There is something special that happens when the church gathers together. There is nothing on earth like it. People gather for sporting events, social occasions, and business meetings, to name a few. These types of gatherings are marked by human direction, intellect, and skill. But when the church gathers, it is marked by the presence of the Holy Spirit among the people, and His life-changing power is made available to all. It is the conglomeration of people from all different walks of life, joined together for a singular purpose with an eternal hope. It is a foretaste of heaven, as seen in Revelation 7:9 (NIV): “. . . a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” The gathering of the church is covered by the promise of Jesus: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Mathew 18:20 NRSV). Where the church gathers, Jesus gathers with them too. The words of the writer of Hebrews were not just a suggestion, but an imperative for the church:
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24–25 NIV)
Anytime we gather as the church, it is an opportunity for believers to be encouraged and for the power of the Spirit to change lives. With such momentum present when we meet together, it is essential that our gatherings be Spirit-led. It is easy to rely on routine over discernment, on programs over prayer, and on self over the Spirit in our meetings. It is also equally easy to overemphasize feelings and charisma to the point that we lose discernible direction regarding what the Lord is trying to do in our midst. Warren Wiersbe once said, “If you emphasize only the Word, you dry up. If you emphasize only the Spirit, you blow up. If you emphasize the Word AND the Spirit, you grow up.” Balance is key; for this reason, our church gatherings must be led by the Spirit.
Prioritize the Presence of God
Throughout the New Testament, we see common practices of Spirit-led gatherings. Perhaps the most notable among them is found in Acts 2. A group of simple people gathered with the command of Jesus on their mind: “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49 NIV). Spirit-led gatherings prioritize the presence of God.
The temptation in the modern era of ministry is to attempt to do ministry without a reliance upon the Holy Spirit. A.W. Tozer famously said,
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.
This is a real tragedy. The power of the Holy Spirit is present to transform lives, yet all too often, programs, schedules, and agendas take first place. Programs, orders of service, and structure are all good to an extent, but they should be held loosely, and room should be made for the Spirit to guide the service as He sees best.
The image that comes to mind is that of a sailboat. Historically, sailboats were crafted with sails, and the ship was propelled forward by the wind and navigated by a controller at the rudder. Modern sailboats often come equipped with both sails and an engine so that in the event the wind is not blowing or going in the right direction, the sailors can lower the sails and simply use the motor. Thus, it has often been in church ministry. Instead of waiting upon the Spirit’s power to fill our sails, we have lowered them and put our trust in the engine of self-effort to direct our gatherings. It requires faith and patience to put up our sails and say, “Have your way, Holy Spirit,” because, as Jesus said, “the wind blows where it chooses” (John 3:8 NRSV).
As a pastor, I have a responsibility to ensure that our meetings are being directed by the Spirit and not by human effort. I must discern God’s will for every gathering and maintain a listening ear throughout the service. Perhaps I have started a sermon series, but on a particular Sunday, I sense the Holy Spirit bringing a different message to my heart. Who am I to grieve the Holy Spirit by not yielding to what He wants to say? I do not know who will be present every Sunday, but God knows. He also fully knows the exact message that is needed so that those present might be “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37). The Holy Spirit can do more in five minutes with a Word that comes from Him than I can do in 500 sermons! The apostle Paul said it best:
My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:4–5 NRSV)
Live with an expectancy and anticipation that the next time your church gathers, it is not just another Bible study, prayer meeting, or worship service, but an opportunity for the Spirit of the living God to work among His people.
Preceded by Prayer
In Acts 2, the church was praying. In Acts 4, after receiving threats, the church was praying. In Acts 10, Peter and Cornelius were praying as the gospel was going to the Gentiles. In Acts 19, upon meeting new Christians, Paul was praying. After each of these occurrences where the believers were praying, there was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Spirit-led gatherings are preceded by prayer. Where there is a praying church, you will soon find a Spirit-empowered church. Prayer is the “red carpet,” so to speak, that makes way for the Spirit to move upon the church.
Spirit-led gatherings routinely and fervently seek the help of the Holy Spirit in prayer. A praying church is a church that understands, “We cannot do this on our own; we must have the help of the Holy Spirit.” God’s promise is so simple and true:
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:13 NRSV)
God is willing to infuse our gatherings with His precious Holy Spirit, but we have to ask Him for His Spirit—not just once a month or once a quarter, but every time we gather. Whether it is a men’s ministry gathering, a Sunday school lesson, or a church banquet, our prayer should be, “Lord, give us Your Spirit.”
If your local church does not have a regular time when people gather to pray, ask the Lord for wisdom and direction in establishing one. This might look like a midweek prayer meeting, or perhaps a group of people who gather before the Sunday service to pray specifically for the pastor and the service.
Promote Jesus Above All Else
In this great body of Christ, may we never forget that Jesus is the head of His church. It is easy to think that people are coming to our services to hear the pastor, listen to the worship team, or see their friends. While these reasons for coming may be true at times, we must ensure that we are promoting Jesus above all else. In John 12:21, a group of Greeks came to Jesus’s disciples and told them, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus” (KJV). The reality is that when people come to our gatherings, what they need to see—and perhaps what they want to see above all else—is Jesus. If someone comes to my church this Sunday, and they forget my name or the name of the church, but they see Jesus, then it is a win for the kingdom!
Scriture emphasizes that the chief goal of the church gathering is that God may be glorified, the church may be edified, and that the unbeliever may “bow down before God and worship him, declaring, ‘God is really among you’” (1 Corinthians 14:25 NRSV). Nothing less. These things will not happen apart from promoting Jesus above our plans, our agendas, and our desires. A Spirit-led gathering is one that promotes Jesus above all else.
There are many skeptics who look at the church and wonder, “Is God real? Are those people crazy? Is God really with them?” However, Scripture reminds us that the Spirit of God at work in the church is God’s affirmation of the church’s gathering and the confirmation of God’s reality to the world. It should be the hope of our gatherings that a skeptic never leaves wondering, “Is God real?” Instead, they should leave saying, “God is really among you!” (1 Corinthians 14:25). It is my aspiration each week that God somehow will use the foolishness of preaching to make people more impressed with Jesus than anything in my church or of myself, and that we will do all we can to get people to Jesus.
Conclusion
May we never underestimate or lose sight of what can happen when God’s power is at work among His church. Some may discover God for the first time, while others may be only one word of encouragement away from giving up on it all. God is with them both, and the difference is not in the worship style, the size of the building, the size of the congregation, the popularity of the preacher, or the audio and visual effects. The difference is the Spirit of God at work in and through His church. Every time the church gathers, it is an opportunity for God to demonstrate His majesty and might for both the believer and the unbeliever, so that all the world may know Jesus. Is this not what our world needs now more than ever?
It is an exciting and wonderful curiosity to ponder what might happen when we prioritize the Spirit of God in our gatherings! As churches prepare to gather all over the world each week, let’s pray they will be led by the Spirit and that much will be made of Jesus!
