I am involved with a group of church leaders in which we are dreaming of how we can multiply the Gospel in our city and beyond. It is a collaborative effort with many other churches here in Spokane. This morning was a gathering of the Immanuel Network, a smaller iteration of the larger movement (The Pacific Northwest Planting Movement).

One of the leaders shared about how his church is experiencing a Holy Spirit revival. Please know that I usually am a bit dubious of “testimonies” like this. I suppose because I have seen so much nonsense in the church connected to the sentiment, “The Holy Spirit led us.” (God save me from myself)

However, because I know and trust this young leader, my predictable cynicism was suspended, and I felt swept up in what I will call “righteous jealousy.” Not the jealousy that might keep me from celebrating with him, but the kind that wanted to jump in the stream with him, partner with him, to celebrate with him!!!

Jesus says to his followers:

“If you love me, keep my commands.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

The promise is, when Jesus leaves, he will not abandon them. In this same chapter, he says that he will not leave them orphans. The inside of the promise is, he will come to them through the Holy Spirit and be with them and make his abode in them. God, the God of the universe, the almighty, lover of all comes and dwells with His people in an intimate and personal way.

Paul puts it this way: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)

The reality is, many folks are desperately trying to “fix” the church with strategies and programs (many are not bad), but the hard truth is, we cannot do what God has called us to do without the fearful and astonishing work of the Holy Spirit. We need him in the mundane and the spectacular. We need him in the planning and the execution. We need him in the listening and the acting.

The fiery preacher, A.W. Tozer once wrote

“If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference.”

I don’t want to come off overly sentimental or naive, but God, please help us at Immanuel and the larger church in Spokane not settle for anything less then a church empowered and led by the loving and present Spirit of God.