The Holy Ghost Jr. Game
jI’ve been experiencing one of those times of growth when the Holy Spirit is teaching me a valuable lesson. Recently, He’s been teaching me not to try to be Him. Every time we try to make things happen like we want it when we want it, we are taking the situation out of God’s hands. Joyce Meyer calls it playing Holy Ghost Jr., and I’m realizing more and more that we play that game on a regular basis in the church.
I’m a firm believer in planning, but sometimes we plan and program to the point we leave the Holy Spirit no room to work, and I don’t just mean in the order of our services. Church leaders often strategize how to get people involved in areas of service. While there is nothing wrong with promoting and informing people about areas for service and giving, many times the result of our “promoting” is guilting people into participating in something.
Many programs, campaigns, and pleas from the pulpit are simply us trying to grow the church through our own human effort. “Unless the Lord builds the house, he who labors, labors in vain.” That truth from Psalm 127:1 can be carried over to everything we do as Christians. While the world teaches us to get out there and make things happen, God’s word teaches us to let Him make things happen through the working of the Holy Spirit. When He convicts people to join a small group, teach, work in the nursery, or give a special offering, they will be doing it for the right reason and be far more effective.
from my notebook 