Chapter 11: Notable Spiritual Trends:

When the Lord spoke to the seven churches in Revelation He had a different message for each one. These were all churches that existed during the same period of time and in the same geographic region, yet they all needed a different word. We must understand that the Lord is doing many different things in His church at the same time. Therefore it is wrong for us to impose on everyone else what the Lord may be doing in us. The following trends currently exist, or will be forthcoming in the church. I am sharing them for the purpose of perspective only, and do not want to imply that He is doing all of these things with everyone.

Leadership Training:

We may not consider leadership training as a movement, but it will become one the most popular new trends in the church. Like many other trends, some will think that this is the answer to all of the church's problems, while others will view it as a great threat. It will have the answers to some problems, but it will also create some others. There are principles of leadership that can be related to everyone in authority, both spiritual or secular. Studying these can enhance our effectiveness as leaders. However, there are many leadership principles that relate to secular authority which have no place in spiritual authority. This is where the problems will arise. Much can be accomplished in terms of expansion and organization using these secular principles. Although having the appearance of success and advancement, these principles accomplish little spiritually. We are not leaders unless we are going somewhere, and someone is willing to follow us. Everyone wants to be identified with success, and many people will follow anyone who seems to be going somewhere. A major problem with indiscriminate leadership training is that the principles can be used to lead people just about anywhere. Hitler, Stalin and Mao were all effective leaders who understood and used "good" leadership principles. Spiritual leadership, founded upon true spiritual authority, is very different from the world's form of leadership. Confusing the two can cause great problems. Our goals must not be just success, but doing the Lord's will. We can preempt the problems caused by the misuse of leadership principles in the church by teaching solid foundational principles of spiritual authority and how it contrasts with secular authority. One powerful idol in the church that must be cast down is the "growth god." The Lord does care about numbers, as He desires for all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. However, when growth becomes a goal for its own sake, we often depart from the path of obedience. Even the Lord's own followers sometimes departed from Him when He had to take difficult stands. Those who are walking in true spiritual authority will not be overly encouraged by growth, or overly discouraged when the pruning comes, and it always does. This growth god has been the root cause of the destruction of many congregations, movements, and ministries. If we will focus on growing in faith, in the knowledge of the Son of God, in wisdom and anointing, then we will grow in the proper timing and way. Such growth has a solid foundation and does not have to be maintained by human strength, but will be sustained by the Holy Spirit. In such growth there is total rest for our souls, and the bearing of fruit that will remain.

The Great Repositioning:

There are many anointed ministries that are bearing little fruit because they are not in the right place spiritually. Some are evangelists who are trying to be pastors. Others are pastors who are trying to be prophets, etc. The Lord is about to reposition those who have drifted from their true callings, and give them a clear revelation of the sphere of authority that has been appointed to them. Others are out of the geographical will of the Lord. These too will be helped as the Lord is about to open the doors for them to be properly positioned. There are spiritual jurisdictions similar to jurisdictions in the realm of human government. Just as a policeman in Atlanta does not have authority to make arrests in Amsterdam, we only have authority within the spiritual and geographical realm of our commission. The apostle Paul confirmed this when he told the Corinthians: "But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you" (II Corinthians 10:13).

When we venture beyond the realm of our authority we can work hard but little will be accomplished. This has been a major cause for the ineffectiveness of many leaders in the church. If the apostle Paul, whom every demon in hell respected, was careful to stay within his sphere, how much more must we? In this matter the Lord has given us much tolerance in the past, but the consequences of being out of His will may become increasingly grave in the times ahead. One of the primary factors that has caused many Christians to depart from the spiritual or geographical will of the Lord is our tendency to be led by our own needs, or those of others. Jesus never responded to human needs—He only did what He saw the Father doing. He had compassion for the problems of others, and He could have solved all of them, but He was careful to only follow the Father's leading. We must do the same. This tendency to take the people's yokes instead of the Lord's has caused much failure and burnout in the ministry. The Lord's yoke is easy, but no human can carry the yokes of the people without suffering terrible consequences. Others have departed from the will of God because they responded to positions or places that offered greater financial rewards, visibility or influence. Such motives are in conflict with the Spirit, and when we are led in this way we will almost always begin to divert from the will of God. There is no amount of money or fame that is worth sacrificing the peace that comes from knowing that we are in God's will. If this section has touched your heart, and you believe that in some way you have drifted from the will of God in your life, grace is now being extended to you. The way that we get back on the right road is to go back to where we missed the turn. I do not mean by this that you must return to a previous position, or geographical location, but that you repent of that which caused you to make the wrong turn. To repent is to not only feel sorry about our sin, but to change our way of thinking and acting. We can go back to where we made the wrong turn, but if we have not changed our way of thinking we will only make the same mistake again. We must take every thought captive and make them all obedient to Christ. We are no longer our own, we are His bondservants. Bondservants cannot just decide to do what they want to do; they belong to another. If we do not live our lives in fundamental obedience to the Lord, we will drift continually out of His will.

