Manifesting Presence of the Holy Spirit

 

There are some who are saying that we are moving into a new time in the Spirit where we will be able and required to “stand” in the Presence. Indeed, the Glory of God, when He manifests, is for the advancement of HIS Kingdom on Earth. So indeed, there are times that we will be standing and ministering in the Presence of the Spirit in the days ahead. But there will be times when we cannot stand in His Presence, and those are times far more important and invaluable than the latter!

We must be forever mindful that when the Spirit manifests himself upon a people, this is a very Holy thing. God will not allow man to rend control of His move out of His hands for man to be in religious control once again. That will never be allowed in this end time Revival. As such comes this word of warning as we proceed in the works of the Holy Spirit and in Revival as He manifests Himself unto the restoration and reformation of today’s church.

As a personal and direct witness to Revivals in many places, and having had many events of being “slain in the Spirit”. After witnessing the Glory fall upon our dear Chinese brothers and sisters here in Shanghai time and time again, and witnessing the transforming fruits of His Spirit with healing power, the joy, the restoration, the setting up and the sending out that has emanated from these events of Glory manifestations, I have a very important concern regarding any notion of ministry within the manifesting Presence of the Holy Spirit.

Please read my heartfelt thoughts and know they come from a heart of love rather than any form of judgement.

What occurred in 2 Chronicles 5:13-14 occurred on the day of Pentecost, as it has through hundreds of years and countless manifestations of Revivals throughout world history since Christ’s cross. Along with 2 Chronicles 5, we have the promise of the coming restoration of the Tabernacle of David within which we will see these very same manifestations happen yet again.

Throughout the history of Revivals, these manifestations have always been the same, RADICAL, UNDEFINABLE, WEIRD, OUT OF CONTROL, STRANGE… and with the very same unusual yet immutable manifestations which are as much a principle for us today as they were in 2 Chronicles 5:14 and in the First Church… they all had a powerful transformational purpose. They all bore fruit that literally changed nations. The church was both at times slain AND ministering out of the Glory.

I have been a personal witness to Revivals in Toronto (TACF), in Texas, in California, in Florida, in the Ukraine, in Mexico and here in China where we are currently ministering in the power of the Spirit and with volumes of current supernatural fruit in every meeting… Countless times and in so many places it is always the same manifestation of Glory. Man out of control, God IN control. God taking control of man, rendering man out of control of self. The results of which are the advancement of the Kingdom of God on Earth, by way of radically touching and transforming the one. How has this immutable principle ever changed?

As a student of Revival for many years, I’ve witnessed the power of the Holy Spirit render countless people “out of control.” As Peter said to the crowd at Pentecost: “These people are not drunk as you suppose, it’s only (nine o’clock in the morning).” They were speaking in every language in the world, but they were acting drunk and out of control, exactly like this 2 Chronicles 5:14 event…

With hundreds of years of many Revivals throughout world history showing these exact same manifestations time and again, has God suddenly decided that starting now, such manifestations are to be no longer?

There is something so very precious about our times on the floor, both in the private place and in the corporate place. And they are immutable.

What I have found, time and time again is that whenever the manifestations of the Holy Spirit move in such power as to render those in residence “out of control”, man makes every effort to step in to regain control of the meeting. How many times have I heard leaders say, “We need to Pastor this!” What they really mean, 99.9% of the time is, “We need to control this.”

Pastor it, lead it, define it, “facilitate it”, all means mostly the same thing. “This is out of hand and we need to regain control it.” Though even if it is from a right heart, to declare the need to “facilitate it” is like producing food for the wolves! Hence my concern!

What the Lord said to me was this, “I have never desired that any Revival come to an end.”

He showed me clearly that every Revival throughout history was ended because of a man or woman getting in the way of God. Someone in leadership would be the “roof of the church” or the “coverage” over the church, rather than the foundation of the church, step in between the people and God and say, “Stop that shaking! Stop your uncontrollable laughter, you’re interrupting what I am supposed to be doing here. You’re scaring the people! You’re embarrassing us with all that noise and weird stuff. This is out of control!”

Most certainly, there is a new wave of Glory coming from the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth as it is in Heaven. But what happens when the Holy Spirit shows up is immutable. He doesn’t change at the whim of man’s thinking nor upon the tide of the times. His manifestations are immutable.

What was in 2 Chronicles 5:14 was the Holy Holy Holy Presence of God. So it was at Pentecost. So it is in Toronto. So it is here in China. Immutable. Who can stand in that when the Holy Spirit comes in power? Unless, of course, we choose not to. God never violates our free will.

