One of my privileges was to meet and spend  time with John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard Network. He read a brochure from a conference I was a part of and actually had a word from God to reach out to me. This was quite  amazing! John Wimber was famous for revealing the reality of the Holy Spirit and for his gifts – especially his gift for releasing the Holy Spirit to move through a congregation.

He would simply say, “Come, Holy Spirit.” People would be moved, laugh, cry, prophesy, receive healing, and so much  more. This was a special calling and gift. When others asked Wimber about it and how they could see this same  manifestation of the Spirit in their congregations, he’d say “You can do the same thing, just say, ‘Come, Holy Spirit.’”

Often, they would say this and little would happen; more prayer and seeking God was probably necessary.

But Wimber showed how the presence and power of the Spirit could be revealed in both large and small gatherings. He  showed how effectively governing (presiding over the meeting with discernment and administration) as the Spirit  ministered could prevent confusion, misinterpretation, and other debacles. As we look beyond Wimber’s central  congregation in Anaheim, California, it is clear that congregations that welcome the move of the Spirit with maturity  also demonstrate greater power in evangelism and in motivating people to give their all to the Kingdom of God. Within our own Tikkun network, I have been observing this for over 40 years. This was so true inthe days when I pastored. Oddly, however, most congregations that say theybelieve in the immersion (baptism) in the Holy Spirit often have little in the way of showing the Spirit.

Read the full article here: September ’21 Issue 1