http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=jimperdue13&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1434767957&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr“Are we dependent upon self or are we desperate for His Spirit?”  This is a question that every believer in Jesus Christ must answer.  It’s a question that every church must answer as well.

It has become very easy in today’s ecclesiological climate to operate the church according to a man-made formula.  As long as you have a rocking band, a cool pastor who “connects” with you, a sweet-looking logo and some “relevant” sermon series then you have the makings of a mega-church.

By no means do I want to detract from the genuine move of God in many churches that are growing supernaturally.  Nor do I want to sound like a pastor who is jealous of those churches that are “growing.”  God has blessed at Crosspointe in a mighty way and we continue to see growth year after year.  He alone deserves the credit and receives the glory!

My point is simple, I want to remind us all that the church is not a human invention or creation; it is solely a divine creation.  And can we really call it a “church” if it exists without the power of God? We are absolutely, totally and completely dependent upon the Spirit of God for the existence and advancement of the church.  Someone once said, “Before Pentecost the disciples found it hard to do easy things; after Pentecost they found it easy to do hard things.”

We have begun a four-part series at Crosspointe entitled “Forgotten God: reversing our tragic neglect of the Holy Spirit.”  The title is borrowed from Francis Chan’s excellent book but the content is considerably different.  It is my contention that in most churches and in the lives of most believers the Holy Spirit could be absent and we would never even notice.

Is there something considerably different about my life because the Spirit of God dwells in me? Is my church characterized by clever ingenuity, marketing, advertising and catchy slogans? Or it is marked by an overwhelming sense of the supernatural power and presence of God through the indwelling Holy Spirit? He alone brings life!