There’s no point in form without function. Some churches have too much of the first and too little of the second. Anatomy has replaced physiology. That said, a church needs form to function as a body — “the wind blows where it will” but windmills make effective use of it. The purpose of the Spirit of God blowing into a church is to enable it to function effectively as a spiritual body of believers.
I love the way the free-flowing Spirit of God inspires praise and worship. I also love the order that goes with the operation of the spiritual gifts of tongues, interpretation, and prophecy. Order has its place in the moving of the Spirit of God moves among God’s people. Scriptural church order enables God’s Spirit to flow to good purpose.
“In the beginning”, the earth was “without form and void” and “darkness was upon the face of the deep”. When the Spirit of God “moved upon” (hovered over) the face of the waters, “form” was created, and the void was filled. God then created living things that made effective use of the form: the Divine Hand in a human glove.
God created Adam “from the dust of the earth,” but his figure was a lifeless form until God “breathed into him the breath of life”. The breath of the Spirit enabled the first man’s form to function. When the Spirit of God ‘blows into’ a church, its form can then function in the way that God intends.
Would you prefer flow without form? You’ll get it now and then, but without form how can a thing function? The Lord’s wise words to Nicodemus on the wind blowing “wherever it wills” were aimed at opening the Pharisee’s mind to the spiritual wind of change that was soon to come. However, we should not use such flows to avoid form because without it we will not function as the Lord intends.
On the Day of Pentecost, the wind of the Spirit “blew in” and filled the waiting disciples, and when it did the church formed and began to function. Peter connected the tongues of fire and noise to Joel’s prophecy, but then drew his listeners’ attention to Psalm 16:8-11 as proof that God had accepted the sacrifice of His Son Jesus. The sounds on the Day of Pentecost heralded the message of the Resurrection!
The Apostle Peter taught the significance of the Lord’s death to the large crowd that was attracted by the noise and 3,000 believers were on that day baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Had Peter not added form to the startling effects, the wind of the Spirit would have ‘blown in’ with startling effect on the Lord’s disciples and then ‘blown out’ the same day without any lasting benefit on those who had been drawn by the sounds and effects.
I first saw the effect that follows a sudden entry of the Spirit of God while in a National Revival Crusade meeting in Melbourne. I had not long been saved, and while a visiting preacher was speaking began to slip off my seat almost to my knees. Halfway down, I stopped myself and came back up, and when I did everyone else in the meeting went down!
Lorraine and I joined them on our knees as the Holy Spirit entered the meeting, and everyone spoke at the same time in tongues! The young preacher began getting ‘a bit carried away’ by the effects — until Pastor Thomas Foster stepped up, gently brushed him aside, and declared to all: “This is a move of the Spirit of God — let the Lord do He wills!” Effect, Form. Function.
The experienced Founder of the NRC did not interrupt the flow but knew the importance of adding form and function to effect. “The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.” (1 Corinthians 14:32)