online at InTouch.org. Stanley was the pastor of FBC Atlanta, GA for over 50 years and well known for his faithfulness to teach the Bible on his In Touch TV broadcast. Stanley passed away on April 18, 2023 at 90 years of age.
Before we get started today, I wanted to mention a couple of books I am reading that have been a blessing to me. The first is Wounded Tiger: The Transformational True Story of the Japanese Pilot Who Led the Pearl Harbor Attack, by T. Martin Bennett. This is a powerful biography on Mitsuo Fuchida, the lead pilot during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 who narrowly avoided being in Hiroshima the day the atomic bomb was dropped and later came to Christ. The second book is Take My Life: How God Saved Me from Myself and Gave Me Peace of Mind, by Graham Lacey, a very successful Christian businessman who chronicled his battle with depression and how God delivered him. My favorite genre to read is biographies. I enjoy reading about the lives of others. Dr. Roy Fish said, "If you want to become a great man of God, then read about great men of God."
This week we will be studying the 22nd life principle of Dr. Charles Stanley: "Walking in the Spirit". What a joy it is to focus on the third Person of the Godhead, the blessed Holy Spirit. Pastor Stanley taught many truths on who the Holy Spirit is and how He works in the lives of believers and unbelievers. We can either receive and be filled with the Holy Spirit, or we can grieve and quench Him. Life is always best and most fulfilling when we are walking in the Spirit and not quenching the Spirit. Those who do not know Jesus do not have the Spirit of God living in them. One of the sure signs of a lost person is that their common sense is missing or deeply flawed. One of the first things to go when you do not know God is basic common sense. People believing and acting in ways very contrary to the Word of God are those who do not have the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit of truth. I would be that way were it not for God's salvation and Him rescuing me from hell and a hellish way of thinking.
Stanley said one of the most neglected subjects in the Bible is the work of the Holy Spirit. Many in church never hear a sermon on the Holy Spirit and His work in their lives. You cannot live a godly life and serve God adequately unless you understand how the Holy Spirit works in your life. The fault for this lack of teaching is on those who stand in the pulpit. I thought of the famous Charles Spurgeon quote from each time he approached the pulpit to preach. He would say, "I believe in the Holy Spirit." It was not until I was in seminary that I began to understand who the Holy Spirit is. Dr. Fish's lecture on the Holy Spirit was one of the most powerful and transformative messages I ever heard. It impacted me greatly as a young pastor and has influenced me even till today.
I am excited to share with you this week on this all-important subject of pneumatology: the study of the Holy Spirit. I pray even now that your life would be greatly blessed. |
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