God has been doing a work in me lately and I guess it is time to start to announce it. Steve Sjogren touches on the subject and comes to the conclusion that some people need to stop going to church. No he does not favor home church, he says they should stay away from Church all together.
Growing Edge Buzz: Some people shouldn’t go to church, pt. 1: Crabby is not a fruit of the Spirit: “After following Jesus for over 30 years now, I have come to the conclusion that there are some people who do great damage to the cause of Christ because they continue to come to church week after week. I have no idea what they are hearing in their various churches, but their behavior, based on what is on display in the restaurants they frequent immediately after their church experience, is exactly the opposite of the attitude of Jesus as described in the Gospels.
The Church has become so academic and doctrine centered that we have made the real test, the fruit of the Spirit, a sort of secondary factor in our Christianity. As I posted yesterday, there is a move among some of us to test what we have been preaching and what we look for as confirmations of a move of the Spirit.
I am Pentecostal. I believe in all the manifestations in the Bible (1 Cor 12:7-10) and many others that are not. Yet I am beginning to long for what the original Pentecostals were searching for when they received the baptism, holiness (1 Peter 1:16). They sought to be sanctified. Today that is preached as a sort of byproduct, not a goal.
If we receive the baptism in the Holy Ghost, pray in tongues, declare visions, see the sick healed, yet do not see a work of the Spirit in our own live as manifested in holiness have we really been baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 3:19-20)? Or has He just come upon us to do His will (Isaiah 61:1-3)?
God has really been challenging my doctrine and I have avoided writing about it because I am not quite prepared to defend it but God is stirring up a word in me and I cannot deny it. I have spent years praying for greater anointing, deeper visions, a more clear calling, deeper intimacy and I have received all of that. Yet at the same time I have avoided latent sin in my life and fear has kept me from descending into the basement of my soul and dealing with some long held fears. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a mistress and I am not laying in bed for days with depression but sin is sin none the less.
If the Spirit of God is sent to convict the world of righteousness sin and judgement than I do not know how one can claom to be full of the spirit and still live in sin. I am convinced that I am not going to find out! I have been on my face seeking His righteousness and He has been faithful.
In the last several months I have been unable to do things that would not have bothered me before. To that I give God the glory. But I still have to recconcile what I preach with what God is showing me. He is still desiring a Holy people (1 Thess 5:23).
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I come from a “holiness” background. We often called that moment “Entire Sanctification.” Unfortunately, they didn’t do a good job defining it. For me, it all boils down to being Christlike. We desire and receive a cleansing from God. It is more than just action, though our actions are changed, but we are filled with God’s love for Him and for others.
One problem, though, is that we can “seek” after holiness like we seek after the gifts of the Spirit. If we are not careful the “holiness” becomes the focus instead of the Holy God.
Don’t search for an experience. Don’t search for the experience of the great men that have come before you. Search for Jesus Christ. Search for what those great men searched for, our Lord and Savior.
Wandering around I found this and wow. I know exactly what you mean. I’ve asked for the fire, and I’m getting it now… and at times its so hard but other times its so sweet… in the pain I see the glory of Him. In the anguish and confusion, I see peace and hope… I keep telling myself that my leadership definitely knows what they are doing… pushing me into the face of God.
That is the whole point of all of this anyways. Living in His face. Every day seeing Him..every moment being about Him. I swear I’ve never spent so many hours in awe and weeping. Over the last few months, my personality alone has changed so much my pastors wife looked at me and just shook her head and said, “you are so different”. Yes I am. I’m not different enough though and I have had to throw away so much of what I thought I knew… so much of what I was taught… because I’m learning that under the school of the Spirit… things are much different and I don’t know nearly as much as I thought.
I can’t imagine how someone could meet Jesus and not want to spend every waking moment after that spending more time in communion.
Press on Ronni!
Thanks man! Seriously I agree with you! How can you have a real encounter with God like that and NOT want to be back in His face? I just don’t get it! Your very spirit yearns for that!
Pressing…..