PREACHING OF JULY 21, 2024:

Brother Antonio Genova

THE NEW DRESS

Let's begin this worship service with a story that highlights the greatness of God, involving a little girl and her religious teacher. One day, during a class, the religion teacher was explaining various concepts to the students. At one point, a little girl exclaimed enthusiastically, "God is great!" The teacher, visibly annoyed, asked, "Why do you say that God is great?" The girl replied, "Because one day, God opened the sea and led the people of Israel to safety." The teacher, still annoyed, tried to downplay the miracle, saying, "At that time, there was a shallow area; the water only came up to their ankles." There was a moment of silence in the classroom. Shortly after, the little girl exclaimed again, "God is even greater!" The curious teacher asked, "Why is God even greater?" And the girl answered, "Because in just a few inches of water, He drowned the entire Egyptian army." Today, with the message titled "The New Garment", we will continue to discuss the Holy Spirit, delving into the importance of His essence and His work in our lives, as discussed last Sunday. Now, if we truly understand how crucial this is, we will do everything possible to involve the Holy Spirit more and more in our daily lives, recognizing that His power is limitless, as demonstrated by His raising of Jesus, and that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three distinct persons. We know that the Word must be put into action to have a real effect in our lives, as Jesus said, "Blessed is the one who hears my word and puts it into practice." It commands us to be filled with the Holy Spirit, not just full, but overflowing, to shake the world and perform signs, miracles, and wonders. The measure of God's fullness in our lives depends on us: we can choose to be filled 10%, 30%, 50%, or more, because God has not given us a limited measure. You see, when we are empty, it's easy to lose spiritual vision and focus only on material difficulties, becoming dangerous and ungrateful believers who fail to recognize God's blessings and miracles in our own lives, much like the people of Israel who complained despite numerous divine provisions. Being filled with the Holy Spirit means living with faith, courage, and dynamism, able to see and accomplish the great works God has prepared for us. The measure of our spiritual fullness depends solely on us and our choice regarding how much Holy Spirit and divine power we desire in our lives. This is wonderful because we have the opportunity to seek and receive more and more from God's presence, thus transforming the course of our existence.

John 3:34; 34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

The beauty is that the Holy Spirit is always ready and waiting to fill us at every moment. Often, it's like having a fire with wood available, but if we don't use that wood to fuel the fire, it will lose strength and go out; similarly, if we don't actively receive and nurture God's presence, we risk extinguishing our spiritual connection. Jesus promised not to leave us as orphans and wants us to be aware of the wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit, which God sent from heaven so that we can benefit from it every day.

Ephesians 4:30; 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

The Holy Spirit does not deserve to be grieved or neglected by us. Often, we think that resisting the Holy Spirit only happens when we sin, but in reality, He is also grieved when we do not draw near to Him.

James 4:5; 5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain: «The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?»

James is telling us that the Holy Spirit craves our presence with a deep jealousy, similar to that of a lover who ardently desires the affection of their partner. Thus, the Holy Spirit ardently desires to bring good into our lives, and every day invites us to be in His presence, because His continuous desire is to bless us abundantly. In the two previous sermons, we talked about the importance of the Holy Spirit, His power and authority, and the wonders He can perform. However, if we do not draw near to His presence, we will remain merely baptized without the necessary power to carry out the works God has prepared for us. To manifest signs and miracles and confirm the Word of God, it is essential to be people anointed by the Holy Spirit. In Mark, we read that whoever believes and is baptized will be saved and accompanied by signs, but it is equally essential not only to be baptized but to be filled with the Holy Spirit, as Paul teaches us. A believer who is only baptized may fall into complaining and negativity, whereas someone filled with the Holy Spirit praises God and abounds in positive words. The mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart, and if our hearts are filled with God's presence, the Holy Spirit will always remind us of His promises and give us confidence and certainty. A believer who does not allow themselves to be filled with the Holy Spirit risks not being able to act with divine power and may become a scandalous operator, speaking without true authority. We do not need to showcase our oratorical abilities; what truly impacts people is the presence of God within us. You see, complaining, which reflects the absence of God's presence in our lives and can be seen as an act of worship to the devil, must be replaced with positive language to transform our circumstances and not open doors to the enemy. The Holy Spirit has given us a spiritual "new garment" that, like a visible physical garment to natural eyes, must be worked on and put into practice, and it manifests through the fruits of the Spirit in our lives. Only with the Holy Spirit can we do great good and make a difference in the world.

