WHAT IF . . .

Let’s play What if for a minute: If the Lord were to remove His Holy Spirit from the church, I wonder how long it would be before anyone noticed? This is totally hypothetical, because we have the promise that God would not do so, but if the Spirit were removed, what would be different?

I’d like to think that it would go like this for me: In my planning, I would be very distressed; the song list would not be coming together, I’d feel out of sorts, abandoned and empty; that I’d have no idea how to proceed. I could create a song list that “works,” in that the keys, the themes and the tempos all work together, but something wasn’t right about it. Then, I’d like to think that I would arrive for practice with the worship team, and say, “I don’t know what’s wrong; I have heard nothing from the Lord. I need your help.” I’d like to think that they would get on their knees and pray, desperate to know what was wrong; and finding no solution, that we would all come before the congregation empty, and have no music. I’d like to imagine that you in turn would be out of sorts, hopeless and powerless and surprised that we just hadn’t “gotten through” with our prayers and their other acts of worship. We need the Holy Spirit to worship acceptably.

What I fear, though, is that all would go on as usual in most of our churches. The songs would be chosen based on how they fit the theme and how well they flowed together musically. The musicians would rehearse and learn their music just like normal. The congregation would experience the same thing they always experience—a fine, well-organized service with a good teaching from the Bible, and comfortable routines. Sunday morning and all’s well. Worship planning, worship leading, and worship in the flesh.

Of course, my hypothetical illustration so far only pertains to our worship assemblies. But it should apply to all of life.

What a terrible, condemning thought, that we would not even notice if the Spirit were missing! Or that we have a hard time in this hypothetical example even imagining what we, in fact, rely on the Spirit to do! May we repent of doing in the flesh what should only be done in the Spirit. So, let’s explore what it means and doesn’t mean to walk in the Spirit, rather than walking in the flesh.