Growing up in a Pentecostal church as a young boy, I have spent most of my journey as a follower of Christ in Pentecostal/Charismatic circles. There have always been displays of the supernatural working of God around my life. I believe whole heartedly that God still interacts with the human race supernaturally. I love when God’s supernaturality (I think I just made up a word) intersects our reality. God is beyond what is natural; He is outside of space, time, etc. and at times he intervenes in our natural existence and shows His love, grace, truth, and power in amazing ways.
For those of us who are charismatics, many times we think that the supernatural quality of God , the Holy Spirit, is expressed predominantly, and in some cases only within the confines of a gathering of believers, a church service. I do love those times when “God shows up”, (that’s a cliché we use at church at times). The song list, agenda, and sermon notes are thrown out because we did not know what God wanted to do before we all gathered together. We had a plan, but He, God, had a bigger and better plan. As great as those times are, if we think that God gives His supernatural power to just have a good, out of the ordinary church service, then we are only cheapening that power. I know we need to be refreshed by His presence, and encouraged in ways that are out of the ordinary. I love those times and grow greatly out of them. We, many times, think of God’s power being only displayed in those gatherings and needing to be displayed through the nine gifts of the spirit (1 Corinthians 12). My issue with that kind of thinking is this. Jesus said go get together as believers, wait for the Holy spirit. There is no problem with us gathering as believers and expecting “God to show up”. That is what Jesus told them to do, but He didn’t stop there. He said when the Holy Spirit comes up on you will be witnesses literally, everywhere (Acts 1:8).
How would that witnessing take place? Well to answer that question we must go back to the beginning. In the beginning, at the point of creation, we find that God created man. God created man for one purpose, relationship with Himself. We are created for relationship. Relationships are some of the most amazing and difficult things we get to participate in as we live on this planet. We are blessed by them and at times we feel cursed by the relationships we have been in. God wants to show His supernatural power in the context of our natural existence through empowering us to be like Him within the realm of our relationships… Stayed tuned for more.
