No More Mr Nice Guy

Have you ever wondered why the epitome of Christian character is the ‘nice guy’? Certainly, in my mind, the image I have of the church deacon or elder is the middle-aged man with male pattern baldness who has never been angry, never danced, never seen an R rated movie, and only drank once when he was foolish and in college but not a drop has passed his lips since. Seriously, do a google search for 'presbyterian elder'.

When the apostles needed to give themselves to doing what they were called to do, they were instructed to seek out seven people who could give themselves to serving. I would argue that in today’s church world, we simply look for ‘nice guys’ to serve. That was not what God wanted for His deacons. He wanted them to be filled with the Holy Spirit even as they served tables. As Smith Wigglesworth put it:

“It does not take a cultured or a learned man to fill a position in God’s church; what God requires is a yielded, consecrated, holy life, and He can make of such a flame of fire. Baptized with the Holy Ghost and fire!”

When was the last time we looked for servants and leaders and made it compulsory that they were filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit? We settle for doves, not wild geese. That needs to change.

The days of knowing Jesus, but not knowing His Spirit need to come to an end.

If we are to be the answers to the prayers of a world that needs a savior, we need to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Jesus knew that for the church to prevail against the gates of hell, for the church to have the impact needed to see His Kingdon advance, He couldn’t stick around. He said, 'It is better for you that I go for there is ONEwho is coming..."

THE answer to church growth, power, and impact is the work and person of The Holy Spirit. Set Him free!