Our town recently played host to a Christian gathering, billed as a global gathering of believers for a once in a lifetime event. I pass by the event site daily. It is on my route to and from work. I observed some things, some that made me chuckle, others that made me sad.
The building is very active, holding multiple events each month. I bring this up because I see the scores of people in attendance every time an event takes place. This gathering seemed no different from any of the others.
A billboard went up—also on my daily route—advertizing the “Revival,” a four-day event. I chuckled as I read, “free admission,” although you could purchase special seating; a marketing technique fashioned by the world we live in.
As the event grew closer, I ran into some folks who were attending. They asked if I were going, to which I answered no. They seemed surprised, but it was not in my heart to attend. My wife said that she too had experienced the same thing. She said that it seemed the folks were trying to make her feel guilty for not attending. This made me sad.
We attended service the Sunday after the gathering, and true to form, the song service radiated with the event overflow. I enjoyed the depth of desire to draw closer to God. I knew it would happen—not that I am anything special at all—because all the years of being in the matrix (traditional church setting) caused me to expect it.
People who attended the gathering were touch by the person and presence of the Holy Spirit—there is no doubt of that. The synergy of thousands of people coming together in one place to magnify God creates an expectation that allows God the Holy Spirit to move—and he moved according to the promise of the Word of God.
For a few moments in time, they were touched by the Spirit of God, in a way that many longed for, but have not seen with any regularity. It was a glorious time. You might ask how I can say this, not having attended one service. The answer is very simple. The Bible clearly states that when two or more believers gather together under the name of Jesus, that he—God the Holy Spirit—is there.
I can promise you that folks had encounters with the Lord. They both saw and heard some things that they would have otherwise never seen or heard. I am certain that when the Word of God was presented, that an unseen power was released that touched people in both physical and spiritual ways.
I might imagine you asking why then did I not attend? The answer is simple, there was no desire in my heart to be there. I do not criticize anyone who did attend. I trust they found what they were looking for. I hope it provokes a life-change that move them beyond an event mentality.
What grieved me about this gathering is the fact that many of these people—attendees, sponsors and speakers alike—are hooked on an event to bring about life change. People come, they experience an emotional high, then return back to the emotional lows of their life. It is a vicious cycle.
A close personal relationship with God—then, perhaps, with the godhead—is about a daily journey, an unexpected journey, into the presence of Almighty God. This is why I make so many references to the Hobbit movie. There are exciting times when your emotions are soaring; but then there are times when your emotions are scared within an inch of your life. There are times when the journey is quiet and mundane; but then times when it is rapid and fast-paced. It is a journey, not an event.
My hope is that Christ followers will open his and her heart to feel the tug of God the Holy Spirit, calling them into something more. I hope it stirs him and her out of the complacency of their religious life into an excitingly scary journey with the Lord.
I trust my journey—and the journaling of that journey will both excite as well as invite some—perhaps many—to throw religious caution to the wind and take the journey.