2 Cor.13:14 – The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
I have seen the church go through many seasons since my conversion over 50 years ago. In my early days there was a passion in the church flowing out of intimacy with the Holy Spirit. He was very present among us in our church services, prayer meetings, evangelism outings, and in our gatherings in our homes. Thankfully this intimacy with the Holy Spirit was the atmosphere I first experienced as a Christian and has always been my home that I can return to as time passes by.
When I started our church in New Orleans it started out of that passionate fire that I had known in our Christian Community in California. There was an authenticity and a fire in our gatherings that was sure evidence of the Holy Spirit among us. As our church began to grow, professionalism began to replace authenticity and over the years our fire became dim as we lost the continual sense of the presence of God that flows out of intimacy with the Holy Spirit. Thankfully that season came to an end after a number of years and the Lord awakened our passion for Him again and we returned to our first love.
Today, much of the church world has settled for programs, short services, and a worldly way of life. Overall, the body of Christ needs to return to our first love and let the passion and fire of the Holy Spirit consume us again. This starts with an intimate fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Here is a word from David Yonggi Cho that describes this very need.
“The first meaning of the word koinenea refers to intercourse or fellowship on the basis of intimate friendship. Without fellowship with the Holy Spirit there can be no spiritual life, no faith with power and victory. The early church was abundant with fervent prayer, overflowing passion, rich vitality and thanksgiving, gushing out like a spring as a result, of their fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Why are Christians settling for mere outward formalities of religion, dry ceremonies of worship, seeing the church as a place of social intercourse? This emptiness has left young people sick of the Christian way, and its form of godliness. They have become disillusioned—because the church has lost its spiritual life!”
So let’s all determine to turn our hearts to the Lord. Draw near to the Holy Spirit and pursue a fresh relationship with Him. This is the very source of life that will return fire and passion to His church.