Our Responsibility in Attracting God's Presence

(Sterling State Park, Monroe)

One of our Redeemer persons who is in seminary asked this question: 

"What is our responsibility in attracting God’s presence (especially the Holy Spirit) into our lives, ministries, and worship services."

My response (I'm certain this is incomplete) was:

The pastor and leaders have to give up control. 

The pastor and leaders have to discern - is this the Holy Spirit, or something else?

The pastor and leaders have to be humble.

The pastor and leaders should be prepared to help the people; with explanation, for example.

The pastor and leaders should resist doing something special. They should resist hyping the situation. They should resist performing.

The pastor and leaders should be open to things looking different. 

The pastor and leaders should be praying for manifestations of the Holy Spirit. After all, we say we want the Spirit to lead. To many, this is threatening. To others, they baptize their own behaviors with the Holy Spirit.

The pastor and leaders should have a sound theology of the Holy Spirit. For example, it should not be cessationist. 

The pastor and leaders should remember that love is the greatest. (1 Cor 13)

The pastor and leaders should desire to prophesy. (1 Cor. 14)

The pastors and leaders should desire all the spiritual manifestations. (1 Cor. 14:1)

The pastor and leaders should develop a discerning community, not a deciding ("voting"; committee led) community.

The pastor and leaders should not try to copy or replicate the Sunday services.

One more thought. I don't especially care for the word "attract." Perhaps something more like this: Cultivate an environment, grow a culture, that becomes a new wineskin, in which the Holy Spirit freely flourishes.