Cheesy, I know but as true as it gets. Any prevailing church that makes a difference has God's Spirit in all they do. Period. They may not have a building, gear, money, an organization, or even a plan. But what they have trumps everything else. And ministries with all the other stuff cannot begin to do what the church's version of the "It Factor," the Spir-it factor, can do.
The It Factor is usually something unseen that seems to be producing the company's/ organization's/ person's success. In the church's case the It- Factor is unseen but not unknown. God's Spirit is the only thing that produces life and success in the Kingdom. There is no other way.
This past Sunday, The Crossing had the Spir-It Factor. The Spirit of God was there probably as never before. Mark down April 29, 2007 as an important date in our history. Something changed that day--in me if in no one else.
But I sensed it was not just me. The prayers of the worship leaders and technical team before the service were awesome. The presence of God was evident from the beginning of the service until the end. There was fruitifulness in the way people responded to God at the end. And one of our teens came to me and said he had come to know Christ in the service! That is the way it is supposed to be.
I don't think it had anything to do with bulletins, equipment, or the subject matter of the message. It had nothing to do with metaphors we have used like cars, football, or poker. It was not about a building, a stage, or seats. It was simply and powerfully, the presence of God.
I never want to go back. I never want any other kind of service. I want God's presence and changed lives. Why come every week if God won't be there and no lives are being changed? I have told the staff and I am telling everyone else--nothing less than God's presence and changed lives is acceptable anymore.
I told our Worship Pastor Adam, that I don't care if he has band practice or any equipment is set up; we have to pray for God to come and people to be changed.
I told our Children's Director Angie, that I don't care if there are cookies or crayons in childen's church; we have to pray for God to come and kids to be changed.
I told our Student Pastor Matt, that I don't care if we have a cool logo or Destination Unknown; we have to pray for God to come and teens to be changed.
And I am telling our board, that I don't care if we have an agenda or if we solve any financial issues; we need to pray for God to come and people to be changed.
If God isn't coming to our services in an obvious way, then lives won't be changed. And if he isn't coming and lives aren't being changed then we fit the description of Jesus's example of the salt that has lost its saltiness. We are useless without God's Spirit at The Crossing.
I am calling The Crossing to prayer! We have not been called to be useless but we will be if we rely on anything else but God. I refuse to be useless when God has called me to be so much more...how about you? I am inviting you to join me in prayer every Sunday from 10:10-10:30 AM. I need people who can pray to be there so don't come if you don't mean business. That's right, a pastor just said don't come to a prayer meeting...unless your motives are right and you are ready to pray.
We will not be praying for any special personal needs unless they relate to the service. We will pray for God to come and be worshipped and for people to come and be transformed. But as important as the content of our prayers is the attitude of our hearts. We must have a passion and pray with a sense of desperation. Nothing can happen without God...therefore we are desperate. We must pray like a thirsty man in the desert looks for water.
And because we are praying we can expect some good things...even some miracles. I can't wait. I will see you Sunday.
The It Factor is usually something unseen that seems to be producing the company's/ organization's/ person's success. In the church's case the It- Factor is unseen but not unknown. God's Spirit is the only thing that produces life and success in the Kingdom. There is no other way.
This past Sunday, The Crossing had the Spir-It Factor. The Spirit of God was there probably as never before. Mark down April 29, 2007 as an important date in our history. Something changed that day--in me if in no one else.
But I sensed it was not just me. The prayers of the worship leaders and technical team before the service were awesome. The presence of God was evident from the beginning of the service until the end. There was fruitifulness in the way people responded to God at the end. And one of our teens came to me and said he had come to know Christ in the service! That is the way it is supposed to be.
I don't think it had anything to do with bulletins, equipment, or the subject matter of the message. It had nothing to do with metaphors we have used like cars, football, or poker. It was not about a building, a stage, or seats. It was simply and powerfully, the presence of God.
I never want to go back. I never want any other kind of service. I want God's presence and changed lives. Why come every week if God won't be there and no lives are being changed? I have told the staff and I am telling everyone else--nothing less than God's presence and changed lives is acceptable anymore.
I told our Worship Pastor Adam, that I don't care if he has band practice or any equipment is set up; we have to pray for God to come and people to be changed.
I told our Children's Director Angie, that I don't care if there are cookies or crayons in childen's church; we have to pray for God to come and kids to be changed.
I told our Student Pastor Matt, that I don't care if we have a cool logo or Destination Unknown; we have to pray for God to come and teens to be changed.
And I am telling our board, that I don't care if we have an agenda or if we solve any financial issues; we need to pray for God to come and people to be changed.
If God isn't coming to our services in an obvious way, then lives won't be changed. And if he isn't coming and lives aren't being changed then we fit the description of Jesus's example of the salt that has lost its saltiness. We are useless without God's Spirit at The Crossing.
I am calling The Crossing to prayer! We have not been called to be useless but we will be if we rely on anything else but God. I refuse to be useless when God has called me to be so much more...how about you? I am inviting you to join me in prayer every Sunday from 10:10-10:30 AM. I need people who can pray to be there so don't come if you don't mean business. That's right, a pastor just said don't come to a prayer meeting...unless your motives are right and you are ready to pray.
We will not be praying for any special personal needs unless they relate to the service. We will pray for God to come and be worshipped and for people to come and be transformed. But as important as the content of our prayers is the attitude of our hearts. We must have a passion and pray with a sense of desperation. Nothing can happen without God...therefore we are desperate. We must pray like a thirsty man in the desert looks for water.
And because we are praying we can expect some good things...even some miracles. I can't wait. I will see you Sunday.
By the way...you have my permission to begin praying right now!
3 comments:
This is what the church in America is in desperate need of. R.D., I commend you for taking this stance and drawing a line in the sand. God will definitely bless this attitude of faithfulness. It is ALL about life change.
In it for the long haul,
Chad
This is as "old school", in a good way, as it gets. What you described about the need for prayer and God's spirit in our gatherings and our daily lives reminds me of what I used to hear growing up in my smaller conservative holiness heritage. Maybe we are becoming "spiritually retro" and we don't even know it. Keep up the good work, pastor.
Thanks for Sunday! We are on the right track at the Crossing!
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