95%

"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those that ask Him? Luke 11:13....."If there is anything that you desire more than to be filled with the Holy Spirit, you will never be filled with His Holy Spirit." Unknown

A.W. Tozer once made a famous statement. He said that if the Holy Spirit ever withdrew from His Church, 95% of all that is being done could go on without a pause.....How does such a statement affect you? How true is it of you, of your local fellowship? Of His church as a whole in America? If what Tozer says is so, and it is nearly impossible to argue that it isn't, and then you join it with the quote above, its easy to conclude that too many in the church want many things more than they want the fullness of His Spirit. John Bevere said that though the Holy Spirit comes with power, He leaves very quietly. Unnoticed by most, missed by few.

Many, really, all denominations, evangelical, pentecostal, and holiness, began as a result of a move of His Holy Spirit. They started out as a movement, but too often, ended up being just an organization. Somehow, our flesh cannot resist taking what originated in His heart and Kingdom, and seeking to implement its own ideas, direction, and yes, control. Hence you can end up with a well oiled religious organization that is extremely active in religious work but that is powered by human effort and activity. A prominent churchman of a denomination that began in Holy Spirit revival, wrote a book more than 30 years ago concerning that group titled, " And Are We Yet Alive?" Its a question that each of us, wherever we feel we've been placed, must ask not only of our particular branch of His Church, but of ourselves? Are we yet, are we really....alive?

Our annual recognition of Pentecost, when God poured out His Holy Spirit upon His Church, is upon us. Will it be just another salute to a past event, and then put back in the drawer we keep it in? Or, will we become aware of our lack, our need, our desire for so many things other than the fullness of His Spirit? Will we come to grips with the truth that we are doing works, even great works, in reliance upon ourselves rather than in His power?

In recent years, much has been made politically concerning the rich, the have's, and the poor, the have not's. The first group have been labeled "1 percenters" I won't even try to go there, but I will ask this, referencing again Tozer's estimation. If 95% of what we as believers are doing is being done without His Holy Spirit, then His Spirit is only present and working in 5% of His Church. Dare we ask of which group we might be a part of? The 95% or the 5? Which are you, your fellowship, your body? Which am I?

Blessings,
Pastor O