The "Normal" Christian Life?--Part 1

By David Hobbs

2/10/2009

Last Sunday we had the first of our planned inter-church praise services. The idea is to meet one Sunday evening/month at one of the participating churches and have a praise meeting to promote unity among the churches and to build a platform of praise in our community that goes beyond one church. This first service was at a neighbor church.
They had two complete bands which shared the service. The first band got us off fairly well, but it had a drab spirit about it. No one (on stage) was smiling or seemed to be happy leading God’s people in worship. They were all seriously going about their jobs--playing their instruments well--but the spark of joy was missing.
However, they did get us out into the river of Holy Spirit anointing. I wondered how many people realized we had entered the river. At times like that I wonder what people are aware of. How many realize when we pass beyond singing songs and enter the river of Holy Spirit that flows from God’s throne?
After an hour the bands changed. I took a break and got a drink because I had a raging thirst.
The next band was a younger, livelier bunch. It wasn’t long before they had us on a whole new level—a way deeper channel in the river. Now this was what praise and worship was all about! It still required work on our part, to focus and engage, but the Spirit of God was thick.
After another hour of getting progressively deeper the host pastor took the mic to rap the meeting up. He commended everyone on being able to worship for 2 solid hours.
However deep into the river the 2 hours had carried us, he didn’t seem to realize that we were right on the edge of a much deeper hole in the river. He turned the mic over to his wife, who then made the “mistake” of saying she thought she should give it to Cheryl to close us in prayer. Cheryl asked what she wanted her to do. “However you feel led.” (Mistake #2.)
Cheryl started to pray and then said she felt the Holy Spirit wasn’t done for the night. She proceeded to call everybody up who wanted prayer. Many came forward and the leaders began praying over them. The Holy Spirit started moving and people responded in many ways including going down. I didn’t feel a need to be prayed for and I wasn’t a leader but I liked being up front where the Spirit was moving. So I hung around praying for people from behind and catching them when need be. It was great!
After awhile I noticed one of the leaders who seemed to carry a good anointing standing at the front alone with no one to pray for. I thought, “What the heck. I might as well put him to work. I can always use more of God.” So I went up and asked him to pray for me. (His name was Jason.) The Holy Spirit came upon me immediately. Things were going well when Cheryl came up from behind and ambushed me. She laid both of her hands on either side of my head and began praying in her fervent way. But being Cheryl she started pulling me over and soon I was staggering off balance and going down. Though I didn’t go down “under the power,” I have found that when Cheryl does that, often the Holy Spirit uses it simultaneously to move into people in a mighty way, which is what happened to me.
After she left (seeking other prey) I staggered to my feet and Jason continued praying for me. He laid his hand on my belly and began prophesying that God was going to bless me because I had deferred to Him in many areas of my life, doing His will rather than my own. When he laid his hand on my belly the Holy Spirit began surging out. I’m not sure if I was singing or shouting, but it seems like it was one long, sustained note coming out of my inmost being in full power. Maybe the best way to describe it would be “roar.” I roared with all my might with my hand on his hand on my belly while he prayed and prophesied.
After that I did go down, really under the power this time, and lay there in an overwhelming aura of peace for a long time while the altar service swirled around me. When I finally got up I was so woozy and relaxed I asked Marcine to drive home. All I could say was, “Wow! We hit a really deep pool this time!”

(To Be Continued)