I Will Pour out My Spirit on All People Joel 2:28-32, NIV And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls. I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “I Will Pour out My Spirit on All People,” which is based on Joel 2:28-32. Please repeat after me, I Will Pour out My Spirit on All People. I Will Pour out My Spirit on All People. Everything changes the moment we come to believe in Jesus. We used to be the slaves of sin before but we are the blessed children of God now. Therefore, there is a fundamental difference between Christians and non-Christians. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, dwells with Christians but not with non-Christians. For this reason, we need to live as the people of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:3 says, “Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus be cursed,’ and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” One cannot confess that Jesus is Lord unless the Holy Spirit comes into one’s heart. No matter how hard one may try to believe, one cannot have faith or confess that Jesus is Lord until the Holy Spirit comes to one. Therefore, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit after believing in Jesus and must live pleasingly to God. First, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit. Joel 2:28 says, “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.” This Scripture was written in the 800s B.C., about 2800 years ago. The kingdom of Judah was prosperous. Being rich and comfortable, the Jews went away from God. They degenerated both spiritually and morally. They worshipped idols, sinning and living unrighteously. It brought God’s judgment on them. In the beginning of Joel, we read a great number of locusts swarmed and covered their land. They ate all the green trees and plants. Since the Jews could not gather grains, they had nothing to eat. Their land was totally wasted. Then they realized that their sin caused such a disaster on them. When Joel stood up and called for their repentance, they repented of their sins of turning away from God. When trouble comes, look at yourself in retrospect and come back to the Lord, thoroughly repenting of your sins, saying, “Lord, forgive me. Even though You saved me through Your death, I have forgotten about it and went into the world. Please, forgive me.” When we come to the Lord with repentance, God will pour His grace upon us. When the Jews repented, God drove the locusts away and gave them early rain and late rain so that they could reap a harvest. God blessed them with His Word. Joel 2:28 says, “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.” The Lord said that He would pour out His Spirit on all people. In the Old Testament days, only a few people with special services and offices for God were anointed. Kings, prophets, and priests were the ones who were anointed to fulfill their tasks. When they were anointed, the Holy Spirit was upon them. God allowed only a few specific people to have the Holy Spirit to fulfill His will. However, in latter days, in the era of the Holy Spirit which came after the era of Jesus, God promised to pour His spirit on all people. This promise was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost, ten days after Jesus was taken up to heaven. The Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples of Jesus when they gathered and prayed together. Acts 2:4 says, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Hallelujah! All the 120 disciples, without an exception, who gathered and prayed in the Upper Room were filled with the Holy Spirit. Nothing like this had ever happened in the Old Testament days. God poured His Spirit like water in latter days as He had promised. The pouring of the Holy Spirit was not limited to the disciples of Jesus. Those who lived in gentile areas were also received the anointing of the Holy Spirit when they heard the gospel. God poured the Holy Spirit on all the believers at the house of Cornelius and at the church at Ephesus. The 2000 years of church history is the history of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is with us even today. The Holy Spirit is working in our midst even now. Therefore, as precious servants of God, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit to give glory to God through our lives. People could come to God only through priests in the Old Testament days. Only the High Priests could enter the Most Holy Place to bring atonement of the people of Israel from God once a year. However, today, whoever believes in Jesus can approach God any time because of his faith in Jesus Christ, being guided by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we must always be filled with the Holy Spirit. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, marvelous changes, blessings, and miracles will occur in our lives. Why are we disappointed and wounded so easily, stepping backward in despair? That is because we are not filled with the Holy Spirit. This is why Paul exhorted the Ephesians in Ephesians 5:18, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” To live powerfully with faith, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit more than anything else. We must ask the Lord to fill us with the Holy Spirit. “Lord, fill us with Your Spirit.” A pastor who had worked on the discipleship training for many decades said, “No matter how hard we train people with the knowledge of the Word, they do not change until they are filled with the Holy Spirit.” He came to admire to be filled with the Holy Spirit. He visited Pasto Cho and started the Holy Spirit movement after Pastor Cho prayed for him. