At their first church convention, the earliest disciples made a policy decision. They announced it in a letter to the rest of the church with this phrase: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us . . . “
Have you ever seen or heard of a church today that announces a decision with that phrase, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us that . . .”? I haven’t. I suspect you haven’t either.
Why not?
I think traditional Protestant churches today no longer think of the Third Person of the Trinity as a vital part of our spiritual life. Yes, he was important in Bible times. But we don’t expect much from him today.
Thoroughly trained in traditional Lutheran church culture, I recall learning lots of Bible stories and digging ever deeper into church teachings. But I also retain the impression that we were basically on our own to apply this knowledge in daily living. Duty was ever before us, and motivation was by guilt. Salvation was for the next life. There we would have direct encounters with God.
Only in recent decades have I fully appreciated Jesus’ explanation that he has come so that his sheep may have life abundantly overflowing now in this life. Figuring out what that means has been especially difficult for someone with my background. Thank God the Spirit has an easier time producing his fruit with other believers who learned to expect him.
I don’t remember church leaders ever expecting dramatic interventions. Fundraising goals were set rationally (2-3 times annual giving), but campaigns relied on the techniques of group dynamics. We prayed for healings, but no one really expected a supernatural miracle, because that (we thought) does not happen anymore.
Traditional, rational mainline churches have grown and served God well over the centuries with barely a passing reference to the Third Person of the Trinity, who nonetheless had been productive in the background. But most of those traditional mainline church bodies seem to be withering in the 21st century. Where the Gospel is spreading now is among churches that emphasize direct encounters with God.
About fifteen years ago, the church I serve had to decide how much debt to take on for a building project. How much more growth could we expect? We all recognized that borrowing for the full project was not prudent. After many discussions, an alternative emerged to build just the shell of a second wing and finish it later when more dollars were available. The time came for a vote. The tension was high. To everyone’s surprise and relief, the vote was unanimous to borrow a half million more dollars to add the shell. I think everyone in that room realized something special had happened. But unfortunately, we had no name for it.
The Holy Spirit was truly present in a special way. If a photo had been made of that moment, I would photoshop in the image of a dove over our heads. We could have (and should have) announced to the congregation for their approval that “It seems good to the Holy Spirit and this board that we enter into contracts for 3.5 million dollars of construction with a new loan for $2 million.”
Was the Holy Spirit really there hovering over our heads? In future writings like this, I will share what to look for to be sure, drawing from my 2017 book on How to Spot the Spirit’s Work in Your Life.
In the decision on how much to construct and to borrow, we can be confident of the Spirit’s movement that evening because the results were so good. We hit our fundraising goal. We did finish the shell over the next ten years, and the building is packed with activity. Most basic is that the decision did build up our fellowship.
When comparing this event you describe with the various parallel events in Scripture, we can see how the manifestation of the Spirit is shown differently yet consistently over time in God’s Word. That too can be instructive for us. Thank you David for opening our eyes to an obvious yet missed reality. God in Christ is present through His Holy Spirit. Let’s be confident in His presence as you state. I’ve also learned that the Spirit motivates people with varying motivations to understand and relate to His will. In your illustration, the ‘shell’ for future ministry was the catalyst that each of the different motivational styles could understand uniformly to come together. Indeed it was as if the Spirit was hovering over the assembly. We hope to find those catalysts at key junctures of organizational decision-making. It typically relates to strong vision and leadership built around consensus for God’s Will and direction.
In one telling of this story, I said I would like to Photoshop in the image of the dove hovering over our heads at that meeting. In the world of art there are some paintings of the Apostles with the dove over their heads as the reached decisions.
If the church body is not actively serving & pursuing God then it’s roots are shallow and can easily be toppled. I constantly remind and encourage Christian leaders around the world to engage their members to bring Christ to life in the hearts of everyone around them and in doing so He will do the same to you. For over 20 years our members have taken part in doing monthly P.A.C.K. (Planned Acts of Christian Kindness) out in our community. Simple surprising acts of kindness whether targeting those with physical needs or just everyday folks the goal is to plant the seeds of the Spirit in the hearts of everyone. With each unusual and refreshing touch the recipients feel the very presence of our Lord. His love for them is felt in that hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate on a cold winter day, or in the refreshing cold water or lemonade that seemingly comes out of nowhere on that hot & humid day. A simple Connect Card lets them know that this is a gift from Jesus, that like His love & grace none of it can be earned or bought at any price. The card also provides them with a warm invite to your place of worship where they are most welcome to come and learn more about the uniquely special love that Jesus has for them.
It is through loving unselfishly the everyday people of your community that God in the Holy Spirit will undeniably come to life right before you. You will witness an amazing transformation as a recipient’s smile goes to tears in a heartbeat and they will testify of an immediate crisis they are squarely in the midst of. These moments will happen with precision timing leaving you with absolutely no doubt as to His divine presence! God is using you to do His will. It is He alone that knows what is in our hearts and the exact moment when His love & comfort is needed the most. This is truly an amazing thing to witness and one that you will never forget, but it happens time and time again as you continue to do more and more P.A.C.K. events. There are many more blessings that come as a result of doing P.A.C.K. on a continual basis. A totally free program, really… no implied donation, no spam, no catch whatsoever, will get you started. P.A.C.K. has now been downloaded in 109 countries around the world, and in many of those places, hundreds of times over. So please grow both faith & Kingdom right where you are through simple acts of kindness and the power of the Holy Spirit! Amen! Here is the direct link to the sign up page for the free PACK program download: https://www.acts18.org/christian-kindness-program
Well said. We had a youth leader who with youth would take a ice chest on a wagon to a park and pass out free popsicles.
Tell me more about
https://www.acts18.org/christian-kindness-program
I saw only a single home page soliciting stories about service projects. Is that your website? How can I get more information? My Virtual Church Fellowship online community will solicit such stories of the Spirit at work. It will be at http://www.virtualfellowship.church.
Dave,
I’ve clicked on that link and get the home page that references “stories”. However, at the top of the page are five topic areas: Home, About Us, Free Outreach Resources, Get Involved, Donate. Hovering over any of these topics will reveal a drop down menu in which you will find for example (in the Free Outreach Resources) downloadable sample cards that Lee references in his note above. Check it out.
Jim B.
Jim,
I am not sure which website you were looking at. Can you clarify? Thank you.
Dave