Safety of the Controlled Church

Christians today are escaping to safe controlled churches devoid of expressions in the spirit. I use the word escape purposely because they have chosen to no longer experience moves of the Holy spirit through people who might offend their sense of church. Some having grew up in traditional churches eventually run back to what they have known and still others run from fear, not be exposed to another what might be considered weird or strange church experience. Granted there are those that go beyond the Holy spirit and operate more in the flesh or are inspired by demons. Yet when the Holy spirit moves among us things can be different than normal church and can offend our traditional beliefs. Deliverance can be messy, prophecy can be uncomfortable, worshiping in tongues can be scary to some. We naturally in the flesh prefer the predictable in a church. We don’t want our perception of church challenged. Give us a bulletin to follow. Like the children of Israel called out to Moses to speak to God for them and they would follow. They too didn’t want to deal with an unpredictable God. Today the cry is pastor hear for us and put God in a box we can manage and control therefore we can know whats expected of us. No surprises.

Jesus often had His “ church service” of preaching, delivering or healing interrupted by the unexpected. Such as the women caught in adultery or a man let down through the roof right into the middle of His church service. Real church can be messy and uncomfortable at times yet through allowing the moving of the Holy spirit true freedom in Christ, the real freedom can happen in such occurrences. Jesus used such examples for an opportunity to teach, set free and deliver. Today we would prefer a manage environment to avoid those messy services yet in so doing we sacrifice the excitement and exhilaration of the presence of the Holy spirit as He moves among us. 

True times of church service is not a one hour service designed by men to herd people through a structured program to satisfy the fear of messy church. Sadly many have settled for safety rather than relishing in the excitement that comes from the spontaneity of the Holy spirit.

~ Michael Smith