Of course, there are times within the Presence that we stand up and minister into that Glory, and we do this here in China regularly… but ONLY when so led by the Holy Spirit. And even then, ONLY after the Spirit has been given full charge of the meeting and the first fruits of our love… almost always in times on the floor!

I love the word “facilitator”. That really is the very best word to rightly describe church leadership that should be in today’s church. But the moment that this word connotes control is when God departs the building. Herein lies my most serious concern.

The Lord told me that He is rebuilding His church upon the RESTORED ORIGINAL FOUNDATION of His Apostles and Prophets…a restoration of the five-fold ministry, and upon the original foundational principles such as in Hebrews 6:1-3.

God is calling upon all leadership in this hour to change away from religious, even pagan mindsets, where the leadership would relinquish their stronghold of control over the church, stop being the roof over the church and take their God directed place of servant UNDERNEATH the church as part of the foundation of the church. In so doing, they lift the church up to God and say, “THIS IS YOUR MEETING GOD, NOT MINE. DO WHATEVER YOU DESIRE WITH THESE DEAR PEOPLE AND I WILL STAY OUT OF YOUR WAY. BECAUSE YOU ARE IN CONTROL HERE, NOT ME. I KNOW THAT YOU WILL CONFRONT ALL EVIL IN THIS ROOM BECAUSE YOU ARE GOD IN THIS ROOM, NOT ME. MY EARS ARE OPEN, HOW THEN SHALL I SERVE YOUR PEOPLE?”

No persons have better exemplified this way of leadership better than John and Carol Arnott from the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship. I would honor them with all my heart. It’s why Revival remains there today. And the worldwide fruit from that place with the sick made well, the dead raised back to life, with tens of thousands of church plants and countless millions of souls saved is undeniable.

My concern about such a word of control is what I’ve always been concerned about where the manifestations of God’s Revival Glory are concerned. How quickly we develop good sounding ideas that get in the way of God. How quickly we fear a tiny devil when a great big God shows up in our meetings. How quickly the mentality of “Pastoring a thing” or “facilitating a thing” becomes CONTROL of the thing. And when that happens, God departs from the room. It’s exactly why and how every Revival in world history had come to an end.

There is no new Glory. There are only new manifestations of His Glory. God never changes. But WHO CAN DEFINE HIS GLORY? Those who try to rarely succeed. And when He comes, we who lead get out of His way in faith and trust… we let God lead. If God says lie down, we lie down. If God says minister, we minister. We don’t have to define it. We just take note of the fruits that validate His coming. In my witness, and in my study of Revival for years, I have found that volumes more Kingdom works were done in times on our faces than in times in which we lead. Yet both are required.

We abide in Him, we wait for Him… we live these truths in both our private and the corporate place. Yet, how many times does that result in a manifestation of the Presence within which we cannot stand? And how is it that such a manifestation is no longer valid?

I certainly agree, a new wave of Glory is coming. And how invaluable is this truth of “personal Revival” through abiding in the private place! But that does not mean to throw away the immutable for the “new thing” we sense.

I’m confident that there will be times of His Glory where we will be used within it to advance Him. But how quickly we throw the baby out with the bath water for forms of control and say, “Well then, this new way means that now it is wrong to be slain in the Spirit, it is wrong to be laid out in His Presence.” That is the fastest way to end Revival, man once again grappling for the reins of control.

But the Lord says this:

“I’m rebuilding my Church upon My firm foundation by first restoring that firm foundation. The days of Constantine style ‘One man rulership’ are over. I’m restoring identities in power. I’m restoring the five-fold ministry in power. Then I’m placing upon this firm foundation the End Time Church. THE CHURCH WITH NO ROOF!” “And as man lets my Holy Spirit lead in all things and as my church foundation is restored, only then will I bring My Glory WITH NO END. For no longer will I allow man to get in the way of My people.”

What will this look like? Radical! Undefinable! But one thing is for absolute certainty. It will not look like church as we know it today. And most certainly as the Presence manifests upon us, and from time to time, both in the private place and in the corporate place, NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO STAND. Such is immutable.

For what am I doing if I’m trying to stand when the Lord says, “Lie down,” but getting in the way of God? 

Please consider these thoughts carefully in light of the manifestations of the Holy Spirit that are to come. Like a precious priceless jewel is this Holy Holy Holy Manifest Presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst! Far be it from me to EVER infuse a mentality of self or religious control when in such times as these. For, how quickly people grasp a new good sounding idea and then turn away from that which they cannot define.