BY GREG CRUM

“How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.” I Corinthians 14:26

“Let all things be done decently and in order.” I Corinthians 14:40

Is there a “right way” to conduct ourselves in our times of worship together? Absolutely! By extension, that would mean that there’s a wrong way as well, correct? Again, absolutely. One of the greatest benefits of Paul’s letters to the early Christians living at Corinth is our look into their times of worship together. It’s a rare glimpse of first century New Testament “church services,” and we can learn so much from their successes and their failures. In particular, it’s in the first letter to the Corinthians that we read directions from the Holy Spirit on the best ways to cooperate with Him in order to experience the presence and power of a tangible God in our gatherings.

 The last couple of weeks we’ve thought about the fact that God doesn’t want us to be ignorant concerning matters of the spirit realm. (I Corinthians 12:1) There is a natural world, the one we utilize our five senses to interact with and in. It’s what the majority of humans are most familiar with. With that said, there is a reality beyond this one, one that our five senses don’t readily recognize, but that is more real than the one we currently abide in. It is the realm of the spirit, where God reigns supreme.

Once we commit our lives to Jesus, we become dual citizens of these two worlds and can interact with the realities of both in our daily lives. God doesn’t want us uneducated concerning the world beyond the veil. We can become more familiar with the moving of the Spirit of God, and we can learn to follow God’s lead so He can show up more frequently and more intensely in our lives. That’s God’s desire for us. Is that your desire?

If it is our desire to experience more of God in this life, then we need to look to the Bible and find out if there is anything we can do to cooperate with God to foster environments suited for His presence to intensify in our meetings together.

Now, last week we left off writing of just such cooperations. We mentioned that one of the “right ways” to conduct ourselves in the houses of the Lord is to be present for His presence. When we come together, we must focus on the moment at hand and refuse to live and think in the past or in the future. Who cares what’s for lunch after service, when we have a chance to experience the moving of God!

So, staying in the moment during our times together is vital to sensing the movement of God in our meetings, but is there anything else we can do? Yes, we can be mindful to always show God proper reverence. The “fear of the Lord,” that deep respect for Him, opens the door for the greater grace of God to flow. Think about this: in this world, what happens when someone prominent comes into a room? Attention turns to them, right? Yes! Attention turns to them and off ourselves or others of less perceived importance.

Similarly, when we sense the Holy Spirit’s arrival in a more tangible way, we need to turn down the volume on us and up on Him. Our desire to be seen and heard needs to be suppressed to make way for Him to be seen and heard through whoever He wants to use in those moments.

Now, while we are focused and reverent, you know what else we can be? Open! If we want to enjoy the presence of God more intensely in our times together, we need to be more open to the real “us” living on the inside. We need to open wide our spiritual side. When God’s presence gets heavier, we need to lean into that and begin to pray to the Lord right there where we sit or stand, quietly even, communicating with Him and acknowledging that we are available to be spoken to or to be used by Him in whatever way He deems fitting.

Finally, another great way to conduct ourselves the “right way” in our times together is to recognize how the Holy Spirit is flowing in those particular moments and to jump into the water ourselves. Is it a joyous time? Be joyous! A time of soul searching? Do it with gravity!

The bottom line is this: don’t be a spectator, be a participator! Recognize the flow, and get yourself involved in a similar way. Don’t sit like a knot on a log on the bank of the river, you’ll never get wet that way, and God won’t be able to use you in those moments the way He desires!

Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.