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will change. The miracles of the Lord will be done. Diseases will be healed. The early Christians, both laymen and the Lord’s disciples alike, were filled with the Holy Spirit. The first martyr was Stephen, a deacon. He was filled with the Holy Spirit so strongly that the Jewish leaders and the Pharisees covered their ears when Stephen confidently preached the Word. They rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and stoned him. Stephen, being filled with the Holy Spirit, forgave them and died. Acts 7:60 says, “Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he fell asleep.” “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” What do we do if someone speaks something bad to us or hurt our feelings? We will be very angry. We will want to get even. We may want to take a revenge on that guy. We will blame and curse him. However, Stephen was different. He was filled with the Holy Spirit. He forgave those who stoned him even though he was being stoned, with his skull broken and his blood shedding all over. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we can forgive those whom we could never forgive otherwise. We can stop hating them. We may hold hatred, anger, wounds, and pain in our hearts but what do they have to do with our lives? They only deepen our pain and agony, putting us into utter hopelessness. I pray that you will take off all your old self and march forward with faith joy and thanksgiving in the Lord, being filled with the Holy Spirit. Let us ask the Lord to fill us with the Holy Spirit. Philip was filled with the Holy Spirit and proclaimed the Christ in Samaria. Then evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. So there was great joy in that city. Acts 8:5-8 says, “Philip went down to a city in Samaria and. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. So there was great joy in that city.” Hallelujah! We need the fullness of the Holy Spirit more than anything. All problems will be resolved when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Believing in Jesus is not enough. Believing in Jesus is the starting point - a beginner’s level. Our faith matures to a higher level when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Let us ask the Lord, “Lord, fill us with the Holy Spirit. Make us be the servants of the Holy Spirit.” The disciples of Jesus had followed Jesus for three and a half years, being trained by the Lord and performing many miraculous signs. However, when Jesus died on the Cross, they were scattered. They were hiding with fear before they received the Holy Spirit. They changed tremendously when they received the Holy Spirit, though. I recently read a book “Life is Not a Problem to Solve but a Mystery to experience” by Kil-Sup Chang. In his book, he writes about a caterpillar which freshly hatched out. Everything around her is an obstacle to her. Even a small stone was like a mountain to her which she barely climbs over. She had to struggle vehemently to go over a small stick. When she encounters a small creek, the creek becomes a river which is impossible for her to cross. As the caterpillar grows and turns into a butterfly, she easily flies over the stones, sticks, and creeks to the open air. The same is true with us. Before receiving the Holy Spirit, we cannot handle small problems. We lose our temper over a small thing. We are likely to say that we are finished when we encounter some problems. However, when we receive the Holy Spirit, we will live with great victory in the Lord, leaping over all the problems, hopelessness, pain, and sorrow. This is why we need to admire to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We need to pray, “Lord, fill me with the Holy Spirit. Fill me with the Holy Spirit right now.” When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, marvelous blessings and miracles will happen in our lives just as a caterpillar turns into a butterfly and flies. We can have a higher level of faith. This is what Zechariah the prophet proclaims in the following. Zechariah 4:6?says, “So he said to me, ‘This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.’ ” The Lord says, “By my Spirit!” It is done by the Holy Spirit only. Hallelujah! We can live powerfully when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. When we are not filled with the Spirit, on the other hand, we will be powerless, unable to do anything at all. Uchimura Ganzo, a famous Japanese pastor, once said, “A Christian who has not received the Holy Spirit is the most pitiful person because he owns neither worldly things nor heavenly things. Even when the world mocks at him, he does not have the power to overcome the world. Even though he tries to be clean, he cannot be clean. He needs to be filled with the Holy Spirit, for otherwise, he would be more pitiful than non-Christians.” It is true. