Christian Living

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

by paul hoffmaster
08/23/20
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What are people looking for when they want to find a home church?  How important is the location and physical structure?  What about doctrine and the Tenets of Faith?  What role does the pastor play in their decision-making process?  What about the type of music?  How about the recommendation of other people?  What Christians display outside of the church will have a definite influence on prospective attendees.  “Community watch” observes the actions of Christians in their neighborhood and form opinions based on the actions they observe.  Believers play an important role in helping people decide on which church to attend. 

The Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians gives us an inside look at preaching and its significance.  It is not the pastor’s vocabulary and delivery that influences the hearer to true spiritual revelation; rather, it is the “demonstration of the Spirit and power of God.”  Paul stated that he did not come to Corinth to preach with “enticing words of man’s wisdom but in the demonstration of the Spirit and power. (I Corinthians 2:4)

Too much credence is giving to the presenter instead of the enabler.  The human language can manipulate people into action, but it is the Holy Spirit that can bring about real change.  Years ago, there was a man in our church who was one of the top car salesmen in the state.  Not only could he sell cars, but if he wanted to, he would be successful in selling air conditioners in Antarctica!  He had a gift of salesmanship.  There are preachers today that have the gift of persuasion and can influence people to make decisions based on their rhetoric alone.  When people are swayed by another’s personality instead of by the Holy Spirit, their spiritual life could be affected.  How many people today have left the Faith due to a faulty foundation?  Whenever we follow a man instead of Jesus, we will be in danger of having a “feeling-led Faith” instead of a strong foundational Faith.  I will never forget a gentleman who had just started coming to our church.  He had moved to Michigan from Tennessee.  He made an appointment to meet with me to discuss a situation that was causing him a great deal of turmoil.  It seemed that years ago he attended a revival meeting in which the evangelist had pointed him out in the crowd and told him the Lord was calling him into the ministry.  Soon after that night, he set out to start a church and begin preaching.  He tried and tried to establish a church and fulfill the evangelist “calling.”  After a year of failing and feeling he was letting God down, he gave up and moved to Michigan.  This man was so moved by the “charisma” of the evangelist, that he thought it was God Himself that was calling him.  Personalities can move people to action, but it is only the Holy Spirit who can reveal the true will of God. 

I remember one Sunday I was in such physical discomfort that I could barely stand.  I had sprained some muscles in my back the night before.  I did not know if I could even preach that morning, but I had to share what God put on my heart.  I grabbed the pulpit and held on for dear life.  As I spoke, my voice was two octaves higher than normal.  After the service was over, I slowly made my way to my study.  There, standing by the door, was a man with tears running down his face seeking to know Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.  I thought I had failed to give a good account of the message, but the Holy Spirit had taken that sermon and pierced this man’s heart with the Truth.  That experience was the “demonstration of the Spirit and power.”  Great sermons are not given through the “wisdom of man” but through the Holy Spirit.  Great churches are not defined by numbers, programs, music, or personalities, but through Divine interaction.  When looking for a church, look beyond the human element and seek a body of Believers that seek God’s presence.  (Reference: I Corinthians 2:1-5)