I came to a realization.
A time ago--I won't say how long--we had a service where we would have kids baptized in the Holy Spirit. We went through it, the pastor preached on how you want this Holy Spirit baptism, that they'd get this new prayer language, they'd become bolder witnesses, their sports and academics would improve, that they would get this new prayer language, and we did the thing where we lay hands on the kids and encourage them to just start speaking out in the new language. It was thrilling and energetic, but when I think about it, I'm not sure anything happened.
--Before the baptism, we were trying to figure out how to get the kids to be more participative, because it feels so dead. We have a select few who really get into worship, and they're graduating. It's a few months later, and it still feels dead.
--Before this experience, there was barely any preaching on sin and repentance. It's a few months laters, and there's still little--if any at all--preaching on repentance.
--The altar calls for accepting Christ have been without preaching or sign of conviction, few respondents, and last a very short time. After this baptism, the altar calls are still without preaching or sign of conviction, few respondents, and still lasts a very short time. It's still, "You need a relationship with Jesus," and that's it.
This is what struck me: I was reading Meat for Men by Leonard Ravenhill, and here's what he said on p. 24-25:
[i]"[Speaking on the Holy Spirit baptism] The common offer of evangelists these days is this: 'You need power; come to the altar to get it.' This has no more moral appeal, than taking a car for gas and saying to the attendant, 'Fill her up.' This shibboleth brings no moral change or spiritual enduement that would make a sin-sick world and a flabby faltering Church know that the Almighty has visited His people. Obviously He has not."
When I came to a point wher I wanted to know more about the Holy Spirit, I found John 16:8, which says the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, righteousness and judgment, and it's one of the very first things that Jesus told us about the Spirit. Reading up on revival, I notice that the first thing the Holy Spirit does when He comes in is that He cleans house. Taverns close down, drunks become sober, addicts become clean, dirty secrets are brought to the surface and repented. Even in our main sanctuary, there's little preaching on sin, getting a light brushover at best sometimes, and I can't help but think if we are bypassing all the necessary preaching on repentance and sin is going unconfronted and unconfessed, we should be seeing a fiery tumult of brokenness over sins if the Holy Spirit did actually come. And it's because I don't see a change, I have to question.
I'd say Mr. Washer said it best: If a person can't possibly be struck by a logging truck without being changed, how could we possibly encounter our even greater God and not be changed?
