======================================================================== TESTIMONY - PART 1 by Erlo Stegen ======================================================================== Summary: Erlo Stegen emphasizes the importance of experiencing genuine revival and knowing God personally through the work of the Holy Spirit. Duration: 26:19 Topics: "Holy Spirit", "Personal Revival" Scripture References: John 7:37, John 14:12, John 15:7, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Hebrews 13:8 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This sermon emphasizes the experience of revival and the deep impact it has on individuals, focusing on the need to move beyond just knowing about God and revival to actually experiencing it. It highlights the transformative power of the Holy Spirit convicting people of sin, righteousness, and judgment, leading to profound repentance and a genuine encounter with God. The speaker shares personal experiences of revival and the importance of internalizing God's Word to see His promises fulfilled in our lives. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is only the second day that I've spent here in your wonderful country. Maybe you are used to it, but we are here for the first time. For us, it's a great thing to see the mountain where Noah landed and came down. I'm sorry that I can't understand your language. I can't even start learning it. I'm too old. Although I've got a grandson who prays every day. Praying, oh God, Father. Grant that my grandfather will be 128. If I'm not in a grave, the Lord has come. I don't think that I'll reach that age. But I never knew that getting old is so wonderful. The older you get, the more you know. And if we start getting gray, we think of him who is gray and has got white hair. Then we'll become more like him who died for us. I'm so glad as well that we can gather around God's Word in this church. I was so sorry that some had turned back last night. There's nothing as wonderful as gathering around God's Word. There's nothing as wonderful as gathering around God's Word. I would like to tell you something about the Bible. I use the word about. We know much about God. We know much about revival. But there are so few that experience it. Some have written many books about it. About God coming down from heaven in the power of the Holy Ghost and working amongst men and women. Because he says, I will be their God. They will be my sons and daughters. And I'll walk among them. And they will be my people. But I wouldn't just like you to know about revival. But I pray that you experience revival. Not that you know about God, but that you know God. Shall we pray? Our Heavenly Father, we come to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we pray that through the Holy Spirit and your Holy Word, you touch our hearts that we'll never be the same again. Change our lives. Revolutionize everything. May the old be past and everything become new. As you say, if someone is in Christ, he's a new creation. All things have passed away, everything has become new. Amen. If I speak to you about revival, it started in 1966. And it's growing stronger now than ever before. People come from the whole countryside. North and south, east and west. Without inviting them. It began at the beginning that God, through the Holy Spirit, drew the people to himself like a Pentecost. No organizing. No inviting people. God just brought them at any time of the day. When we get out of the house, there would be 100, 200, 300 people waiting for us. Men, strong men, bloodthirsty men, weeping and crying. Saying, can we, how can we get forgiveness of our sins? The Holy Spirit came and convicted them of sin. Like Jesus said to his disciples, when I come or when I leave you, it is better that I leave you. And they were heartbroken because he said, he's going to leave them. He said, it is better for you that I leave. Because if I don't leave, the Holy Spirit won't come. And when he comes, the first thing he does, he convicts people of what they've sinned. When the Spirit of God works. The first thing he does, he convicts people of their sin. Righteousness. That which is right in God's eyes. And of judgment. Sometimes it's as if it's judgment day. Sometimes heart and men come crying, saying there's only one inch left, then we go into hell. Can God save us? Raw heathen that have shed blood all their lives, where the gospel couldn't do anything for over a hundred years, missionaries came, they came from overseas, but they couldn't reach the people. But when the Holy Spirit moves, he brought them. He's still the same God, he's always the same. And Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. I spoke a bit about God's greatness yesterday evening. If we look at the stars, there are stars that are a million times greater than the sun. And the brightness is thirty-eight times as bright as sunlight. Just imagine what it would be like that we would have to appear before God. Some people come and say, we had thought we'd always have been Christians. But now, that we have met with God, we see that we are lost and doomed and damned sinners. Sometimes our Christianity is superficial, but you'll always find in genuine revival from above that repentance goes very deep. A small girl, nine years old, met with the Lord, and the child cried for three days. And the parents sent me word and said, we don't know what to do with our child. Because she said she has seen the eye of God. And when she saw the eye of God, she knew that her whole life had been brought to light. And she said she can't believe that God can forgive her because her sins are as many as the sin by the seashore. Some people couldn't sleep at night, or would come from the school and repent. Once you've tasted revival, you never know what will happen to you. You'll never be the same again. In America, when they have meetings, they say we have revival meetings. In America. When they have meetings, they say they have revival meetings. But friends, revival is more than just churches filled with people. But it is people filled with God. That's the difference. Now when I speak about revival, I don't want you just to hear about revival. I can give you a fish, and you enjoy it and eat it. But the hungry man, when he's eating it, he'll still get hungry again. So it's better not to give him the fish, but to teach him how to catch it. When he has learned the lesson to catch the fish, you have helped him. You can give him a hundred kilos of fish. He'll eat it and he'll finish it. But then he'll get hungry again. There's more sense in it that you go and teach him how to catch the fish. Then you have helped him. It's the first time that I'm in your country. Maybe it's the last time. But I'd be happy that I don't just speak about revival, but that we'll taste it and know the way how to get it. Then I'll be glad. Then I'll go into the plane when I fly back and say it's been worth the call. Now I would like to read a word to you. We find it in John chapter 7, verse 37. On the last day of the feast, Jesus got up and shouted to the crowd. Anyone who is thirsty, let him come to me. For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow from the living being of him. Now tonight, I want to speak to you about the place where the revival started. There are many places where they experienced revival. When he started at Mapumulu, people would phone us and say they are people a hundred kilometers away from us. They're coming down from the hills and they want to be helped spiritually. So God would come down in various places. Not that we brought them together, God brought them. When I got to Mapumulu, I had preached for 12 years. After 12 years, I wanted to give up. When I got converted, the Bible was so sweet to me. I told the people last night, I'd read the Bible, I couldn't get enough of the Bible. Every word of the Bible spoke to me. There were so many promises. I mentioned only three. Jesus said in John 15, verse 7, If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you want and you will receive. I said, well, that's the most wonderful thing in this world. If that would be the only word in the Bible, from this congregation, to this service, it would be worth more than all the riches of this world. That we can be in him, his word in us, and that we can pray whatever we'd like to, that we ask of God, of him, he will do it. But that wasn't the only word. In John 14, verse 12, Jesus says, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also, and greater works than these, because I go to the Father. I took my Bible, I read Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, all those things that Jesus did. He says, you will even do greater things, because I go to the Father. Not because we ask something, but he goes to the Father. What does it mean to you that Jesus went to the Father? Friends, that was sweeter than honey to me. I tried to learn scriptures, whole chapters of my heart, that his word would be in me. And his promises are so many, in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Even the Old Testament speaks to us. Because Jesus says, He that believes in me, as the scripture says, and then he referred to the Old Testament. I said, after 12 years, I got to the end of myself. When I started preaching, these promises were so wonderful. But after I had been preaching for 12 years, I was disappointed. I didn't experience what the Bible says. And I said, there's something wrong. I've got four brothers. They were busy making money. I left my inheritance. I left everything just to follow the Lord Jesus. ======================================================================== Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/ZLtAHCMK5lQ.mp4 Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/erlo-stegen/testimony-part-1/ ========================================================================