DISCLAIMER: This post isn't about bivocatonal ministry but certainly will help you.
I have the privilege of pastoring an Assembly of God church to which our fellowship (denomination) has some deep Pentecostal roots. We understand that the Gifts of the Spirit are still available for today's believer in Christ in order to encourage, build up and bring direction to the local body. Full confession...our church doesn't experience these gifts in operation on a weekly basis. Some would argue that we aren't "Spirit Led Enough." To that point, I would steer the conversation by asking if the pastor of their "Super Spiritual" church is pastoring the moment and they would likely look at me with a very confused look.
At Velocity Church, on nearly every occasion that the gifts have been in operation, I Pastor The Moment (I say nearly just in case I have missed doing so once in 6 years). What I mean is that I take a few moments and explain to the audience what they just heard or experienced. It only takes a matter of minutes and usually ends with two tasks for those who aren't familiar with it. The first is for them to go a read 1 Corinthians 12 & 14. Go figure, right...I direct people to God's word in hopes He speaks to them through it. The second is I encourage them to speak with me about the experience if they still have questions.
I really felt the need to share this after speaking with someone after service yesterday who had visited our church, along with another couple, for the last two weeks. Guess what happened on their first visit last week...YEP...God showed up in an incredible way and gave the church a message in tongues, followed by an interpretation that encouraged our church so much and was right in line with the message of the day. When that happened, I pastored the moment. What they guy shared with me yesterday floored me. For him, seeing the gifts at work during a service weren't new to him because he had attended Pentecostal churches in the past but he said that until his visit at Velocity Church, he had never heard a pastor do what I did. He expressed there were many teachings and sermons on the Gifts of the Spirit, but he hadn't experienced a brief explanation after something had happened in the service. Now, that doesn't mean I am some great pastor, only that I care a great deal that people experience Pentecost in a way that draws them closer to God and doesn't have them running for the doors. It isn't unusual for that same experience to happen when someone first visits the church because there are many families still at Velocity Church and on their first visit, they experienced the moving of the Holy Spirit through the gifts He gives...and they are still around!!! Not only are they still around, many have since experienced the Baptism in the Holy Spirit as a result of me pastoring the moment when they first walked through the doors.
To wrap this up, I want to share a few reasons why I believe this is so important for Spirit filled churches to do in the moment. The first reason I would give is because Peter did. Right after the Upper Room experience happened, Acts 2:14 begins telling us about how Peter pastored the moment. Secondly, if 1 Corinthians 14:22 tells us that tongues are a sign to the unbeliever, they have to be told what that sign means. Imagine a new driver being handed the keys to a car. They are going to see some signs on the road. If they don't know what they mean, they are going to cause some damage. The same will happen in the church if we fail to tell people what is happening in the service. Let me also add that 1 Corinthians 14:33 & 40 CLEARLY lay out the fact that God is about order, not chaos. Explanation brings clarity. Clarity brings order. Don't let things get away to the point it seems as if the circus has showed up. You're not "quenching the Spirit"...you're ensuring order that is needed. Finally, I would say that I believe when we pastor the moment, it causes people to want to know more. In their wanting to know more, they soon begin desiring those gifts, just as Paul instructed the early church to do in 1 Corinthians 14:1,12 & 39. The Gifts of the Spirit are still FOR TODAY...but it is up to Pastors to "Pastor The Moment."
No comments:
Post a Comment