It is Sunday morning, pastors worldwide are ready to preach, music departments have rehearsed to present their best, and the parishioners are eager to experience in-person service. They are desperately trying to revive a congregation of people who haven’t worshiped together for months and, in some cases, years. Everyone and everything is in place, but something is different. First, let us go over what has been happening in our lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We were exiled from in-person church services, solely relying on our electronic devices to view live stream services. Some watched church while preparing their morning breakfasts, while others watched it from the comfort of their bedrooms. We soon realized the importance of “forsaking, not the assembling” of ourselves. But circumstances didn’t give us a choice. We missed in-person service, but we adapted. At least for a while. Slowly, fewer, and fewer people regularly watched church services until not watching became the new normal. Also, people are depleted from what they saw and experienced during these last two years—and neglecting the Word of God took them further down to a backslidden condition.
On the other hand, pastors and church leaders had so much free time that some neglected their first love (God). Instead, they replaced prayer and study time with God with entertainment. And slowly, the passion for the things of God dimmed or went out. Just because someone has a title does not mean they are exempt from the pulling from the world that could get them to that state. Now they stand before a congregation of people as empty as some of their parishioners and, there is a struggle in the spirit realm.
So, where do we go from here? The Holy Spirit took me to a Scripture in the Bible, Ezekiel 37:3, “can these bones live?” And I answered, Oh Lord God, thou knowest” (KJV). The devastating experiences and drawing away from God during the pandemic created a group of spiritually, dried-up believers. However, the secret lies in prophesizing to the people that will breathe life into their weak situations and bring forth praise to God that will allow the disjoined church to come together like a well-crafted puzzle.
- Prophesize – Ezekiel 37:4 – Preach as though you are communicating to a people who need to be revived. Let them know what you saw during the pandemic and how God will bring them out. Remind them of God’s goodness and the miracles He still performs.
- Praise – Ezekiel 37:5 – As you prophesize, allow praise to come forth in you. And it should spread to your leaders and parishioners. It is time out for spectators! Allow the Holy Spirit to use you in praise and dance.
- Puff – Ezekiel 37:9 – In the Bible, the wind represents the move of God. And in this instance, we need to take in the restoration of the Holy Spirit and release (puff it out) whatever is weighing us down.
God has a remedy for every situation. Prophesizing to the people, praising God, and puffing in the air of freshness while releasing one heaviness is the method the Holy Spirit can work through to revitalize your local church.
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