The Joy Of The Lord:

There is a great move of the Holy Spirit that is now touching almost every corner of the earth. It is evidenced by spontaneous outbreaks of "holy laughter." Though some individuals and congregations have become known as vessels through whom this is being released, it is happening in many places that have not even heard of these ministries. It is a spontaneous move of the Holy Spirit. Many are now moving about, by the Holy Spirit, casting sparks that are resulting in the fires of restoration and renewal. There are "signs and wonders," but this is one sign that has many people wondering. Like every new move of the Holy Spirit in the church, many will judge it as being nothing more than a fad. For others it encompasses everything that God is doing today. Both of these extreme positions are in jeopardy of missing what the Lord is trying to do through this move. This may not be the main thing that the Lord is doing in His church today, but it is something that He is doing, and He has a very good reason for it. Just as road signs give us directions, the signs given by the Spirit are for the purpose of giving directions. I once heard a person who had just moved to Atlanta say, "I appreciate those giant signs that tell you which way to get to I-85, but I am just as thankful for those little signs that let you know that you are still on I-85!" Likewise, some spiritual signs are meant to point us to the right road; others are meant to let us know that we are still on the right road. In one sense this holy laughter is the "sign of Sarah." She laughed when she was told by the Lord that she would have a son. Therefore, when she did, she named him Isaac, which means "laughter." It is now time for the church to give birth to "Isaac," the child of promise that will be the last day ministry. The Lord blessed Ishmael (representing the work originating in the flesh) and made him a great nation. The Lord has blessed many things that the church has initiated wrongly, but He cannot inhabit them. He will not use these for the fulfillment of His promises. The last day ministry of the church must be born by the will of God, in His timing, and by His Spirit. This represents the "Isaac ministry," and it will soon be with us. Another reason for this special anointing of joy is found in Deuteronomy 28:47-48: "Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies ..." The failure to maintain the joy of the Lord is one of the primary reasons why Christians go into bondage, falling to the yokes of either legalism or license. The Lord is pouring out a special anointing of joy to help deliver us from these yokes that we have come under so that we can move again in His perfect will. Nehemiah, after rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and calling for a celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, declared "Do not be grieved for the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).

The Feast of Tabernacles was the last feast of the Jewish calendar year. It was also called The Feast of Ingathering, and was a prophetic type of the harvest that will mark the end of this age. We will need a special anointing of the joy of the Lord to fulfill our last day mandate as the church. The world is coming into its time of greatest darkness, while right in the midst of it the church will be celebrating a great feast, with great joy. This is the table that has been prepared for us in the very presence of our enemies. Nehemiah also spoke this charge to maintain the joy of the Lord just prior to leading the people into a time of heart wrenching repentance. We, too, are about to enter a period of deep repentance. The Lord is laying a foundation of joy so that we can endure this great repentance and not fall into the bondage of legalism. It is interesting that in this "revival of laughter" there seem to be just as many people weeping as there are laughing, in the same meetings. Some individuals go from a supernatural weeping to a supernatural laughter, or vice versa. This is not confusion; the Lord is obviously doing both Himself. The Holy Spirit is groaning and travailing, yet the Scriptures also say that the Lord "...sits in the heavens and laughs" (Psalm 2:4).

How could one who views the whole world, with both the victories and joys of His children, and the terrible darkness and evil, help but do both? As He is sharing His emotions with us, the issue is, are we being touched by the heart of God, or are we just getting caught up in the emotions of those around us? The church is called to be "the pillar and support of the truth," and there can be no place for falsehood.

