God is moving across the land. There is no question about that. Just read John 5:17 to support this truth. Whether God is moving is not the question. The issue is whether the Spirit of God is both quenched and grieved repeatedly.
Picture building a campfire. Carefully laying the wood, igniting a flame, fanning the fame and continually adding more fuel to sustain the fire. You worked hard to build that fire. You nurtured it from infancy to a raging blaze. Then someone comes with large bucket of water and pours it over the flame extinguishing it. How would you feel? Upset. Angry. Offended.
That is exactly what happens in corporate worship as well as private devotions. God orchestrates His move by leading the worship songs, drawing the congregation to Himself, inspiring the message, working in hearts to receive that message, and all of that leading to the climatic moment when He leads people to respond. We quench the Spirit when we try to control the service. We have it managed down to the minute. I have always said when we come to worship, we do not punch a clock. God should have complete freedom to work how He wants and for as long as He wants.
People can strangle the Spirit of God and quench it for everyone else when a leader quickly shuts everything down rather than letting God have full sway in the service. Leaders often fear losing control and the worship service extending beyond the sacred allotted one hour. How can anyone thing we get to dictate the confines of how and when God gets to move. It is a testament to how offended God is that so many churches are not filled with the life of God. Why do we allow such leaders to extinguish the movement of God among us? Only Spirit led and Spirit sensitive people should be allowed to preside over any worship gathering.
I saw this played out recently. The preacher was given an allotted amount of time to preach. He finished well within the time constraints. In fact, he finished early. Instead of an extended time of invitation the crowd was dismissed. I felt like God wanted to do so much more in that service as I sadly I watched people exit the building like sheep still processing the message they just heard.
Nobody has the right to extinguish the move of God for the rest of a congregation. More than once I have dismissed a crowd who no longer wanted to be in the service so that they would quench the Holy Spirit for those who yearned to meet with and respond to God.
Read I Thess 5:19. We are commanded not to quench the Spirit.
In Eph 4:30 we are exhorted not to grieve the Spirit. That means not to distress or sadden the Spirit. This happens when we say no to His nudges. When we refuse to submit and obey Him, we sorrow the Spirit of God.
Are we guilty on a regular basis of quenching and grieving the Spirit. God wants to move. He does move. How often do we pour buckets of water on His work extinguishing the fire or we distress the Spirit by ignoring Him or rejecting His leadership.
This should not be. It is sin. It offends God and harms other believers who want the fiery presence of God to move in their midst. When the majority of a congregation would rather play religious games than have God encounters it is sin. I have seen quenching and grieving. Sadly, I have been insensitive to His leadership and extinguished God's work myself. Shame. I do not want to do that any longer. I am also offended when others try to do it too.
May God have His will and way each and every time we gather for worship. May we not quench or grieve Him in our personal encounters either. We need God to work in our lives, churches and society. Pour your bucket of water on the work of Satan, but never on the work of God.
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