I was recently scrolling through Facebook and came across an advertisement for an upcoming conference or ministry school. The headline read something to the effect, “There’s nothing like God’s presence”. It was similar to the opening ‘hooks’ I’ve seen advertised a thousand times. The goal of many of these conferences is to provide attendees with an atmosphere in which they can ‘encounter the presence’ in worship, do some training, and go out for a group outreach. They often include phrases like “Come be a part of what the Lord is doing today”, or something similar, giving the idea that you can be in on the next move of God and be a part of something new. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, but it makes me wonder, as a church, “What are we selling? The promise of an experience in the presence of the Lord?” A chance to find your destiny? A worship experience led by professionals, promising to culminate in our own personal encounter?
Don’t get me wrong – I love the presence of the Lord. I have spent a lifetime following Jesus and cultivating friendship with God and still feel like I have only scratched the surface. I have studied the mystics, meditated scripture, and have had my fair share of personal encounters with Jesus, though most of these came in my own devotional times and often as ‘suddenlies’ from the Lord. Also, I am not opposed to conferences per se. I know many people are ministered to and equipped in helpful ways. And there is nothing wrong in getting away sometimes for spiritual refreshment – God knows we need it.
Still, the emphasis these events place on ‘finding the presence’ makes me wonder if we aren’t making a religion out of chasing feelings, experiences, or manifestations. Are we packaging God? Experiences may have their place in the overall life of a believer but to present a Christianity that revolves around finding the ‘presence’ can not only set people up for disappointment, but it can also lead to a self-focused Christianity – one that is always seeking the next spiritual high. Have we not learned that the Kingdom resides within us? What happens when we don’t find that ‘special’ whatever it is? Does it mean we did something wrong, or God doesn’t love us? Do we follow Jesus so He can constantly make us drunk in the Spirit or give us goosebumps or regularly satisfy our need to ‘feel’ or experience something? I know, I know, I ‘m asking lots of questions!
I am not writing as one watching from afar or as an outsider. I have spent my fair share of time chasing the latest spiritual trends at conferences and seminars and I have taught in a few as well. I was a Vineyard conference junky in the late eighties and early nineties, (more on this in a minute). After the Vineyard connected with Mike Bickle and Kansas City Fellowship, (Ugh!), I attended annual “Passion for Jesus” conferences in KC in the mid to late 90’s. Twice I visited Toronto for “Father’s Heart” and “Catch the Fire” conferences. I was definitely a ‘manifester”, doing my share of ‘crunches’ and shouting my Oh’s” under the influence of the Holy Spirit. The night I returned home from my first Toronto conference, my wife, (who is not a manifester), told me the next day that when she put her hand on me while I was sleeping, she could feel the fire of God on me. We even planted a ‘river’ church in the late 90’s that was centered around the Father’s Heart movement. All that to say that I’m not an outsider trying to judge or throw water on those who are hungry to experience more of God. I always want to experience more of God.
It’s the packaging and selling of the whole thing that concerns me. Have we created a religion of chasing feelings, encounters or manifestations? Throw in a few prophetic words, get the right setting, the right music, and the right celebrity pastor/leader to say the right thing at the right time and “BAM”, God must show up. The next day it is advertised as the last great “Blow out meeting”. Then we try to reproduce it elsewhere. I have watched people, (and been guilty myself a few times), of trying to ‘help’ the Holy Spirit by ‘laughing’ or manifesting in a meeting when actually it was a distraction to others.
The overflow of these kinds of events has made its way into the life of many churches, who try to duplicate the conference experience every Sunday Morning. It shows itself in the formulaic presentation - get the “A” team on the platform, (the most accomplished singers and musicians), present the most professional worship (to cultivate the atmosphere), say the right things at the right time, (using all the right catchphrases), and hopefully God will cooperate and show up. (That’s the tricky part, He’s hard to program). Hope you got your encounter, but if not, there’s always next Sunday. That’s how we turn chasing a feeling or experience into a religion.
Why am I harping on this? Is it that important? Am I trying to quench the Holy Spirit in corporate settings or diminish the importance of His role in the life of the church and the individual believer? Absolutely not. I love Holy Spirit and cannot imagine trying to live the Christian life without His abiding presence. And when the Spirit genuinely moves in corporate settings it is like a river in the wilderness. I am so there.
I believe there is a danger in ‘packaging’ selective ‘culture-creating’ experiences arranged in corporate settings for the purpose of advancing a partial picture of the Gospel and then making it a main focus of the Christian life. Here are a few of the problems I see.