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will receive the power to become more than conquerors in the Lord. On the other hand, if we do not receive the Holy Spirit, as Rev. Ganzo said, we will be miserable Christians, always falling, despairing, and groaning in pain. We badly need the Holy Spirit. Wake up the Holy Spirit who is asleep in your heart because you have ignored Him. “Holy Spirit, I recognize You, accept You, and welcome You. Lord, fill me with the Holy Spirit.” Nothing changes until we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Knowledge about the Bible does not guarantee successful Christian life. It is not enough being born of a Christian mother or having come to church for many years. No knowledge, no experience, or no habit can change us. It is the experience in the Holy Spirit that changes us. When we experience the Holy Spirit, we will change and we will receive power. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we can be powerful servants of the Lord, bearing witnesses to the gospel in our work places. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, our business sites will be changed, our schools will be changed, and the whole society will be changed. The church will grow when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, however, people work hard to bring church growth only in vain. Only when the Holy Spirit comes, churches will grow. Jerusalem church gained thousands of new converts on a single day after they received the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The history of the Yoido Full Gospel Church is the history of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Starting with five members, it has grown to have 780,000 members. The secret of this explosive growth lies in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. No other Korean pastor has ever emphasized the Holy Spirit as much as Pastor Cho. Since people are filled with the Holy Spirit, the church grows explosively. People have swarmed to church again and again. Our church has achieved such an explosive growth. 20 branch churches of our church became independent as of January 1, 2010. Out of 780,000 members, we now have 430,000 members at Yoido Full Gospel Church. The Lord is sending more people to our church. This is also a work of the Holy Spirit. When our church is filled with the Holy Spirit, people will come to church even if we tell them not to come. They come because they have experienced the grace of God here. I pray that you will always be filled with the Holy Spirit. “Lord, fill us with the Holy Spirit. Make us the faithful servants of the Holy Spirit and use us to achieve great work of God.” Admire to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Only those who have experienced the Holy Spirit know what it is. I remember a minister who consulted with me. He was rather sad. He went to a seminary in the US and began his ministry. He came to me and said, “Pastor, I have not received the Holy Spirit. The young students I teach receive the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues. I am very much troubled since I do not speak in tongues. I have come to you for some advice because I do not have any one to talk to about this.” He had no experience of the Holy Spirit. He could not speak in tongues. He was a youth group pastor at his church. He was troubled because young people he was teaching received the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. Some even asked him to lay his hands on them so that they could receive the Holy Spirit. He had to lay his hands on them even though he had no experience in the Holy Spirit. So he came to me and said, “Pastor, I have tried to receive the Holy Spirit. I have not been successful.” I said to him, “Pastor, kneel down before God and ask earnestly for the Spirit. Ask God to pour the Spirit on you. Pray, ‘I need to be filled with the Holy Spirit to do Your work. Fill me with the Holy Spirit.’ Seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit with all your heart. Then the Holy Spirit will come to you.” Is there anyone here with the same problem? Kneel down and pray before the Lord. Go to the prayer mountain. Enter the prayer unit and cry out to the Lord, saying, “Fill me with the Holy Spirit. Fill me with the Spirit.” Second, we must have holy dreams after being filled with the Holy Spirit. We must have holy dreams in the Lord. Joel 2:28 says, “Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” When the Holy Spirit comes, our children will prophesy about the future. Old men will dream dreams. And young men will see visions. When the Holy Spirit comes, we will not dwell in the past. God will pour His grace upon us so that we will march towards the future while still living in today. God allows us to have holy dreams and visions about the future. Those who dwell in the past cannot undergo any changes at all. They are doomed to live in the darkness of their past. The old has gone. We are new creations. Have holy dreams in the Lord. When we march forward with dreams, visions and faith, God will bless us. Think about Joseph. He had a dream when he was 17. It took 13 years for his dream to come true, during which time he underwent a severe ordeal. Since he had the dream in his heart, Joseph endured his life as a slave and as a prisoner more than adequately even though he did not deserve it. When he was 30, his dream finally came true, and he became the prime minister of Egypt. When we are filled with the Spirit and have holy dreams, our dreams will lead us. They will change our future. Do not be dismayed at your current situations. Do not say, “I have nothing. I am forsaken. I have many wounds. I have many problems. I am always ill.” Do not look at yourself from this negative prospect. Look at the future. Have holy dreams. When we march forward with faith, God will perform wonderful things through us. God gave Apostle Paul the dream to