The Church is Supernatural

The church is meant to operate supernaturally. However, as Faith Leaders recognize, many practical aspects contribute to building the body of Christ. Pastors typically work 40 to 65 hours a week, yet only a few are in the pulpit. Everyday concerns such as building maintenance, staff issues, volunteer recruitment and training, banking, budgeting, and legal matters demand significant time and energy. Nevertheless, the best way to manage all of this is by relying on and listening to the Spirit of God. I like to say that the church should function supernaturally in every area; in other words, let God add His super to our natural.

Losing the Move of the Spirit

In the 1990s, my spiritual father warned ministers and pastors, stating, "If ministers and pastors don't teach about the things of the Spirit and the supernatural movement of the Spirit, it will be lost to the next generation." He was a true prophet, and what he said about the movement of the Spirit has come to pass.

Many world-renowned evangelists and pastors speak at my church in Michigan. One of them speaks over 300 times a year in churches throughout the United States and internationally. When they have observed the use of tongues and interpretation in our congregation, they have commented that they hadn't seen the gifts of the Spirit in any congregation for years, even though they primarily preach in churches that identify as "Spirit-filled." If that is to change, it will start with Faith Leaders.

How to Get it Back

It seems the supernatural aspect of the church has been lost, but we can reclaim it. To achieve this, we must begin by remembering who we are and how we became part of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:23 tells us: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. In other words, God's supernatural Word, received and planted in a person's heart, causes them to be born again, becoming a part of the body of Christ. Our spiritual new birth isn't the creation of man or an establishment; it is of the Spirit, not the flesh.

Jesus established a clear line of demarcation between the flesh and the spirit when He told the Pharisee Nicodemus, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. (John 3:3-8)

We were all born of water when we entered the world as infants, but we were born of the Spirit when we were born again. Nicodemus didn't understand because he was used to the Law, which operated from the outside in rather than from the inside out. If we want the church to return to its supernatural roots, it starts by recognizing that our new birth in Christ was supernatural and that the church is made of supernatural beings.

Teaching Life by the Spirit

Although supernatural, people deal with dozens or even hundreds of natural issues every day. They must get their bodies out of bed, dress, and drive to work. Meals need to be planned and prepared. Children require attention and affection; bills must be paid, bosses expect accountability, the car needs gas, and the list goes on and on. However, our role as Faith Leaders is to remind people that they are more than their "to-do" lists. They are eternal spirits who happen to inhabit a physical body on this earth. They also possess a soul- their mind, will, and emotions- that help guide their choices.

To cultivate a more supernatural church, we must remind people that they are supernatural beings. Therefore, the supernatural should be natural to us! Romans 8:9 says But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. In this verse, Paul refers to two names for the Holy Spirit: the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. The Holy Spirit appears under various names in Scripture, including the Spirit of Grace. Paul emphasized that anyone who does not possess the Spirit of God does not belong to Him. But those who do can access spiritual gifts to edify the body of Christ. As Faith Leaders, let us remember Paul's exhortation in 1 Corinthians 12:1: Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not want you ignorant.

Faith leaders are spiritual men and women leading other spiritual men and women. Everyone filled with the Spirit can hear and respond to the Spirit, but to operate supernaturally as a church, we must teach and lead by example and principle. Now is not the time for the church to be ignorant about spiritual gifts; now is the time to step up, step out, and follow the Holy Ghost.