Centuries ago, a new word rose up on the Christian scene to claim that the works of the Holy Spirit had ceased; that word was “Cessationism” which came from the root, “to cease.” From the time in Acts chapter 2 when God sent the precious Dove to indwell believers, there have always been those who thought they knew better than the Lord in how to conduct church services. There have been many post-Apostolic age revivals including the Edwards, Whitefield, and John Wesley outbreaks. All of these “moves” of God included strange and, according to some, “disorderly” manifestations such as fallings (being slain in the Spirit), jerks, groaning, tongues, prophecy, and laughter.

Somewhere, in the passage of time, those who control our churches added a new concept to our worship services called “reverence!” And reverence by its very definition excludes any type of mannerism or manifestation that might not be “dignified.” The problem is, who decides what is dignified?

The real issue for those who desire to quench the works of the Holy Spirit is CONTROL. These types of leaders must always be in control; even of God. Perhaps they have seen abuses in the past and have determined that those problems will never have a chance to occur in “THEIR” church. Therein lies the problem: It’s God’s church and we should be very careful to allow Him to do things His way.

At one time in this church, you were led to believe that the works of the Holy Spirit must be controlled or people might be “offended” and not come back. Please hear me carefully: THE HOLY SPIRIT NEVER OFFENDS ANYONE! People are offended when they have preconceived ideas of how a church service should be conducted and, so, when they come to our church and see some of you dancing or waving banners around, they are offended! But, you see, it’s not God’s problem; it’s their problem!

People have tried to control God since the beginning of time but, let’s you and I determine that such a thing will never happen at Oasis. We are a church that is suppose to be different (notice I didn’t say “better”). We are suppose to shine forth as a light in our community as a place where anyone can come and be healed or receive a Word from God or enjoy unfettered freedom in worship. My prayer is that we will see MORE of these kinds of manifestations, NOT LESS!

Now, let me ask you; are you obeying God and are you doing your part? “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.” – I Timothy 4:14.

All of you have been given a supernatural Gift from God that will bless the Body of Christ. Many of you are endowed with one of the Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit listed in I Corinthians chapter 12. For example, some of you have the Gift of Prophecy yet you have never Prophesied. Some have Gifts of Healings yet you have never had the courage to lay your hands on the sick and speak forth God’s Word with boldness! Perhaps your Gift is Tongues (not the same Gift as your Prayer Language) but you have lacked the courage to speak out a message in tongues in a service.

I pray that no leader here, including me, has ever dissuaded you from using your Gift. We must encourage these things to manifest, not quench them! “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.

If you’re wondering how to know whether something you have is from the Lord, just answer this question: “Why do I want to do this? Why do I want to prophecy? Why do I want to give a Word of Knowledge?” If your answer is: “I want to do these things because I want to be a big shot and I want everyone to admire me,” then it’s probably not from God. However, if your answer is, “I want to do these things because I love these people and I want them to be edified and touched by the Lord,” then it is always the Lord and the only thing left to be considered is when is the appropriate time to operate your Gift. “Let all things be done decently and in order.” – I Corinthians 14:40.

Yes, God does expect us to maintain a semblance of order in our services. We cannot have everyone prophesying or speaking a public message in tongues all at the same time and, so, God does allow His leaders a certain measure of control for the sake of order. The problem comes when a leader decides on his own that the risk is just too great and that it would be easier just to not allow any Gifts to operate! This type of control is not pleasing to God and He will deal with it.

I appreciated so much the message that Raymond Nance preached here last Wednesday night. If you weren’t here, you really missed one of the most exciting and profound sermons we’ve had at Oasis in a long time! Raymond spoke of the importance of the Holy Ghost and he emphasized that if we would just allow Him to move in our midst, revival would take place. Oh, how I hunger for that! How about you? Just stop and consider what would happen in our church if word got out in our community that terminal illnesses were being healed at our altar! What would happen if the presence of God was so pronounced during our worship that a Shekinah cloud of glory, like fine mist, came into our sanctuary or a pillar of fire appeared or a great chorus of angels broke out in unison with God’s people! What would happen? 

A few years ago, a revival like that broke out in a small place in Florida. Why can’t that happen in Carlsbad? Why can’t it happen to you and to me? I love you!

Disclaimer: Many of the articles on the site were written many years ago. While the lessons and teachings are certainly applicable to issues of today, please note that some of the references mentioned in the article may be dated or otherwise proved inaccurate due to the passage of time. We bring you these articles in their original format. Thank you.