The fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, etc.) can’t be taught by sermons, but will spontaneously flow from a heart aglow with Christ. Church can confine us with strings of outward obligation. Christ want to free us to flow with inner springs of living water. To follow Christ is to be directed and led by His inner promptings — not just to say that you agree with His teaching

To be compassionately listened to as you share what’s on your heart is healing. Open, Spirit-led sharing in church releases revival. When the gathered body of Christ does the preaching as individual members are prompted by the Spirit, Christ’s presence is manifested.

God wants to release an anointed flow inside of all Christ-followers (rivers of living water), but we’ve been trained to stop it. To replace Spirit-led spontaneity with religious formalism quenches the Holy Spirit and produces a form of godliness without power.

Christians say, “Jesus is risen,” but we often meet like He went back in the tomb and left us to follow a program and a preacher. Roman soldiers sealed Christ’s tomb trying to keep the dead Jesus in. Let’s not seal up church services to keep the risen Jesus out. We can go along with feelings, friends, media, opinions, tradition, and/or culture, or we can let Jesus lead us. Seldom both.