Thread by @earthworkrr

There are times in church we must yield to the move of the Spirit simply because there are certain things He wants to handle personally.

I once attended a church where if sin and hell isn’t preached, the service was not considered “hot”.

The Pastor was a good man but he really wanted to bring people to Christ but his approach was worrisome.

He would bring up certain OT teachings and tie it to issues church members were facing.

After the service, everyone was somber and “cut to the heart”.

People would come for altar call but after that service, you won’t see them again.

“The wages of sin is death...” and under my breath, I’ll whisper “and the gift of God is everlasting life”.

The church wasn’t growing and even the ministers were weary.

I was weary too because I saw the Pastor’s heart and I knew he just wanted to do well for the Master.

I asked the Holy Spirit to help us because on many levels, the church wasn’t meeting up.

The Holy Spirit said “On Sunday, I’ll show you something simple yet profound”.

On Sunday, a brother who was made an altar minister was to preach in the Pastor’s absence.

He was a sound teacher and a man of both the Word and the Spirit.

He started with a song and everywhere changed. Immediately, the Holy Spirit said “Pay Attention”.

I did.

My eyes were opened and I saw the cloud.

It was beautiful.

I saw the Brother struggling to “control” the situation but this was beyond him.

Some ministers were already frowning but the Holy Spirit had taken over the church.

It was intense.

Tongues everywhere!

The keyboardist had his eyes closed as he prayed in tongues.

The worship leader was ecstatic. She had longed for a day like this.

The Brother was kabashing!

People were swaying and I stood there smiling and just singing in tongues.

And then it happened.

From nowhere, a sister who stood beside me praying in tongues was suddenly enabled!

She spoke in tongues and interpreted -

“I HAVE MADE A WAY... I, I THE LORD HAS MADE A WAY”.

Everywhere was silent. The Brother after a minute spoke - “This service is for the Holy Spirit”.

He dropped the mic and went to his seat, still speaking in tongues.

The lady that came to take the announcement, took the mic and fell under the anointing.

And for 5 minutes, no one moved. The cloud lifted and everything returned to normal.

That week, the testimonies that came were mind blowing. Promotions, jobs, the gangan who was a serious alcoholic was redeemed and businesses flourished.

The following Sunday was filled with so much testimonies, they had to turn the service to a Testimony Sunday.

The church that was struggling with a Sunday attendance of 70 grew to 140 in two Sundays.

Many folks came out to give their lives to Christ because it is the Holy Spirit who is to convict people of sin.

Healings too place and marriages were restored.

However, there were those who didn’t like the dimension of the service and told the Pastor as much.

They insisted that the Brother shouldn’t handle Sunday Service again and that prophecies should only come from the Pastor.

The church went back to the normal teaching...

... the attendance dwindled and that was it.

Many times, we want to help God and run his church. We have everything outlined.

We bring a business-like approach to church but deep down in people’s live, there’s no change.

A friend told me of how they instituted...

... a rule that anyone who stays too long on the pulpit would pay N5000 including the Pastor.

Why?

People wanted to go home after service and the church was delaying them.

🤣🤣🤣.

Oh! If only they understood the fellowship they could experience allowing the Holy Spirit.

There’s a refreshing that comes with the Holy Spirit that cannot be quantified.

I can’t trade that fellowship for anything beloved... nothing is worth it.

@earthworkrr