The Community Church: Sermons and teaching

let's pray. Lord, thank you for your goodness to us. Thank you for your love for us. And I ask you this morning that you will open our eyes, open our hearts, and that we will, as we go through this process together, draw closer to your Holy Spirit, to know Him better and to want to know him more and more.

Thank you, Lord. Amen. Amen. I'm ditching that now. It's too hot to have around me neck. Is anybody feeling particularly brave this morning? Anybody? Come on. If you're feeling particularly brave, stand up. Okay. Stay standing. Don't move. Oh, I know I'm here. I'm like, okay, don't move now. I want to I right the company. Yeah, that's a great honor.

This morning. I'm going to be sorry. You can sit down. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for being game for that this morning. I'm going to be brave because I'm going to share something with you which is quite personal and will make me feel vulnerable. So I'm going to ask you to be gracious with me and please don't shoot.

Okay. Who remembers COVID and lockdown? Of course, we do. Is there anybody who misses lockdown? Anybody? Yeah, kind of. A few people came to you. Okay. Okay. Lockdown for me was not just physical lockdown, not just physically staying at home. I didn't realize it till after the event, but it was also, for me, an emotional shutting down. I didn't like the situation.

And when we were told we were going to have three weeks of lockdown, I shrieked, How on earth am I going to cope with that? And I can't remember how many weeks. It was the first time that we had another one, then another one, and to cope with it well, it didn't cope with it, but I squashed my emotions down.

I didn't want to feel these emotions that were going to make life hard for me. So just squished them down and that damaged my relationships with other people. And most importantly, it damaged my relationship with the Lord. So by the time we'd finished with all the lockdowns and COVID and everything, the Lord felt a long, long way away.

He hadn't changed. He was still right that it was me who changed and I needed to put that right. I needed to reestablish an intimacy with his Holy Spirit relationship with His Holy Spirit, to come back into that relationship. Okay, that's the vulnerable bit.

So that's what we're going to talk about today. I'm going to talk to you about intimacy with Holy Spirit and how we can achieve that. For some people, it might be that they're relatively new Christians and they don't even understand what that means in having intimacy with the Holy Spirit. Hopefully that will become clearer to you. And for some people, you might have been a Christian for a long time and you're feeling way, way off and you feel that the Lord is a long way off and hopefully we together will be able to move closer to him and restore that relationship.

Okay, So like good researchers, we're going to explore the what, why and how of intimacy. First. So what is intimacy? Oh, they get you get they get. So the dictionary gives a number of definitions, but they all have one thing in common, and that's closeness. So for our purpose today, we're going to consider intimacy, to be closeness. But when I say closeness, I mean real closeness.

Living in me. Closeness. Not I'm quite that not I'm quite close today, but real closeness. I mean, sorry, Dave. And Dave and I, Dave and I are really close. I mean, where he is now, not that kind of closeness. Sorry. Felt. I need you to explain that. Okay. So that's what intimacy is now, why do we need intimacy?

The Lord has designed us for intimacy with Him. We felt to be intimate with him, to be close to him. In John chapter ten, he calls his disciples my most intimate friends. By the way, my Bible references are all from the passion translation, so they might be a little different than you've seen them or read them before. Jesus calls his disciples my intimate friends, most intimate friends, and as his disciples too.

We also are his intimate friends. I this morning picked up a bookmark, and when I picked it up I realized I had some notes scribbled on it. So I read them and one of the things I'd written down, I don't know when or where I got it from, except I put Joyce may at question Mark, so it might be set by her.

I'm determined to live the life that Jesus died to give me. I'm determined to live the life that Jesus died to give me. And the Lord wants us to have abundant full life. Yes, it is, John. 1010. My desire is to give you everything in abundance more than you expect life in its fullness until you overflow. He wants us to have abundant life, and part of that abundant life is an intimate friendship, an intimate relationship with him.

So if we want to live that full life, if we want to live our best life, we need that intimacy, that closeness with the Holy Spirit. Only that way are we going to have that full, abundant and overflowing life so we know what we know. Why. Now let's find out how to become intimate with the Holy Spirit. Oh, it's there already.

You've done it. Thank you, John. Chapter 14. You will know him intimately because he will make his home in you and live inside you. It's simple. That's how close the Holy Spirit is. He's right in here, John. You will put your hand roughly on your heart. That kind of where your heart is. He's right here. Right here in each of us.

But although he's close, really close, our level of intimacy with him depends on how we engage with him. He's there for us. But will we engage with him? When I was a teenager and I went to scarce recall school, we had a teacher, John Smith, who ran the Christian Fellowship there, and he used to drop it in to us that if you're not going home with the Lord building and increasing your relationship with Him, you are backsliding.

There's no in between. And as I've been looking at this intimacy with the Lord, I'm inclined to agree with John. After all these years and say He's right. Yeah. If we're not actively pursuing closeness with the Holy Spirit, then we're in danger of ignoring Him or of burying him under all the stuff in our lives. And that is not a good thing to do.