Galatians 5:22; 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.

If some of these fruits are lacking in our lives, we can seek God's presence to be strengthened in areas where we are weak, because the measure of how close we are to His presence is reflected in the fruits of the Spirit we produce. In Colossians, it speaks of how, at new birth, we were stripped of the old man, who had nothing good and was destined for hell, but God, in His mercy, did not leave us unprotected; instead, He clothed us with the new man, a better and perfect garment. Now, we must ask ourselves if we are truly renewing ourselves and becoming more and more like Christ.

Colossians 3:9-10; 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Just as we take care of a physical garment, protecting it and keeping it in good condition, we must do the same with the spiritual garment that God has given us. We do this by seeking refuge in His presence and maintaining an intimate relationship with Him. However, many of us, emptied of God's presence, have not guarded this garment with the same attention, allowing it to become wrinkled and mistreated. You see, instead of sincerely restoring our spiritual condition, we often resort to temporary fixes, compromising, lies, and hypocrisy. But God urges us to return to Him, to recover genuineness, humility, and our first love, in order to keep the spiritual garment He has bestowed upon us intact and authentic.

Mark 2:21; 21 No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.

You know, God warns us and speaks to us through His Word, where there is a passage that says He sent His Word to save us from the pit, but to receive it, we must return to genuineness, spontaneity, first love, obedience, and humility. The Holy Spirit exhorts us to return to Him, the only excellent tailor who can restore our spiritual garment better than before. If we kneel before God, we can resist the enemy who seeks to destroy our lives; in fact, when we are filled with His presence, it can do nothing but flee. Many of us lack character, which implies decision, courage, determination, strength, and willpower qualities necessary to be part of the Kingdom of God, as it is not for the weak or those who easily give up. Character is something we must develop ourselves, while anointing and charisma come from God; therefore, we cannot blame anyone when we fail, but we must persevere in His presence. You see, our character develops in our personal prayer closet, where we can pray despite difficulties. The Word says that the violent will take hold of the Kingdom, and so must we, understanding that we cannot live without the wonderful presence of the Holy Spirit, just as a fish cannot live outside of water. Being filled with the Holy Spirit requires daily commitment, not just on Sundays, and for this reason, God calls us to maintain the filling throughout the week. Prayer has immense power, and the enemy will do everything to prevent us from praying because a praying believer causes damage in the kingdom of darkness. If we decide to live on past experiences, meaning that we were filled once and had an encounter with God, we risk experiencing dryness because we no longer go to His presence to recharge daily; instead, we should follow the example of Jesus, who, even with crowds around Him, would leave everything to pray. God honors those who honor Him, and by following the Holy Spirit and staying in His presence, we honor the Father and Jesus; therefore, it is essential that every morning, we ask the Holy Spirit what Jesus has told us on behalf of God, expressing the desire to obey and do His will. Scripture exhorts us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His will, and everything else will be added to us. It is time to mature and make progress even in our prayer life, moving beyond merely requesting our personal needs to seeking God's will for our lives. Someone, a minister of God, once said, "I no longer pray for myself and my things, but I am now oriented toward His will because I know that every day He takes care of my life." Whoever affirms this has great confidence in God and is in His presence every day, knowing that God never forsakes them and that instead of worrying about surrounding circumstances, they focus on Kingdom matters, such as the Church, salvation, blessing, and healing of people. Concluding, if we invite the Holy Spirit into our lives every morning, we can expect positive change throughout the day; indeed, starting well involves welcoming Him from the very beginning. Acting differently and then complaining, as Job did when he expected good but did not receive it, is typical of those who draw hasty conclusions without considering that true goodness, protection, and miracles come from a life surrendered to the Holy Spirit. By surrendering to Him, we experience a victorious and blessed life, and God desires that each of His children progresses. There are no specific schools to follow for this; rather, it is essential to spend time in His presence every day and seek His guidance. Thus, by maintaining a strong and continuous relationship with the Holy Spirit, we go to sleep content, wake up joyful, and live happily.