Real cool day. We had a come-forward invitation for special prayer in today's services. Here’s what happened:
Service started with moving music and vertically focused worship. Next I spoke on “Both Sides of the Cup” emphasizing the importance of cleansing the inside. Next we received communion. After communion I asked anyone who had a need in their life that they would like special prayer for to come forward. The entire front of the church filled up with those with those seeking prayer and those helping to pray – it was four rows deep. We laid hands on each other, using anointing oil as a point of contact for faith, and then prayed one for another. It was something to see God moving on people in such a visible manner. People were crying, hugging each other, trembling, and being touched by the power of the Holy Ghost.
This happened in both services.
In fact, the first service lasted so long that we only had a six minute break before the second service began.
A few things I observed today:
- It let us see how numerous and varied the needs are - there are a lot of hurting people. Man, the privilege to help hurting people never ceases to amaze me.
- In demonstrated (in an additional way) how the Holy Spirit is at work in people’s lives, and within the ministry of PCC. A lot of healing took place at the altar today.
- It confirmed to me that “faith” is alive and well in the hearts of God’s people. All those people were responding to the invitation of God – not man.
- People are looking for more.
- I was left in wonder of God – again.
Attendance in the second service was up 33% today – on a holiday weekend of all things. Go figure.
It has always astonished me how some people take the whole summer off from church – then come back in the fall. Can you figure that out? Fortunately for us, that is not the norm at PCC – attendance has been actually growing this summer! Yes, in a church of our size we deal with a lot of families involved in summer travel (vacations, etc), each Sunday, but when they’re home they are in church. It’s got to be a God thing.
If you miss a Sunday at PCC, you never know what you might miss out on. The unexpected is sure to happen.
The children received communion today also – in their ministry area.
The teens remained in the adult service today to receive communion.
I leave you with some words from the apostle Paul:
“And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in DEMONSTRATION of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should NOT stand in the wisdom of men, BUT in the POWER of God” (I Corinthians 2:4-5).
A MOVE OF GOD is taking place at PCC.