It's essential that we not only acknowledge him and acknowledge his presence in our lives, but we seek out that closeness with him, that close, close, intimate relationship with him. Easily sad. But that doesn't really tell us yet how we know the Holy Spirit is in here. We know we need to pursue relationship with Him, but how do we go about that?

We need to actively spend time with him. It's all about communication to enter into a fully into a relationship with the Holy Spirit. We need an honest two way communication. Whoever built a friendship without conversation or without speaking and listening, you can't do it. So we need a two way conversation where we talk, but also take the time to listen from a practical point of view.

For me, anyway, that means I can talk out loud to the Holy Spirit, or I can talk in my head. He can hear me either way. And as far as listening is concerned, in my own experience, I find that the Holy Spirit would just drop a thought into my mind. And I know this for sure, that the closer I am to him, the more intimate I am with him, the easier it is to recognize his voice so that when that thought drops, you know, when you're walking in closeness with him, you know, when that thought comes that that's the Holy Spirit.

So that closeness is really important. Okay, research done. You know what? We know why. I mean, no, how. I thought it might be helpful if I share with you a little bit of my process that I have gone through and I'm still working through to intimacy with the Holy Spirit. So practical planning might sound basic and forgive me if you all think, Oh, for goodness sake, that's just common sense for some of us.

It might be common sense. For some of us it might not. So practical planning in spending time with the Holy Spirit means creating a space where you're comfortable, where you can be alone, undisturbed and with space so that you can stand up, you can kneel down, you can lay face down on the floor before him, whatever he requires of you.

And then is there anything you might need Your Bible, pen and paper, a glass of water, whatever you feel you might need, have it close by so you're not having to keep interrupting that conversation by going off to fetch this or that. Even possibly, dare I say, technology could help with an appropriate app to keep you focused. I never thought I would be saying anything like this.

More about the app later. Anyway. Just by the by. We need to be comfortable but not so comfortable that we fall asleep. So lying on your bed probably isn't a good idea. And about that phone for me using an app is has been helpful and my phone is not a distraction. But if you're somebody who the minute you get a notification, it would be porting or something on your phone, you have to look at it.

Then turn your phone off, put your phone in another room, do what you need to do so it doesn't cause a distraction to you. That's really important. So that's the practicalities of it all. My second way to intimacy has been to look inside. I have delighted this morning in hearing about a niece saying, Look to the hills. That's where my help comes from.

There are times when we're cussed down and we're heavy and our eyes are to the floor and we need to lift our heads and God knows that. So he says, Look to the hills. That's where you help comes from, because that will cause us to lift our heads. And then we had mention of Jesus, our rock, our strong foundation.

And there are times when actually we do need to look down, we need to look down at where our feet are, and they're on the rock. Yeah, but my second way to intimacy has been not looking up and not looking down, but looking inside. I remember John chapter 14 from just before He will make his home in New.

So we need to look to the Holy Spirit living in us and wanting intimacy with us rather than looking out. Of course, God is omnipotent. He's everywhere, omnipresent, omnipotent, omnipresent. He's everywhere, but he's living in me. He's that close, that intimate with me. So to look inside is helpful for this particular purpose. It's helpful. I own unintentionally developed a little helping strategy.

You might think this is really weird, but I found that when I was looking to the Holy Spirit and when I was looking to offer my heart to Him, which we'll get on to next, I found that I would have my hand here and just be tapping as I talk to him about my heart and sometimes fought with him, about my heart not wanting to give it.

Sometimes. But I would tap here. And this has then become is it called cognitive behavioral therapy. It's become like a stimulus, I guess, which causes me to focus on the Holy Spirit. So sometimes if I'm struggling to concentrate, I can just start doing this and it's become that that directs me Focus on the Holy Spirit. It's a bit like when you sit down at the kitchen table, you're expecting food and you sit and eat a meal.

And in the same way when I start doing this, I'm expecting to commune with the Holy Spirit to spend time with him. Everybody's different. That might sound very weird to you, but perhaps the Holy Spirit will show you some ways that you can help yourself into closer relationship with Him. My third My third way to intimacy is an open heart.

That's not easy, especially when you've shut your heart down, which is kind of what I had done. But some of songs Chapter five and verse four my beloved reached into me to unblock my heart, the core of my very being trembled at his touch, how my soul melted When he spoke to me. My spirit arose for more of his touch as I surrendered to him.

That's a beautiful picture, isn't it, of what happens when we gave our hearts willingly to the Lord who loves us when we give him free access into our lives. We sang before about all my failures I've tried to hide. And that's why I said sometimes I would fight with the Holy Spirit about my heart because I didn't want to give him open access because I feel like there are failures in that.

There are faults in that I don't want anyone seeing those. And so I was afraid to let him in, afraid of, I'm not quite sure. Fire and brimstone of being sent to the naughty step, I don't know. But I was afraid. And then the Holy Spirit reminded me when I was first filled with the Holy Spirit, prayed for to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

The man who prayed with me, I was probably 16. I think the man who prayed with me brought me a word from the Holy Spirit and said that you are a gentle person and the Holy Spirit is going to gently with you. Frankly, at the time, being a teenager and quite rowdy and noisy and loud and frankly, probably rather obnoxious, I found it hard to believe that I was a gentle person.

