Heiden Ratner, senior pastor of WALK Church in Las Vegas, Nevada, shared a message with students about their need for the Holy Spirit by encouraging them to embrace the help, guidance and strength the Spirit provides. Ratner spoke during the University of Mobile chapel service on Jan. 28.
Ratner also serves as the Las Vegas City missionary for the North American Mission Board’s Send Network and is the lead team chaplain for the NFL Las Vegas Raiders and WBNA Las Vegas Aces.
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“I’m a local church pastor in the city of Las Vegas — not the city of sin, but the city of Him,” Ratner said. “Because the Lord is at work in a real way in that city. I love how God, in His humor and His sovereignty, has connected Las Vegas, Nevada with Mobile, Alabama to help advance the Kingdom of God in very powerful, tangible and real ways.”
‘Let’s eat from the Word’
At the beginning of his message, he told students “let’s eat from the Word” as he began in prayer and asked for guidance from the Holy Spirit for students to see Jesus more clearly from the text he was preaching during chapel.
“Jesus told us that man doesn’t live off bread alone, and we live off of every word that comes from God,” Ratner said. “Because Jesus gave his final, farewell sermon, which is recorded from John 13-17, he gave us this incredible analogy about abiding. For the branch cannot bear fruit apart from its connection.
“It’s abiding life in the vine. I recently came out with a 21-day devotional, an exposition on John 15. In this study, I began to recognize a theme in Jesus’ farewell sermon before he went to the cross. On three different occasions, here’s what Jesus says in John 14:26, ‘But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.’
“Jesus was telling his disciples that He was going to depart and die on the cross shortly and would rise up from the grave, but the Holy Spirit was coming and He was going to help them.”
‘Embrace the help’
As Ratner continued his message, he encouraged students to say, “Embrace the help.”
“The next thing that we see is John 15:26, ‘But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about me.’ Jesus said the Holy Spirit would be sent to help them stay close to Him. Then, in John 16:7, Jesus says, ‘Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you.’ University of Mobile, when Jesus says, ‘I tell you the truth,’ you should lean in.”
Ratner reminded students that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit so those who believe in Him could have the advantage of life through the actual Spirit of God who is available to help them with everything they need in life.
‘Exactly what we need’
“I’ve realized we need the Holy Spirit,” Ratner said. “Jesus knew that we needed help. We need the Spirit leading and guiding. May we not be so prideful, because pride goes before destruction. Proverbs 16:18 says, ‘Pride goes before the fall.’ Flesh is no help at all. My prayer is that the Spirit of God would give you life here today. If you don’t know Jesus that He would breathe life into your dead body, and He would allow you to come alive in Christ.
“I think that’s why it’s so powerful to pray for those unreached people groups because the rest of mankind needs good news. They need the Spirit of God, not a religion, but a faith-based, real relationship led by the Holy Spirit from heaven. I think a good prayer to pray everyday is, ‘Holy Spirit, I need you. Holy Spirit, lead me.’ Before you walk into your next class or take that next step, even if it’s just in your heart say, ‘Spirit, lead me.’ I think that’s the power that we need, more Spirit-led leadership.
“If you want to have a move of God on this campus, you need the Spirit. The things that we can’t do and what professors can’t teach, the Spirit can. The things that you can’t overcome, the addictions and secret sins that are keeping you in bondage, let me tell you, the Holy Spirit can help you. In fact, He can give you the advantage over the world, over self-help motivational books. The Holy Spirit has what it takes. Do you know what the Holy Spirit does? He makes us more holy. When I’m allowing the Holy Spirit to lead, I’ve found He is exactly what we need.”
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