Dryness of the Holy Spirit

According to Jim Cymbala, pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, an untrained pastor who now leads a highly successful and GOd-centred church in the inner city portion of New York's Brooklyn, churches today severely lack the distinguishing feature that makes them pleasing to God - the presence of the Holy Spirit. Today, his wife conducts the immensely popular, Grammy-award, Dove-award winning choir, the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir in spite of not being trained formally. Jim Cymbala is author of "Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire" and "Fresh Faith".

Cymbala says that "technicians have invaded the church" with more methodologies, organisational management strategies, doctrinal statements, creeds and worthless theological specifities when what we really need is the Holy Spirit to do a work in our churches and lives. Do we really need another bible translation or another worship style? Do we really need more concordances, more youth programs and other methods? The early church, the Welsh Revival, the Great Awakening, the Second Great Awakening, the New York revivals by Moody and other crusade movements weren't brought about whilst someone was preaching, whilst someone was worshipping, or when some band was playing. Rather, it was born when God's people were praying.

Amen to that, let us start there then, with more prayer so that the Holy Spirit will rise and move in our churches.