And so I really didn't pay much attention to that word at all. But over the years, more and more I've come to see that that word was spot on, and the Holy Spirit reminded me of this just recently. And that reassured me enormously that He is going to deal gently with me. And that allayed my fears. Of course, all of us are different.

So for each one of us, there might be something different that's holding us back. But the Holy Spirit will speak to you. He will tell you, and he will bring you peace in that situation. So an open heart. It requires trust. It requires total honesty. It means holding nothing back. It means giving everything to him. The good, the bad, the ugly, everything.

Somedays that's definitely easier than others. But the Holy Spirit is always here. Right here. To help us, to strengthen us, to give us everything we need. We simply need to go to him and spend that time with him. So finally, way four to intimacy for me is speaking in tongues. The one who speaks in tongues advances his own spiritual progress.

The one who speaks in tongues advances his own spiritual progress. I'm speaking mysteries to God when I speak in tongues. When you speak in tongues, we're speaking mysteries to God. How amazing is that? How amazing is that? I don't know how it works. I don't know why it works. But I do know that speaking in tongues brings me closer to the Holy Spirit that brings greater intimacy with Him.

That's so simple and yet so powerful. It's one of those Forgive me if you don't like me using this word, but it's one of those magical things in the Bible, which is a physical activity that carries with it immense spiritual power. When we obey and do it. How we speak in tongues, though, is really, really important. It means, consciously speaking to the Lord, consciously or actively engaging in conversation, not rambling mindlessly while you get on with something else.

And perhaps you never do that. But I do. I could be emptying the dishwasher or I don't know what else at home, and I'll be kind of wondering in tongues as I'm doing it. So I'm not. That would be like Dave being in the room and me doing something is just sort of under my breath. When we were talking to him, but not loud or clear, not consciously, not actively engaging with him.

And it's just it's just not right. If we're going to speak to the Lord, we need to speak to him. We need to actively choose that conversation. So we need to consciously speak in tongues. Remember, it's a two way conversation as well. So speak in tongues, but then allow room and time for the Holy Spirit to respond. And sometimes you might just be conscious of a beautiful sense of peace or power or whatever you need as you're praying in tongues.

But sometimes the Holy Spirit might have something very specific to say to you, so always make room for that. What's been the outcome of this process? For me? And it is, as I said, an ongoing process and it will be ongoing and ongoing and ongoing because the minute we stop, remember seeking that closeness, we lose it. Yeah, we fall back, we get into that habit.

So it's important that we keep pursuing the Holy Spirit in our lives. The outcome for each one of us will vary, depending on who we are and what we need. But for me, one of the changes has been a great clarity in what to pray for people. And again, it's that thought just dropping into my mind that it's usually when I'm in a little group actually, and we're asked to pray about a particular thing for a particular person.

And the words I need to pray are just right there so clear. And I'm very confident in those moments that the Holy Spirit is directing me what to pray. Another change has been a beautiful freshness in my Bible reading, and in fact, the Holy Spirit directed me to a passage as I was preparing for this morning. And it's blessed me time and time again, and I would like to read it to you now.

A Song of Songs. Chapter two and verse 10 to 30 The one I love Calls to me Arise, My dearest, Hurry, my darling, come along with me. I have come as you have asked to draw you to my heart and lead you out. For now is the time, my beautiful long The season has changed The bondage of your barren winter has ended and the season of hiding is over and gone.

The rains have soaked the earth and left it bright with blossoming flowers. The season for pruning the vines has arrived. I hear the cooing of doves in our land, filling the air with songs to awaken you and guide you forth. Can you not discern this new day of destiny breaking forth around you? The early signs of my purposes and plans are bursting forth.

The budding vines of new life are now blooming everywhere. The fragrance of flowers whispers There is change in the air arise my love, my beautiful companion and run with me to the higher place. For now is the time to arise and away with me. Men, Before we close we going to do something a little bit different. We're going to go back to this app that has helped me and we're going to listen to it.

It's called Pause, and if anybody wants details about it, I if you message me, I can send you a link. There are probably many of the apps available, but this is the one that I was directed to. So we're going to close our eyes and for 3 minutes simply focus on the Holy Spirit within us. Thank you.

Give all your worries and cares to God for He cares about you. Jesus, I give everyone and everything to you. I give everyone and everything to you. God, what do you need to let go of?

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are. What I in them and you in me. Father Jesus, Holy Spirit, and shield my union with you. I love you, I believe you, I worship you. Restore our union law shield and restore our union that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

And I pray for more of you. God. Fill me with more of you. I pray the river of life would fill me, Restore me, renew me, surround me. I need more of you God saturate me with your love, saturate me with your life. That's good. That's enough for now.

If you would like prayer this morning, if this is race something for you that you would like prayer for, please do come now and we can pray with you. If you would like to be prayed for, to speak in tongues, or to be filled with the Holy Spirit, or to be filled anew with the Holy Spirit, then please come and we'll pray with you.