March For Jesus:

The March for Jesus has done much to stimulate interchange between churches, and to help deliver congregations from the prison of their own buildings. However, it too is facing a crisis. If it does not shift gears and accelerate into a new level of vision and strategy, it will soon brake to a stop. The Lord is giving an invitation to go forward, mobilizing an army of intercessors and evangelists for cities.

Cell Groups:

The Cell Group Movement was also initiated by the Holy Spirit and will continue as a major thrust in the church. This is a crucial strategy for preparing the church for the harvest. It will also help to restore the ministry of the church to its proper foundations, building people. Some extremes in the movement will also begin to manifest that will have the potential to injure many churches. Such are the growing pains that are experienced by almost every important movement in the church. Some will be tempted to react to the whole movement and discard it because of these extremes. That will be as costly to them as the extremes are to those who embrace them. There are many facets to this strategy that have not yet been revealed. The downfall of any movement begins when it stops moving, or closes itself to increased wisdom for the strategy it was given. This usually happens when the "pride of Mary" is able to take root in the leaders. Mary thought that because she had given birth to Jesus she therefore had a right to control Him. This is an important movement, but it is not something that He is doing with everyone. By no means should it ever become an issue that we allow to divide us from others in the body of Christ. Without grace, tolerance and patience, this movement will soon suffer a tragic derailment, which would be a serious blow to the preparation of the church for her last day ministry. With grace and wisdom, it will be one of the most effective strategies for accomplishing this preparation.

Children And Youth:

The Lord views every child given to a family, or congregation, as a most valuable talent that He has entrusted to them. Many of these "talents" are being buried in programs that do nothing more than babysit them while the parents are spiritually fed. The congregations who wisely devote themselves to the spiritual growth and care of the children will be blessed and prospered with greater anointing and resources in all they are called to do. Those who do not will see even what they have, given to others. Many of the most anointed of the last day ministries are now children. Many already have the authority and power to make a difference in the church. We must be open to let them take their proper places as members of the body. However, we must keep in mind that the Lord does not want us to make them like us; He wants to make us like them. They are the ones who know how to enter the kingdom. Like Daniel's friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, there is a generation of young people who will not eat the food offered to the idols of their generation, nor bow down and worship them. They also will be confronted and tested by the conjurers, the sorcerers and wise men of this age, but will be found to have ten times more wisdom than all of them. The Lord Himself will walk with them in the midst of the fire and they will not be burned. They will stand as a witness and will turn many to the worship of the only God of heaven and earth, and will cause some of the world's most powerful leaders to worship Him. Like Daniel, every attack against them will only result in greater authority and higher esteem being given to them in the sight of all.

Prayer:

Every ministry is an aspect and outreach of the Lord's own ministry. A teacher is one through whom Jesus the Teacher reaches to give His people knowledge and understanding. A pastor is one whom the Chief Shepherd uses to touch the needs of His people, etc. The intercessor is one who has especially identified with the prayer ministry of Jesus "Who ever lives to intercede." Everyone is called to do the work of the evangelist, to share Christ with the lost, but that does not make everyone an evangelist by commission. Every believer will at times share biblical insights, but that does not make everyone a teacher by commission, etc. Everyone is supposed to pray and intercede, but not all are called to the ministry of intercession. Those who are have a very high calling, but also a difficult one. There is very little recognition or understanding of this ministry within the church, but it may also be one of the most important. The Lord said that His house would be "a house of prayer for all the peoples," yet presently this might be one of the most neglected ministries of all. If the Lord has determined that His house would be a house of prayer, then why do we not support intercessors like other staff members? If we gave prayer the importance that God obviously gave it, one must wonder how radically different the church might be. Why is prayer so important to God? Doesn't He already know our needs before we ask Him? If He does then why does He want us to ask Him? Prayer is not for His sake but ours. Unfortunately, if we did not have to pray to receive from God it is likely that He would get very little attention from us at all. Jesus prayed throughout His life, but He did not begin His ministry of intercession until after the cross. The power of true intercession is found in sacrifice, which is the most profound expression of love. Only those who love will lay down their lives. Intercession is a sacrifice that requires the laying down of our lives and interests to identify with the needs of others. Prayer and intercession were typified by incense in the temple rituals, and this incense was offered upon an altar. An altar had only one purpose—sacrifice. True intercession is a spiritual sacrifice, an expression of love which moves the heart of God. There are many great prayer movements in the world today. Even so, this emphasis is about to dramatically increase throughout the church. It will be recognized that those who have authority with God are accomplishing much more than those who have authority with men. Intercession is about to become a holy obsession in the church. These great prayer movements will result in such extraordinary advances for the church, and deliverance for the world, that the world's great and mighty will come to the church for prayer. Even the public schools in the United States will beg for prayers to be made in their halls again. The whole world will know that "the God of the Christians" is the one Who answers prayer.