preach the gospel all over the world. That is why Paul confessed in Acts. Acts 20:24 says, “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” He was filled with the Spirit and the holy dreams so much that he confessed, “I consider my life worth nothing to me. I want to faithfully serve the Lord.” Those who are filled with the Holy Spirit have clear goals and holy dreams. No one is too old to have dreams. What does age have to do with dreams? Have holy dreams in the Lord. Does it cost money to have dreams? Do you have to work hard to have dreams? No. Open your heart, have faith, change your thoughts, and have a holy dream. When you have holy dreams, filling your mind with holy thoughts, God will lead your footsteps. Think about Caleb. He had a holy dream when he was 85. People must think it was about time for him to retire and sit back. But he said, in Joshua 14:12, “Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.” An 85 year old senior came to Joshua and said, “Give me this hill country. Even though the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as He said.” So he did as he believed he would. Caleb conquered the hill country. He had the holy dream at 85 and made his dream come true. There are not many who are over 85 among us, are there? Have holy dreams and march forward with faith. When you march forward with your holy dreams, it will change your future. “Give me this hill country. Give me this hill country.” Who is the most miserable person in the world? He who does not know Jesus and does not have a dream for the future is the most miserable person. Marguerite Higgins, a war correspondent, received the Pulitzer Prize for her coverage during the Korean War. It was a particularly cold morning and one huge marine was eating cold beans with his trench knife. As a correspondent, Higgins asked him, “If I could grant you anything you wished, what would you like most?” The Marine thought for a moment and then said, “Give me tomorrow.” He thought that there would be no tomorrow since so many of his comrades had died. One day at a time was the best they could think of. His comrades were with him in the morning but not in the afternoon. So many American soldiers died during the Korean War. His word to Higgins, “Give me tomorrow,” has become a very famous word. We have bright future in the Lord. We have tomorrow. Have holy dreams and march forward. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” When we march forward, holding on to our dreams, God will bless us. Have holy dreams. There are many days left in the year 2010. I will not question you how you have spent your old days. “Lord, I have holy dreams for the days to come. Be with me, Lord.” Have holy dreams about you, about your homes, about your children, about your work places, and about your businesses. When we march forward with holy dreams for the glory of God, God’s marvelous blessings and miracles will come to us. Hold on to the Word of promise and change your thoughts, first. Replace your thoughts with God’s thoughts and have holy dreams in the Lord. With holy dreams in your heart, proclaim it with faith. When we proclaim our dreams, God will bless us. Miracles will happen. God’s grace will be upon you. Lord, give us holy dreams. Third, after being filled with the Holy Spirit and after having holy dreams, we must bear witness to the gospel. When we live as witnesses to the gospel, God will pour His grace upon us. Joel 2:32 says, “And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls.” Now that we have received the Holy Spirit, what do we have to do next? We need to preach the gospel with all our might. Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” “You will be my witnesses.” Be filled with the Holy Spirit and be the witnesses of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray that you will preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus to your neighbors. When all Koreans come to the Lord by hearing the gospel of the Lord Jesus, our Lord will receive glory through us. He will reunite our nation. He will make Korea into a great missionary nation over all nations. The disciples of the Lord rushed out and preached the gospel after they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Before, Peter had denied Jesus three times in front of a servant girl. The disciples had been hiding in fear of Jews behind a shut door even after meeting the resurrected Lord. When they received the Holy Spirit, however, they rushed out and proclaimed that Jesus was Christ. Thousands of people were converted to the Lord on a single day. It is true. When the Holy Spirit is poured, the gospel of our Lord Jesus will widely spread. God’s wonderful work will be done. “Lord, fill us with the Spirit. Let the gospel of the Lord spread out all over the world.” The Great Awakening took place in the mid-18th century. Jonathan Edwards, the president of Princeton Seminary, addressed a sermon under the title, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Edwards preached this sermon on July 8, 1741 in Enfield, Connecticut. Edwards had bad eyesight but he wrote his manuscript and read it to the audience. It combined vivid imagery of the Christian concept of Hell with observations of the secular world. The Holy Spirit was upon the people and gave them fear of God’s judgment. They repented of their sins in loud cries. This fire of the Holy Spirit widely spread and initiated the Great Awakening. They received the fire of the Spirit just by listening to the Word. Receive the fire of the Holy Spirit by listening to the Word. And be the witnesses of the gospel to the ends of the earth. 