First, the emphasis on feelings or experiences in corporate settings can create a spiritual elitism. I have watched this happen and unfortunately been caught up in it myself a few times. The ‘feelers’, in this case, those who are ‘easy targets’ for the Holy Spirit, who seem outwardly responsive, are deemed to be more spiritual than those who have no outward response. Spirituality is measured more by physical response than character. During ministry times, many leaders will pray for these ‘easy targets’ because their outward response is gratifying, and it makes them look good. “I’m not trying to take anything away from the ‘feelers’. I am a ‘feeler’. I’m not trying to diminish their experience; I’m just pointing out that experiences don’t make us more spiritual than other people. When the ‘presence of God’ ends up being measured by those who had dramatic outward experiences we are using the wrong measuring stick. Often, the result is that those who display outward responses, and those who know how to promote them, become the experts and leaders of revival. An unspoken elitism is now in place, with the outwardly expressive taking center stage as the model of spiritual maturity. Add to this the ******* that we are the tip of the spear in the next move of God and the stage is set for raising the ‘spiritual bar’ based on who is ‘getting it’ as opposed to ‘who is not.’ The real danger is that this can evolve into a celebrity culture where those considered ‘more anointed’ are often promoted, not based on integrity or character, but rather on their ability to ‘move’ people. This has been especially true with worship leaders and prophetic ministries. I love the prophetic, even amid the recent scandals and the uncovering of deceitful and manipulative practices. And I love worship and there is something to be said for anointed worship leaders. But when we confer celebrity status on the more ‘anointed’ among us, we elevate man, and give fertile ground for the seeds of elitism to flourish.
Second, highlighting and emphasizing those with dramatic experiences also neglects or excludes those who ‘didn’t feel’ or ‘manifest’. This can be very painful for those among us who aren’t ‘feelers’. During the Toronto outpouring, there was even a label given to those who didn’t manifest, fall under the power, or outwardly respond to the presence of the Spirit on them. They were ‘HTR’s’, (Hard to Receive). The implication was that there was something wrong with them. Something must be blocking God’s presence in their lives. Maybe they needed inner healing or deliverance. This was extremely hurtful to those who were labeled as such. If that happened to you, I apologize on behalf of any who made you feel less, or second class because you didn’t feel or respond like others did. You are not less, you are highly loved by God and esteemed by Christ. The Holy Spirit is in you and is not disappointed in you. There is nothing wrong with you and you don’t have to keep digging to figure it out. In the words of Song of Solomon – this is what Jesus says to you – “Let me see your face, let me hear your voice. Your face is beautiful, and your voice is sweet”. The basic truth is that Christ already abides in us and He doesn’t have to be chased down. He knocks at the door and when we open the door he comes in and sups and abides. Our standing before God is measured more by how we love than it is by what we feel or experience in a conference atmosphere.
A third problem is that creating a culture rooted in seeking individualized blessings and encounters adds to the already hyper-individualism that exists in the church. Besides this pursuit being unsustainable, it puts ‘me’ or ‘us’ at the center. It misses the point that church is more than a gathering of individuals who come together for individual worship and individual experiences. The church is a community and worship is a community activity. It’s the gathering of Christ’s Bride to worship together as one. The emphasis on individualism neglects a heart for both the greater body of Christ as well as those outside the four walls of the church. It neglects broader aspects of cultivating a daily relationship with Christ and the discipleship/ministry model that is reflected in the Gospels. The separation of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25 had little to do with spiritual encounters and a lot to do with the everyday practice of loving the person in front of us. “I was hungry, and you fed me, naked and you clothed me, a prisoner and you visited me, a stranger, and you took me in. “When, Lord did we do this?” When you did it to the least of these”. The goal is not cultivating a feeling or an experience, it’s cultivating a relationship. It is a fascination with Jesus, not for the sake of what we get out of it, but for the sake of bringing compassion and love to the world. I mentioned earlier that I was a Vineyard conference junkie in the late 80’s. I was pastoring a church at the time and eventually, I brought all my elders and more than a few members to these conferences. The reason? Compassionate ministry training. Yes, the worship was always awesome. Yes, the speakers knew how to teach and equip. But John Wimber was a man full of compassion. It came through in all that he taught. When he said, “Holy Spirit Come”, it wasn’t for everyone to experience the presence, it was for the sick and the oppressed to be set free. This should be normal Christianity. This is Matthew 25.
I want to conclude with a paraphrase of the encounter Peter, James, and John had on the Mt of Transfiguration. They followed Jesus to the top of the Mountain and there watched Him enter a conversation with His guests, Moses and Elijah, (some guests, right?). Jesus was changed before them, and He glowed with a brightness that was beyond description. The disciples were awestruck – both giddy and terrified at the same time. Peter, as he was wont to do, blurted out a suggestion to Jesus, (not that Jesus was asking). “Lord, let’s build three tabernacles, one for each of you!” “Let’s stay here!” While he was still formulating his idea they were overshadowed by the presence of Abba in a thick cloud. Terrified, they hit the ground. Abba spoke to them, “This is the Son I love, listen to Him”. When the cloud passed, they looked around. They saw NO ONE except Jesus. That was the lesson of the experience. It’s always about Jesus. When they came back down the hill they immediately stepped into a ministry/deliverance situation. Isn’t that how it should work? Encounter God, see Jesus, minister to people.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a comment.
Thanks, Kenneth and thanks for subscribing!
Spot on, Jeff!