Spiritual Warfare:

Spiritual warfare has been credited with igniting significant revivals. There have also been noteworthy results with some who have sought to change the spiritual climate over their cities, and even some nations. Likewise, as with every movement, there have also been noteworthy mistakes, abuses and foolishness related to spiritual warfare. There will be a time of increasing controversy and testing in order to mature this movement and prepare it for the mainstream of the church. It will be as it flows into the mainstream that it will become properly balanced, and will help release the full power and authority of the spiritual weapons given to the church.

The Charismatic Renewal:

During one of the most difficult and confusing periods in our country's history, when the "countercultural" forces were being unleashed to challenge almost every foundation of society, the Charismatic Renewal arose with great power to give direction and vision to a generation. This movement rose up to meet a great onslaught of the enemy and won many great victories. The Charismatic Renewal resulted in more salvations, more churches being renewed, more ministries and missionaries being released, than any other renewal, revival, or movement in history. This renewal also spawned devastating mistakes and failures, but it has nevertheless been one of the greatest blessings to ever come upon the church. Now the Lord is going to redeem many of the mistakes that were made, turning them into demonstrations of His power of redemption. We must not confuse this redemption with the understanding that these were in fact mistakes. However, the Lord wants to teach us His way of handling mistakes. The Lord does rebuke and chastise without compromise, but He also does so in a way that results in restoration. In one of the most extraordinary examples of His heart for redemption, He even "gave Jezebel time to repent" (see Revelation 2:21).

Even when Ahab, the husband of the Old Testament Jezebel and one of the most evil kings in Israel's history, humbled himself and repented, the Lord immediately embraced him, healed him, and restored him. Humility before God is one of the greatest powers on earth, because God gives His grace to the humble. However, it is also God's grace that brings the needed correction in our lives to keep us on course. Even though the "glory days" of the Charismatic Renewal are now in the past, some of the great ministries from this movement will again take center stage for a time. They will use this platform to sum up the victories, the mistakes, and the vision of this movement as a powerful blessing of wisdom to the next spiritual generation. Some will even remain as "Joshuas and Calebs" to lead the next generation. Others will then pass with great honor, because the Lord wants to honor this movement.

The Third Wave:

The Third Wave Movement has made significant contributions to the church's advancement over the last decade. It can be credited with helping whole new sections within the body of Christ to become open to the supernatural gifts of the Spirit and power ministry. Through it significant contributions have been made in the areas of worship, cell groups, spiritual warfare, helping to release many effective new leaders into the church. This movement brought a fresh emphasis upon integrity during a difficult time in church history. However, one subtle mistake threatens to bring this movement to a premature end. In an attempt to disassociate itself from the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements, which were in the midst of making serious mistakes, a subtle disdain for those groups took root. We must remember the blessing of the commandment to honor our fathers and mothers was given so that we can "remain long upon the earth." Because the Third Wave movement, as a whole, did not properly honor their spiritual parents among the Pentecostals and Charismatics, but often ridiculed them, their time as a movement may be short. This destiny can be avoided with repentance for this spiritual pride, and by a sincere devotion to properly honor those who have gone before them to make their own way straight. If this is not done, the Third Wave movement will quickly begin to whither, eventually being reduced to a mere footnote in church history.

