The Holy Spirit Is Our Greatest Worship Leader

The best a leader can ever be in the Kingdom of Heaven is the first follower. Ultimately, we are all followers of the Holy Spirit. No-one can, and no-one should, minister in any way other than under the unction of the Holy Spirit. He comes to clothe us in power, to give us wisdom and cause us to live at a supernatural level in our ministries.

Only the Spirit can Fulfil God’s Commands

Ezekiel 2:1-2 exemplifies an incredible truth about our need for the Holy Spirit. Ezekiel was laid face down before the glory of God and:

“He said to me ‘Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.’  As he spoke the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking…”

God said to Ezekiel “Stand up”, then the Holy Spirit came and stood him up. Ezekiel didn’t fulfil God’s command – God’s Spirit did! Learn this liberating lesson now: You cannot fulfil God’s commands, only God can. He gives you a job to do, then does it himself by the power of his Spirit in you. Receive this as a revelation: You cannot lead worship – the Holy Spirit is the only true worship leader.

From Filling to Following

Once we have been filled with the Holy Spirit we must follow him. When Jesus was filled with the Spirit at the Jordan (Luke 3:22), he left that place and was “Led by the Spirit” from that day forward (Luke 4:1).

Many people are filled with the Holy Spirit, but surprisingly few are led by the Spirit. This leads to a very frustrating kind of Christianity: You are filled with God, but you are doing nothing with that supernatural power. You are told that the God of the universe, who parted seas and destroyed nations, who is all powerful and omniscient, is within you, yet your lifestyle is powerless and bland. You feel him moving around you, but do not understand what is required to cause his power to be released through you in ministry. This can lead to great disillusionment and disappointment. Once filled, you must discover how to follow the Spirit of God.

A Small, God Connecting Moment

Moses stood at the Red Sea, full of God’s power. But only when he did what God said by raising his staff over the sea, did God’s power part the sea and free the Children of Israel. This is the difference between being filled and being a follower. There is one, small God-connecting moment, when we do what we hear him command. In that instant we go from powerless religion, to an electrifying relationship with God! This was the same even for Jesus. He said of himself:

“…he can only do what he sees the Father doing.” John 5:19

A deaf and mute man was brought to Jesus in Mark 7:31. The Father showed him he should take the man away from the crowds, stick his fingers in his ears and spit on him! At that moment I would have started an argument with God and got the worship leader to sing a few loud songs!

But Jesus obeyed and the man was healed. Just one, short, God-connecting moment, where Jesus did what his Father said, and all of heaven came to earth for that deaf, mute man.

When Jesus ministered he constantly listened to the Father and depended on the power of the Holy Spirit. He healed in many different ways: prayer, a word, a touch, spitting and even mud packs. It wasn’t that he was doing what he felt like, or wanted to be unconventional for the sake of it. He did unusual things because he was following his Father.

If the key to Jesus’ success was communication with his Father, how much more do we need that communication in order to see God’s power move. Imitation is not revelation. Mimicking, even the Bible’s methods, is not good enough. We need to hear God moment by moment and fulfil those small, God connecting instructions. It is the key to powerful Spirit filled, Spirit following, leadership.

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