There is a very strong co-relation between church growth and the move of the Holy Spirit. A church that magnifies Christ and allows God's Spirit to move in church services, church discipleship, evangelism, fellowship and every other church activity there is will organically grow in quality and quantity.
Looking at Acts 2- the story of the Pentecost- we see that the initiation of the early church was the move of the Holy Spirit. Every time the Spirit of God moves, we invite God's supernatural hand to create impact and bring harvest into the church.
Apart from the move of the Spirit of God, churches do not build lasting and meaningful growth and transformation, but a church that abides in Jesus Christ and depends on His finished work for the move of the Holy Spirit to come will experience greater move within church activities. Here are just eight of the many keys to having more Spirit-empowered church services.
1. When Jesus is the centre of everything we do in services, we invite the move of the Holy Spirit.
2. Allowing Christ to maintain and grow the church opens us up to the move of the Spirit. Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 "...On this rock I will build My Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it".
3. When we allow leaders to exercise and move in their spiritual gifts, we give them leeway to let the Holy Spirit flow.
4. A church that is taught and believes that the Holy Spirit comes not according to our works, but according to our faith experiences the move of God. In Galatians 3:2, Paul throws this rhetorical question: "Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?" Of course, we know it is by faith and we must believe it in our heart.
5. When we chase a Person more than chasing a mystical experience, we meet the person of the Holy Spirit.
6. When church members love one another, we exist as disciples and followers of Christ and thus allow the Spirit to move and increase our love for each other even more.
7. When corporate worship and the preaching of the Word magnify Christ and not personalities or organisations, we open up the body of Christ to greater experiences with the Holy Spirit.
8. As the church allows Christ to sanctify and consecrate the body, we invite the Holy Spirit to make an in-dwelling not just in church sanctuaries but in the individual lives of the saints.
