Led by the Spirit

Yesterday I blasted teachers and preachers. I aimed at a real problem but after some thought not the biggest problem. Let me share my frustration and re-aim my concern.

I believe that the church is the last best hope for us all. I also believe that it is generally ineffective in its mission. This is certainly not a failure of the Spirit, and probably less a failure of leadership than it is a lack of response in the flock.

Let me use last Sunday at my church as an example. We have a teaching hour at 9 a.m. Sunday we had an important message on “Fishers of Men.” But like teaching hours at most churches, it was not well attended. However, the message was so important that the Spirit gave the same message to the Pastor to pass on at the principal service. Even many of the same scriptures were involved.

As it turned out however, much of the church was not in a position to receive that message. Much of the 10 o’clock time was taken up in prayer for health and other needs. This was a Spirit Led time of prayer and very necessary. Our congregation, like most, is besieged by health and physical problems. Until those are dealt with, the church can not be the army called upon to carry out the great commission.

Yet the Pastor delivered the core of his message: be led by the Spirit. God is desperately calling His people to action; but Satan has us so tied up in the woes and cares of the world that we can not seem to hear and certainly can’t seem to respond to the message.

I’ve had people complain that they are tired of being preached at to “do something.” Maybe if they did something that preaching could stop. Church, don’t we know that the whole point of being Followers of Christ is doing something?

The Church has so much to accomplish that it is challenged to do it all on Sunday morning. We need to have announcements. We need to send off precious families who are called away. We need to praise and worship our God. We need to pray for those who are challenged by health and other concerns. We need to hear from God.

So much to do and so little time. We need to be led by the Spirit. Not just on Sunday, but every day. God is being very clear in His message to us. It comes at us during the teaching hour, during the worship time, and any time during the week that we take time to listen. It’s time to listen and be led. Our teachers could certainly be more effective in the spreading of the word, but the real problem is that the Word is not being heard.

What is God leading you to do? The message is plenty clear enough. Do it and be blessed.

Nick