An Atmosphere of Spirituality

This brings to mind an unusual statement in regard to a certain occasion in the ministry of Jesus. “And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them” (Luke 5:17). This speaks of a spiritual atmosphere in which the presence of the Holy Spirit was unusually strong and, consequently, powerful works happened in their midst.

This implies also that there were times in the ministry of our Lord when that was not so. This is indicated by an account in Matthew: “And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:58). It seems impossible that Jesus, who had all of the power of Heaven could have been prevented from doing things for people that He otherwise would do. A similar statement was made in Psalms regarding the Children of Israel: “Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel” (Psalms 78:41). How strange that we, who are such finite ones, could limit the powerful works of the infinite and omnipotent Father!

This has proven to be true on certain occasions in my ministry. I have been in churches and situations over the years, where there seemed to be powerful barriers put on the Holy Spirit in what He was able to do. The same messages and ministries that preached/performed with power in other places were unfruitful and their affect was limited in the current situation. I have attempted to preach in some services where there was such a chokehold on me and on those services that I could hardly think or speak much less to have the people to respond.

Reasons for a lack of a spiritual atmosphere Rigidity, formality, and traditions of worship and expression. I would think that most of us would be vastly uncomfortable in a typical first century worship service. We are bound by time and limited in what expressions we think to be appropriate in a way that would seem strange to our early ancestors. Certainly, all things are to be conducted in a way that decent and in order but some of the traditional restraints imposed on the body of Christ constitute barriers to the powerful moving of the Holy Spirit. We consider ourselves to be more sophisticated is our manner of expressions and/or think that current differences merely reflect cultural dissimilarities. Not entirely so. The issue at hand is still the presence and manifested power and glory of God—an atmospheric condition in the church.

Unresolved conflicts or the history of conflict in the church. We place far too little emphasis on what is important to the Father when it regards the fellowship of the church. He, in terms of the number of references in the NT, places as much emphasis on the quality of fellowship and unity as any other issue. A church that has gone through unresolved conflicts will continue to suffer regardless of how many directions it ultimately splinters. Each fragment of that church—those who leave and those who stay—will ultimately bear the consequence of any unresolved conflict no matter how it may seem at the moment. Their mode of coping will dictate the attitude and direction of that splinter when future issues arise---and they will. Conflict and disunity in the body of Christ cannot and must not be swept under the rugs of disregard or denial. They will eventually find expression again and frequently in a more devastating fashion. They must be comprehensively and finally addressed while they are yet fresh. Procrastination finally produces defeat.

Limiting the manifestations of God. Although many would deny it with a variety of justifications, there is within the body of Christ a residual hostility toward power manifestations of God. With the use of many disclaimers, men who try to determine what is acceptable and what is not through the exercises of the natural mind, often find themselves fighting against God. People who are suspicious of manifested behaviors tend to attribute that with which they are not familiar, or find themselves uncomfortable with, to the working of Satan. While there may be the counterfeiting of the works of God on some occasions, that very fact requires a preponderance of the real thing to qualify it to be called to Satan’s attention to begin with—making it worth his while to counterfeit. The caution and hostilities that get involved can cause damage to the cause of Christ simply through judgmentalism that is the residue of such attitudes.

Self-seeking. As amply demonstrated in the scripture there are many who seek personal identity through the offices in the church that they hold or the prestige that is theirs. The early disciples sought it on the eve of our Lord’s crucifixion and so men do today. Many would rather see a church remain small than to run the risk that in its growth they will lose some of their significance to the body. Such an attitude is destructive and defeating both to the church and the person himself. When the cross is involved, men lose their rights—seeking only to honor the Lord Jesus Christ.

There are no formulas, stereotypes or shortcuts into the manifested presence of God. We must completely and finally realize that the church does not belong to man but is the place of the Father’s habitation and his ultimate weapon to achieve His goals in the Kingdom.

Jeff

• Jefferson H. and Norma R. Floyd, CO-directors • Jubilee International • P. O. Box 572 • Noblesville, IN 46061