Spirit of the Living God

March 26, 2014 · 0 Comments

“We may as well face it: the whole level of spirituality among us is low. We have measured ourselves by ourselves until the incentive to seek higher plateaus in the things of the Spirit is all but gone ……. We have imitated the world, sought popular favor, manufactured delights to substitute for the joy of the Lord and produced a cheap and synthetic power to substitute for the power of the Holy Spirit.” A.W.Tozor

“Having a form of godliness, but denying its power!” 2 Timothy 3:5

I am convinced there is a desperate need in the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, for the Holy Spirit of God to be given back his place in our meetings; to allow him freedom to have his way! We all can agree something needs to happen in our churches, that is real, exciting, life changing, transforming, that has lasting change for the good, eternal good, not a fleeting fad, a temporary emotional high, not even a relief from the hardship of life, but a true encounter with the one who cares, loves and created us to have a relationship with him. As a pastor at Abiding Place Fellowship, I am at times tempted to try things that may or may not be what Father God wants for our fellowship: I see other Churches doing different things and I say, “Hey! That’s a great idea! I should try that!” But, I am convicted in my heart by the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit), “Is that what I want? Do those things have any eternal value to you or my congregation?” Holy Spirit challenges me to the core of my being, my beliefs, desires, and ambitions. He asks the question, “Whose kingdom are you trying to build?” And, “Did I say to you to do that?” These questions are tough to hear at times. As pastors we want our churches to grow, but at what cost? We need to lift Jesus Christ up and let Holy Spirit draw people to Christ. All our fleshly attempts and worldly ways to attract people to our Churches are futile: yes, for the short term it works, but are we empowering them with Holy Spirit, if not, in the long term people lose interest and move on to the next new thing whether fleshly or emotional or spiritual to try to fill a longing in their soul and spirit.

Can I be honest? If I have not been vulnerable already! Even if we were great charismatic speakers, had a great and talented worship leader and worship team, some great programs and bible studies, great outreaches in our communities, yes, people would come, yet this does not mean that the Holy Spirit of God is actively working and moving in their lives. It simply means that you and I have created a space that is appealing enough to draw people in for an hour or two on Sundays.

It certainly does not mean that people walk out the door moved by an encounter with their creator, and that they have fallen deeper in love with Him. People would more likely talk about the quality of the music, or criticize the sermon one way or another.

They miss the point in why we get together: to honor Father God, lift up our Lord Jesus Christ, to be empowered by Holy Spirit so we can be transformed into the image of Christ. We all need to come to church longing to be with the one who is closer than a brother and who will never leave us when things get tough in our lives. We gather together to worship, celebrate and honor our God.

I believe with all my heart, if we would create an atmosphere for Holy Spirit to visit, flow out of us, and have his way, Church would be and will be very different. God and man would be fulfilled in the encounter, the relationship God longs for with us would be rich in blessings for us and God. So let us not take Holy Spirit for granted, push him to one side and not acknowledge him any longer, or put time frames on him for him to perform, but give him the freedom to do as he wants in our services. Galatians 3:13-14, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…….so that we might receive the promised Spirit through Faith.”

The promised Holy Spirit is not a small promise, and should be a part of all our lives whether in church or as we go about our lives in this old world. Jesus suffered a grueling death so that we could have the amazing gift of redemption and the empowering gift of Holy Spirit to get us through this life. How dare we take Him for granted?

Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord. Zechariah 4:6

We must remember, Unless the Lord builds the House, they labor in vain who build it.

Many blessings,

Pastor Gord Horsley,

Senior Pastor,

Abiding Place Fellowship, Shelburne