Pastor's Circle - Bill Ury

Dr. Bill Ury is Professor of Systematic Theology at Wesley Biblical Seminary and hosts the Hour of Holiness on AFR on Sunday mornings. He joined the Pastor's Circle to discuss the Holy Spirit.
 
Do we pay enough/too much attention to the Holy Spirit?

I think we've come through an era that was all about the Holy Spirit.

The Church tends to go through extremes.

We went through the extreme of treating the Holy Spirit as a "thing" that we could call on.

I think we've modified now, but we've kind of put him in the corner. I wonder really what would happen if the Holy Spirit led the Church.

You can't take any person of the Trinity off by themselves. I think we need to fully engage with who the Holy Spirit is.

In Scripture He moves through both the Old and New Testaments, and he does get more and more personal all throughout the Bible.

We feel guilty sometimes about over-emphasizing things, but I don't think we've emphasized Him enough.

Do you receive the Holy Spirit when you ask Jesus to save you?

God is not reserved. He always gives all of himself.

My point is to say there's an area of our lives that he hasn't been allowed to fill.

The human will is a dam that God allows. The water, the breath of God, is ready to move. But He's waiting for His own to say, "Come and fill me."

That's where the relationship deepens.

It's the ongoing debate about how a Christian is sanctified. It's a major battlefield, and we seem to have lost it.

How should someone who wants to be filled with the Spirit pray?

My prayer would be, "Lord, I look at myself, and I see that I've been living my own self-will. I want my will to become your will. I want to die to my will, and I want your Spirit to fill my heart and my life."

"Jesus has made the way for us to be free, but we have to cut the supply lines."

Dr. Bill Ury has spent the last few weeks speaking at campmeetings. He has been preaching on the topic of human sexuality. Dr. Ury shared some of that on the Matt Friedeman Show today.

The horrible thing about human sexuality is that really bad things are done to kids, and for the rest of their lives they struggle with it.

At least two times in the past weeks I've had teenage kids at the altar who have looked and said, I was abused, what do I do?

We've got to open the door to start talking about these issues.

You and I both know a guy who ministered to homosexuals in school.

If you don't live out this theology with them, there's no hope.

Whoever the Lord puts into our life, we've got to say to them, I'm not leaving you until you're free.

What passage do you preach from?

I preach Leviticus 18.

It's the only passage in the Bible that outlines sexual sin.

It's so straightforward that you blanch in church.

Jesus has made the way for us to be free, but we have to cut the supply lines.

I would love to see some good, old-fashioned legalism. I would love for everyone to go home and break DVD's and get rid of iPods with trash on them.

If I were to talk to people about areas of their life where they' concerned, it would be family and human sexuality.

We're in an epidemic.

That's why I love camp meetings. There's a place after six or seven hot days, people can get real.

I may be out-of-date, but there's something happening there that works.

This list in Leviticus is mind-blowing. Apparently there was a problem with these sorts of things. If you were to give some outlines as to what parents need to do with their kids, what would you tell them?

First is prayer. Interceding.

Secondly, they've got to know every avenue of what's going on with their kids' lives.

Thirdly, gotta find some age-appropriate book....especially fathers, especially males.

The average number of partners before people get married in America is 14 sexual partners.

We've got to say, we're in this fight.

Lastly, have a good, healthy, holy marriage.

It's not just sex...everything else matters.

These kids have to see the image of God held out in front of them.

Pastor's Circle - Bill Ury, Wesley Biblical Seminary

Dr. Bill Ury is Professor of Systematic Theology at Wesley Biblical Seminary and host of the Hour of Holiness on AFR on Sunday mornings.

What do events like the Superbowl teach us? Did the early Church have issues like this to deal with?

They did. The early Christians did. All of the early Christian fathers talked about the theatre...it was full of violence, lewdness, and perversion.

Over the centuries. I think we as Christians have softened in areas, connected with things..but the seemingly over-idolization, I just can't connect with these guys at all.

That to me seems to be a problem...We need to find a better way to appropriate sports in our lives.

What is a good discipleship question to ask about getting sucked in by pop culture?

Being a missionary kid, you know, I think I'm more at ease about popular culture and the role of sports. Sports isn't something I live and day for.

In the context of discipleship, keeping each other accountable for how we spend our time.

For me personally, unless you start your day with Jesus, it's going to affect how you live.

Secondly, what do you spend your time talking about? If it's only about sports and never comes back to Jesus, there's going to be a problem.

Enjoy life, but what are you doing to proclaim the gospel?

I think the Holy Spirit's gotta help us...for the real issues beyond the game. The real issues, that's just our calling.

What is currently encouraging about America Christianity?

I think I'm encouraged with the youth.

My daughter just came back from a conference where youth were taking a stand for Jesus. Those folks were sold out to Jesus. I think 17,000 people stood to say, "My life is sold out to Jesus". To me, that's a thrilling thing.

If we can catch this generation with the claims of Jesus, there's hope.