God is visiting His churches. With so many of them, it is a Revelation 3:20 experience. The question is whether or not people can discern His voice. Visitation doesn’t always come packaged the way people might think. Sometimes He shows up in joy and laughter, a river flowing with healing, or a warm blanket of love. But, sometimes Jesus shows up to challenge people, provoking them towards change.
“Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
God’s love demands that He confront the lukewarm heart. His mercy compels Him to confront the self-satisfaction of those that have no conspicuous vices but have settled for a passionless relationship with their Lord.
One of the most attractive ways to build a church is the attempt to duplicate what others have done, attempting to create the image of success. Success in the eyes of God can be very different than what man esteems as his picture of success. Large buildings, increasing attendance rosters, worship services that are targeted to entertain the masses rather than take them into the throne room of God are all simply vain imaginations. Many churches have exchanged the glory for simply what appears good. They have traded in the presence of God for the purpose of appealing to seeker sensitive and more traditional mindsets. This is one of the deadliest attitudes because it has the ability to lull people to sleep under a false sense of security. The reason it is a deadly attitude is that God tells us what He will do to those that are lukewarm.
“So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of My mouth.” Rev. 3:16
Ministries that quench the Spirit are in danger of having the finger of God write ‘Ichabod’ on the door of the church. Ichabod means the glory has departed. There will always be a sacrifice of something, but when churches sacrifice the presence of God due to the motive of building up the numbers or appealing to more people, they have put themselves in the position of being controlled by popular opinion rather than yielding to the authority of God’s Holy Spirit. It is the difference between building with wood, stubble and hay (symbolic for works of the flesh) or allowing God to build His church. God’s true church is built upon the revelation of Jesus Christ, established by the apostles and prophets that lay the foundation.
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus told Peter that He (JESUS) would build HIS church, and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. When man attempts to build God’s church, the results are not guaranteed.
Apostles set things in order, give direction and move the church in the right direction so that the church does not remain stagnant. Prophets reveal the heart of God and expound on what God is saying to His people. They breathe life into the body. Apostles and Prophets are gifts to the church because they walk in the power, presence, and authority of God. They operate as vessels yielded to the Holy Spirit and surrendered to the authority of God to do with them as He pleases. They are messengers of God to His church to bring clarity, correction, healing and stability. They also provide direction and help keep the ministry on course. Without the influence and participation of apostles and prophets, the church becomes like a ship without wind in its sails. There is a nautical term that’s called being ‘in irons’ when a ship loses all forward motion. The term originates back from the times when slaves were kept below the deck shackled in leg irons and unable to move. Likewise, the ship is trapped in a ‘no go zone’ and becomes tossed to and fro on the waves without any ability to move forward.
Ministry leaders can become so intoxicated with thoughts of building their own kingdom that they fail to discern they are no longer building God’s kingdom. The church becomes business as usual: predictable and palatable, but powerless and ineffective when it comes to moving deeper into the things of the Spirit. Holy Spirit is bound, gagged and thrown in a closet, only to be let out, perhaps if at all, in the privacy of small group meetings some other day of the week.
How can people think they are going to impact their communities with the power of God during the week when the power and presence are absent in a corporate setting on a Sunday? If people are out slaying dragons and walking in power and spiritual authority during the week, then why do some Christians think it is ok to be different on a Sunday during service? We must be true to who we are regardless of what day of the week it is.
In Galatians 2:11-21, the Apostle Paul rebuked Peter for his inconsistent behavior because it was hypocritical. When Peter was with one group of people he acted a certain way, but then when he was with another group of people, he acted differently. Peter needed clarity between the law and the new way of thinking under grace, but he was also afraid of rejection. This is clear because anyone that changes how they act depending upon who they are with is motivated by fear of rejection. In short, Peter had a few things to learn about confronting the fear of man. Peter was still learning to walk in a new identity, but nevertheless, Paul called him out in front of everyone, exposing his hypocrisy. First and foremost, Peter’s ways were inconsistent with everything the Lord Jesus represented. Secondly, because Peter’s actions led other believers into following the wrong example.
Jesus did nothing without displays of His power. The disciples He trained learned to operate in power and authority. The Apostle Paul had a few things to say about this subject. In 1 Cor. 15:18-20 Paul said that he led the Gentiles to obedience by his example to teach both in word and in deed. He went on to say in verse 19 and 20,
“...by the powers of signs and wonders, and by the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. In this way, I have aspired to preach the gospel where Christ was not known so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation…”
Whose foundation are you building on?
Jesus knew that there would always be the necessity of power encounters to prove the reality of His kingdom and that His power and authority were superior to that from the demonic realm. Jesus never operated in less than His full authority. He didn’t compromise His true identity, His gifts or the displays of His power depending on who was watching, and quite honestly, neither should we. People are hungry for the supernatural, and if the gifts of the Spirit, prophecy, and ministry of the Holy Spirit aren’t present to satisfy the hunger of the people, a different spirit will fill that void with something counterfeit. There is a power struggle for dominion in the world. Jesus encountered it all the time. Everywhere He went, His ministry was one of power encounters. He understood that people’s hearts were hardened in worldliness and they needed to see the reality of His kingdom; something greater than what those practicing dark magic could produce. People then and now need something to believe in, and signs and wonders pointed the way to a powerful king – a king that was powerful enough to save their souls and show them a more excellent way to live. In John 4:48 Jesus said,
“Unless you people see signs and miracles, you will never believe.”
Believe in what? The truth that He was who He claimed to be; a king from a different kingdom, and the only true and living God. Signs and wonders simply point to the truth - Jesus was powerful enough to deliver their souls from the eternal consequences of their sin.