2 Timothy 4:2 says, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction.” When we preach the gospel, God will bless us, pouring His grace upon us. It is said that 20 to 25% of Korean population are Christians. However, the Christian population is lower on islands. Their average Christian population somewhere between 10 and 15%. Jeju Islands has 14 to 15% of Christian population. It is hard to preach the gospel on islands. However, there is an island, called Jeung-Do, in South Jun-La Province, which has the highest Christian population in Korea. A minister went to Jeung-Do and was deeply impressed by the Christians there. He wrote a book “The Heavenly Island” about Jeung-Do. There are no shamans in Jeung-Do. Since islanders and fisherman, most islands have many types of shamans, practicing various shamanistic ceremonies. However, in Jeung-Do, there are no gamblers, bars, shamans, or shamanistic shrines. They close shops on weekends because they have to prepare themselves for church on Sundays. Their total population is 2,200 and most of them are Christians. More than 90% of the population believes in Jesus. Hallelujah! Glory to God! There are eleven churches. Six churches are financially independent. The churches work together to serve the community. This is why Jeung-Do is called the heavenly island. Surprisingly, this flourish of Christianity on this island was not due to famous evangelists. Instead, this amazing Christian revival is ascribed to a woman with humble fate and her service. The writer of the books asked an elderly woman on the island. “How come there are so many Christians and churches on this island?” The woman replied, “It is due to Pastor Joon-Kyung Moon.” Joon-Kyung Moon was born in Am-Tae Island, South Jun-La Province, in 1891. She married a Jeung-Do man. Since the marriage was arranged by their families, they had never met before the wedding. Her husband refused her on their wedding day. Even though she was refused, she lived in her in-law’s house for 20 years. She had unspeakably hard time during those 20 years. One day, a preacher lady, meaning a woman pastor, happened to visit her house. Moon heard the gospel from the preacher lady and believed in Jesus. Later, she received the fire of the Holy Spirit at a revival meeting led by Rev. Sung-Bong Lee. The late Rev. Ja-Sil Choi also received the fire of the Holy Spirit at a revival meeting led by the same preacher. Moon wanted to become a minister to serve the Lord. So she entered the Kyung-Sung Bible School. After graduating, she came back to her home island as a preacher lady herself. She got on board of boats and preached the gospel to the islanders. She moved around the islands and served them as a porter, a messenger, a pharmacist, and a physician. Her shoes were worn out so quickly that she needed nine pairs a year. She moved from one island to another, taking care of children and patients, singing hymns to people, comforting them, and praying for them. They were deeply touched by her service and, consequently, churches were built. Many young men were deeply inspired by her and, later, they became great pastors. The late Rev. Jun-Kon Kim, the founder of KCCC, Revs. Man-Shin Lee, Tae-Ki Chung, Yoon-Bok Shin, Bong-Sung Lee are only a few of them. They heard the gospel from her and became the servants of God. When Rev. Moon was 59 years old, the Korean War broke out. Communists came to the island and beat her with a club because she had hatched so many Christians chicks. She prayed, “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit,” and was martyred by the communists - shot to death. So many people came to her funeral. It is said that the number was even greater than those who gathered at Kim-Ku’s funeral. Those who had heard the gospel from her, those who had received prayer, love, and help from her, and those whom she had wiped tears from came to her funeral with aching hearts. As the result of her dedication, Jeung-Do has turned into the heavenly island with more than 90% of Christian population. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit and when we have holy dreams and visions, we also can be used like her. A lady who had been weak and humble was greatly used by God and achieved such a miraculous work. Now that we are in better position than she, it is not impossible for us to do even greater things. When we have holy dreams, being filled with the Holy Spirit, we will be used as witnesses of the gospel. Overcome lethargic faith. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. I pray that you will live as powerful witnesses of the gospel. “Lord, fill me with the Holy Spirit. Help me live as the witness of the gospel. Help me proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ and His blood to everyone I come across, shedding the light of life on those who are suffering from hopelessness and pain. I acknowledge, welcome, and accept the Holy Spirit. Fill me with the Spirit. Help me have holy dreams. Help me live as the witness of the gospel.” I pray that this prayer will be your prayer. It is my earnest prayer for you in the Lord. Let us pray. Our Father of infinite love, grace, and mercy, fill us with the Spirit. Help us have holy dreams. Help us live as the witnesses of the gospel, changing the future. Pour Your grace upon us. I pray in the Name of Jesus. Amen. 8