Mobile Podcast : Revival is messy : Shocking presence of God : What about order in the church?

Here’s a podcast on an important and controversial subject that’s sure to provoke some thoughts.  I address this topic more in my book 20 Elements of Revival, though even there it’s not exhaustive.  This is an issue that demands some serious attention because, I believe, the coming move of God is going to rock our current paradigms, structures and comfort levels.  Offense is a very real possibility if we don’t prepare.

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Revival is certainly messy, and it can be common for intense atmospheres to cause some to become a bit nervous.  Two different people in the same service can have two radically different viewpoints depending largely on their upbringing, past history, biblical interpretation and other such analysis.

One person might report that the service is “out of order” while the other might say the Holy Spirit is actually being hindered from moving in a greater way.

I’d encourage you to investigate biblical order- what it is and what it is not.  Biblical order is absolutely appropriate, but what we often call biblical order is actually human order.

I suggest in the podcast that a normal biblical experience might be, on a Sunday morning, to experience God so dramatically that it’s hard to stand.  People might tremble in his great manifest presence (God’s manifest presence is much different than his omnipresence).

Think of it this way: If someone can fall over and experience the shock and awe of an angelic encounter (a created being), OR if we can experience a severe burn from the sun or a life-threatening jolt from an electric shock (a created substance), then doesn’t it make sense that we would become undone, physically jolted, tremble and fall to our face if we encountered the CREATOR?  Would we just close our eyes, fold our hands and say a prayer?  Impossible!

We can’t experience God and simply stand there.

There is much to discuss on this topic, and this post nor this podcast can do it justice today.  But, I’d love to hear your thoughts and insights.

Again, do a study on biblical order.  Do we need it?  Yes!  Without question we must always adhere to biblical mandates.

But, we must ask the question: what limitations are appropriate and what have been established out of a nervous or offended heart?

John