Posts Tagged ‘intercession’
Why is the Holy Spirit so commonly minimized in churches today?
Are we ready for an Acts 2 style outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our churches?
There’s an ongoing discussion on my Facebook wall about this issue. I felt it would be good to broaden the discussion and see what some of you might bring to the table.
I’ll paste some of the comments first, and then present my thoughts:
Original post- Have you noticed how focus on the Holy Spirit, speaking tongues, ,etc. has been minimized in the church today?
- Yep, noticed it! The enemy doesn't want us uttering the mysteries of God!
- Yes sir. It's easier to have a "seeker" driven service, than to Preach a Prophetic message under the Power of the Holy Spirit. That takes time in the prayer closet-the former can happen with a slick marketing team (sometimes hired as the "pastoral" staff).
- There definitely has been a move away from experiencing the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, the use of tongues in the 80 got so beyond what scripture says. It was pretty abused.
- That may be true, but we are entering a Decade where there will be a parting of the waters. Those who have been trained AND utilize the weapons of the Spirit will thrive; others will suffer much pain.
- I just heard a George Barna stat about this recently less than 2% of the churches will hear their pastor preach a message on the Holy Spirit this year. Its alarming.
- A couple of years ago I heard leaders from a main line denomination speak at a Rocky Mountain regional meeting for that denomination. The leaders saw that the denomination that they led was becoming Spirit Filled in name only. They felt the need to see 500,000 people receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Yet the churches in this region still take the approach of the Holy Spirit isn't for Sunday morning approach. Its scary.
- Interesting, the Holy Spirit in benched on Sundays…until we need a big play, then he get's play time like Michael Vick…what a sad way to treat my Best Friend.
- The Holy Spirit misses His church. He's going to get it back though.
- Many pastors have been reduced to a role as MC and the show must go on, on schedule, or peeps won't come back.
- Absolutely.. If people knew the incredible power that is released in you when you pray in the Spirit, they would never stop lol. I encourage it in those I teach. God bless.
My thoughts:
There are some realities that we need to consider:
- From what I've discovered, a significant percentage of Christians, pastors and leaders included, don't easily hear God, encounter him. This makes it difficult to even consider embracing a Holy Spirit driven environment. Prayerlessness is a key reason for this problem. The average pastor prays 6 minutes a day. Leonard Ravenhill said, "Pastors who don't pray two hours a day aren't worth a dime a dozen." It's a difficult but important point that would be well worth considering.
- In an environment driven by the Holy Spirit, these people who don't easily hear God can get quite frustrated. They will tend to find another place to go to church. So, the natural church preservation strategy is to minimize the invisible/supernatural and maximize the logical/tangible.
- There has been a huge misunderstanding of the primary purpose of the church. Many feel it's to be a socially focused entry point for the lost. The church actually isn't to be a house of evangelism or a house of relationships. It's a house of prayer first and foremost. It's a believer's ministry. We have lost faith that God, in his wisdom, set it up this way. If we truly have a church of people who are releasing the ‘groans that can't be uttered', who intercede for the nations, who pray in the Spirit, then we will have the ‘expected outcomes' of mass salvations, a huge harvest, life-giving small groups, etc.
- There can be a knee-jerk reaction to the problem of people who abuse freedom in such an atmosphere. Trust me, I understand the issue of people who just want to be seen and heard, who are manipulative, who are emotionally unstable or who operate in charismatic witchcraft. But, the answer is not to shut down a prophetic, Holy Spirit driven environment.
- The focus on teaching. I'm a teacher, I love to teach and I value greatly the ministry of teaching. However, I think a valid question is, "Why are most church services teaching-centric?" If the Holy Spirit breaks out, if there's deliverance going on in the room, of a spirit of intercession erupts, would people be OK with forgoing the sermon? The Holy Spirit (the Teacher) can impart more biblical truth in two seconds than we ever could in two hours.
What do you think?
John’s interview on the Miracle Channel : Watch tonight
I was interviewed back in October on Canada’s largest Christian television network, The Miracle Channel. It was an awesome experience.
I talked about my book Revelation Driven Prayer on an hour long episode of The Bridge.
You can watch the show as it airs tonight at 10pm Eastern. Head on over to www.miraclechannel.ca and click the ‘Watch Us Online’ banner on the top right.
You will also be able to view the archive starting tomorrow by going here: www.miraclechannel.ca/thebridge
Let’s pray that this message of encountering God reaches millions of people and impacts them powerfully.
ALSO: I’ll be preaching tomorrow (Friday) at IHOPE at 7pm. Come on out for a night of intercession, prophecy and fire!
A “Whatever Church” : TONIGHT Live Radio Broadcast
First- TONIGHT, Monday, November 2nd at 8pm Eastern (just over two hours from now) I’ll be live on blogtalkradio.com along with several other Revival Church ministers, revivalists and hungry people from all over the nation and around the world.
We’ll be praying, declaring and releasing fire into Detroit at 8pm sharp, and will then move into discussion on the topic of strategic revival.
You can participate by:
- Listening by visiting www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/radio.
- Listen by calling in at (646) 478-4408
- Listen AND join in on the show at (646) 478-4408
Also, a NEW teaching from yesterday’s service will be uploaded to www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/teaching SOON! It’s part two of Six Enemies of Fulfilled Destiny.
A WHATEVER CHURCH
I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling a bit raw, incredibly desperate. I am craving a revival and move of God in our region- and I’m certain that church as usual isn’t the appropriate structure.
There are over 19,000 cities in America, and none of them are experiencing revival. Something’s wrong.
There are hundreds of thousands of churches in America, and few are experiencing revival. Something is very wrong.
We can’t continue with the same structure, the same model of ministry.
Last night was an unusual night at Revival Church. Prayer started as it always does at 5pm. Then, at 6pm, when we were to launch into worship, our worship leader was having an encounter with the Lord. Several people were around her, praying, warring, interceding. Banners were being waved over her as she contended under a veil. It was powerful.
I leaned over to a friend and said, “Do you think it’s time to give the announcements and take the offering?” He laughed.
Yet, in many churches, the activity of the Holy Spirit would be stopped to ensure everything remained on schedule.
Well after the normal 6pm starting time, our worship leader shared about her encounter, about how fire was all over her hands. She remembered an encounter she had of going to heaven a year ago, and that the trembling is intense in her yet again.
I want that kind of person leading worship at Revival Church! I’m losing interest in all of the ‘supposed to’s’ of church planting. I am raw, and I want a raw move of the Holy Spirit.
I want a place where people tremble as they walk through the door.
Last night someone was praying and declaring on the microphone and she collapsed under the glory of God. She was still there as I started to preach.
A strong prophetic atmosphere kept increasing throughout the night, and several were impacted by revelation from God at the altar.
After it was all done, someone said, “Revival Church is a ‘whatever’ church. Whatever God wants to do at any time during the service just happens.”
I like that. I think we need a lot of “Whatever Churches” in our nation.