I was watching a video of an awakening service posted on the IHOPKC website. It is a recording of Allen Hood preparing to deliver a message. He reads a verse found in 2 Corinthians 3.
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."
He made a few attempts to begin his message. He tried to put the microphone to his lips. But, he couldn't speak because he was encountering the Spirit. The listeners were laughing under the joy of the Lord. It was beautiful to behold.
I think there are moments when pastors with a message need to open their message with an invitation for encounter. They need to put their notes down for a moment and invite the presence. By doing this, they step out of the spotlight and give God the stage.
The best preachers can receive the love of God with hands upraised during their message. The word is living and active. Sometimes our sermons should be an encounter instead of a lesson.
Don't get me wrong, I think there are times we need to be teachers and preachers. Preachers and teachers are called to share the gospel. But, sometimes the Lord wants the church to soak in the presence of the Man who wrote scripture before they hear the revelations found there in.
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2Ch 5:14 "So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God."
Would it not be amazing that we who are preachers and teachers were unable to minister our message because of the glory of God filled the house? We find here in the Old Testament that the priest was unable to stand to fulfill their priestly duty because the glory of the Lord filled the house. What if our next Sunday service, or Wednesday night Bible study was so filled with the glory of God that the only thing we could do was to bow before his presence. Imagine someone asking you what was the message for the service and the only thing you can say is God filled this house with this glory.
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