Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. (Psalm 127:1)
The reason why churches have time limited services today is because the service is so dead, dry and lifeless without His Spirit, the people can’t stand it very long. The pastor senses that and hurries to run through the “required items to call it church,” get the money and get the people out. Some messages we hear are so dry, it seems the preacher has dust flying out of his mouth when he speaks. Instead of the Glory Cloud, the dust cloud shows up.
It is awful to sit through those type of services. I have sat through them many more times than I wanted to. Anybody that knows His Spirit knows when He is not there. I just claim the scripture, “He that endureth to the end shall be saved!” It has been so bad, at times, that I prayed for the rapture to take place! Believe it or not, people are not stupid and they know it too. They just don’t say anything to be kind. The preacher knows he missed God, but most of the time doesn’t repent and get it right in the next service.
He is too busy with the strategy he learned, at the round table, with some guru that wouldn’t know the Holy Ghost if He came down the aisle with a purple cape on. Forgive our stupidity, and forgive our sins. Men look for some human plan, some human formula, some “get-fixed-quick” scheme. God hasn’t got any “get-fixed-quick” plans. The new birth is instant, but spiritual growth is not. Spiritual development takes time.
We live in a time of fast food. All you need to do is drive up to the window and get it. We live in a time of ninety-nine cent sales. But God is not putting on any ninety-nine cent sales. The things of God still cost the same price they did years ago. They never go up in price and never go down in value. We ministers must get God’s plan. Get down on your knees and stay there until you find out what His purpose is for your life and ministry.
Pastors are responsible to be the example for the flock to follow, and they are responsible for taking the time to prepare themselves so they can follow the move of God’s Spirit. What often happens to some pastors is that when God does begin to move in their churches, they draw back from the supernatural instead of guiding it correctly and finding out what God’s plan and purpose is for their church. Failing to follow God’s plan and move with Him kills the move of the Spirit. The church becomes dead and dry.
That is one of the reasons that the church is so lifeless and powerless today. We have taken up man’s ideas and plans and pushed the Holy Ghost and God’s plans to the side, even out of the church completely. Instead of taking time to hear from God, we do our own thing, preach our own message, do our own program – and none of that has any power in it. God’s plans have the power in them. God anoints His plans, not ours.
If we want to get back to pleasing God, being a church that has the power to stop the plans of the devil, then we need to get back to seeking God and His plans for our life and ministry. When we do, nothing can stop us. God is with us!