Paul wrote, “My message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.” 1 Cor. 2:4 and,
“The kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” 1 Cor. 4:20
Many churches today are struggling with identity issues. They don’t know who they are or what they are supposed to look like. They want to be known for their ability to appeal to the masses, but in the process, they have surrendered their true identity. While the programs and many other things about church life are necessary to keep things running smoothly, there is nothing that can replace the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit is our counselor, our friend, our helper and the Spirit of Truth. He is also the Spirit of Prophesy, revealing God in our midst. He is the source of words of knowledge that can heal and restore a person’s soul. He is the source of resurrection power. It is this power that delivers people from demonic oppression and raises the dead back to life. He alone is the power that heals! Holy Spirit is a vital part of the Godhead that cannot be separated from God the Father and Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He is the third person of the Trinity, and as such, He should be treated with respect, dignity and embraced. He should be given HIS place to minister to God’s people every time people come together in the name of Jesus.
A church’s identity should look like Jesus, and no one (including individual churches) can be transformed to look like Jesus without a relationship with Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 15:5,
“I Am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from Me you can do nothing.”
When God births a ministry, it should look like Jesus, not man. If a ministry’s ability to sustain itself revolves around the personality of a particular leader then the ministry will, at some point, go through an identity crisis. God will eventually confront those leaders as to whose image it bears because if it reflects man’s image and man’s kingdom, it is a form of idolatry. Idolatrous structures must operate by the spirit of control in order to maintain the status quo. Every church or ministry must choose whose image they will reflect. They must choose to either make room for the Holy Spirit to move or to sacrifice the presence of God. They must choose what they want to be known for, and whether or not that is their true identity. We are to reflect the image of Christ, and that includes not just his humility and character, but also His power and authority, advancing God’s kingdom here on earth. We cannot do that if we hinder the Holy Spirit.
This brings me back to my point from the beginning. Can people discern when God visits them? Can people discern when God is standing at the door of His church, knocking, seeking entrance? He is looking for a meaningful relationship, and for those that will challenge themselves to overcome whatever things hinder the flow of the Holy Spirit. The enemy will always attempt to come against the Holy Spirit because Satan knows that there are things that will be birthed out of the presence of the Lord.
“In the last days, I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.” Acts 2:17.
The enemy doesn’t want that anywhere. He doesn’t want the movement of the Spirit because it will bring about new births of God’s Spirit! If God comes as a challenge to change the current model for ministry, to restructure the way things are done, and to make room for Him to move, will people reject the Holy Spirit and keep Him locked away in a back room, or will they drop everything and run to the opportunity to change, excited that God has sought them out for His habitation?
Jesus never attempted to compartmentalize his gifts because He couldn’t separate His power from His presence. Jesus himself said He only did what He saw His Father doing, so then why isn’t His church? Why is the emphasis on making Sunday mornings comfortable and entertaining for people rather than on building a throne for Jesus to inhabit? What are we trading in exchange for His presence, power, and glory? People are hungry for more of God, and quite honestly, a church may only get one shot to reach people when they walk through the doors on a Sunday morning. If a person comes to church with a desire to have their hunger for God met, but the church looks just like every other church – they are not going to stay. They will look for something to meet their need.
There are those hidden among the masses that have tasted the goodness of the Lord. They want more, and they won’t settle for less. Something inside of them is grieved when Holy Spirit is not moving among His people. Once you’ve been ruined by the presence of God and touched by His Spirit, you won’t want to settle for anything less, and that creates two very different streams of people. One group may be content with the old wine, where church looks like business as usual; while others are searching, even creating places where the river of God can flow, and the ministry of Holy Spirit is let out of the closet.
Challenges confront old ways of doing things, old mindsets, wrong attitudes, and old wineskins. Jesus can’t pour in new wine where there is resistance to change and people stuck in old ways. Jesus said that pouring new wine into old wineskins would cause them to rupture. Whenever you find two groups of people that are going different directions, if that situation isn’t addressed, eventually it will cause a split. Sometimes that is necessary. God does indeed come to challenge His church to change, to stay in the flow of what He is doing, and to adapt to let Him take the lead, but He won’t force people to change. He will let them remain in irons if that is their choice, but those that desire to move with His Spirit will follow Him.
If you hand a thirsty person a cup, they don’t care how beautiful the cup is; they want something to quench their thirst. Jesus met a thirsty woman by a well long ago, in John chapter 4. He promised to give her the living water that would quench her thirst, and she eagerly accepted his offer.
Jesus: “I offer water that will become a wellspring within you that gives life throughout eternity. You will never thirst again.”
Woman: “Please, Sir, give me some of this water, so I’ll never be thirsty and never have to come to this well again.” John 4:14,15
Jesus met her with words of knowledge about her current situation and that opened her heart to receive more from His Spirit. He could have done neither of those things without the Holy Spirit. If the church is the well, but the well is dry, how will the people drink? If the well is dry, then there are things that must be dug up, the debris and stones removed so that the well will flow again. Digging out stones speaks of cutting away at the hard things, including hard and resistant hearts that are content to remain unchanged. Jesus knew about hard attitudes, too. He confronted social customs and traditions of His day in order to meet the need of a thirsty woman. As He did, she left her old water pot behind and ran to town to tell everyone what she had just experienced, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, an evangelist was born. This is the ripple effect created by the partnership with Holy Spirit and letting Him take the lead. When people yield to Holy Spirit, there can’t help but be new births and displays of God’s glory. May you find the conviction to dig deep until living water flows again, and may every dry place be saturated by the rain of His presence!