Prophetic Restoration:

A new wave of ministries is about to be released with extraordinary prophetic gifts. Others with revelatory gifting who were sidetracked because of controversy, or other problems, are about to get back on the fast track. This movement will then capture the attention of the entire church, and even civil authorities. However, this will bring a time of much greater danger for those called to this ministry, than the onslaught of the accuser that has dogged this movement. The controversy has only helped to purify and mature those who are about to be mightily used by the Lord. The enemy will try to use this acclaim to seduce the gifted with the spirit of Balaam, who was compelled to use his gifts for special interests. For those who are faithful and obedient to the Holy Spirit, there will be continual and substantial increases to the anointing and authority with which they are trusted. For those who have tolerated sin, rejection, rebellion or bitterness, these sins will have an increasing power to cause stumbling in their lives. Because this ministry has a special place in preparing the bride for the coming of the King, He is jealous for those who prepare His bride to be pure themselves. Those called to this ministry who walk uprightly will have a significant part in helping all of the other ministries in the body of Christ rise to the stature, authority, and power to that which they have been called.

Apostolic Restoration:

The apostolic ministry that opened the church age will be raised up at the end to complete it. The Lord is restoring the apostolic authority to the church, and soon this will become a major emphasis. There will be almost a general openness to this as men of true apostolic authority, with a true apostolic lifestyle, take their place in leadership. The Lord blessed the Church of Ephesus saying, "...you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false..." (Revelation 2:2).

There are, and will continue to be, many who call themselves apostles who are not. Most of these are not evil men, and some may actually be doing apostolic work. Even so, they have presumed for themselves a level of authority that the Lord has not given to them. If the church allows these to be called apostles who are not, there will be a devaluation of our spiritual currency. However, the biblical stature of this ministry is less than what many idealists will presume it to be. Even the greatest apostle is an earthen vessel. Even the apostle Paul, who represents the essence of this ministry to many, sometimes came "in weakness, and fear, and in much trembling..." (I Corinthians 2:3).

He confessed to the Galatians that his flesh had been a trial to them (see Galatians 4:13-14).

The real apostle Paul would probably disappoint most of us today, as even the Lord Jesus Himself did to most of those who were looking for the Messiah. To receive a ministry, we must know men after the Spirit, and not after the flesh. There is a blessing, as well as a need, for testing and discovering those who call themselves apostles but are not. Even so, there is also a blessing for identifying and receiving those who really are apostles. One must receive a prophet "in the name of a prophet" to receive a prophet's reward. Likewise one must receive an apostle in the name of an apostle to receive an apostle's reward. If we receive an apostle as just a teacher, that is all that we will get—teaching. But if we receive an apostle as an apostle, we will get the full benefit of his ministry. The idealistic have always missed what the Lord was doing in their generation. They rejected the prophets, the Lord Jesus, the apostles to the early church, and every move of God since. Even Andrew Murray, who prayed for years for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, rejected it when it came because it was not in the form that he had expected. In receiving the new apostolic movement, and apostolic influence in the church, we must not be idealistic, but biblical. Those who are gullible, and those who are idealistic, will both miss this move of God. The gullible will accept the false; the idealistic will reject the true.

The Post Modern Missionary Movement:

The modern missionary movement has spread the gospel to countless multitudes over the last few centuries. However, many of our missionary strategies are still left over from colonial times, when transportation to parts of the world could take months. Because modern transportation is now so efficient, the need for individuals and families to relocate for long periods of time will be replaced by powerful new "impact teams." Because of the way missions was often used as an excuse for exerting imperialistic strategies, missionaries are still often viewed by "host" countries as a threat to their culture to be resisted. However, the new missionary movement will have more in common with stealth bombers than their historic counterparts. They will hit their targets so hard and so fast that it will be hard for hostile governments and powers to even recognize the source of the explosions of the gospel. Missions that were once projected to take years, or even decades, will be accomplished in days. Just as individual stealth fighters in the Persian Gulf War were credited with doing the damage of 3,000 World War II bombers because of their accuracy, speed, and invisibility, the same will be true of the new missionary teams.

Right To Life:

The Right to Life movement has greatly helped the church to understand and begin to confront one of the most important issues of our times. It has awakened and challenged many believers to take uncompromising stands for their convictions. For this we owe it much. Now this movement has come to an obvious crisis in its own life, and it is destined to fracture and drift into extremes. However, God's Right to Life movement will not die, but will arise from another source, and the rightful one—a powerful new women's movement. There it will come forth with such grace and wisdom that even its enemies will bow in respect. Without repentance, the remnants of the old Right to Life movement will go seriously awry. On its present course, this movement will result in increasingly bitter division in both the church and the country. It will spark increasing violence, which will result in growing repression and the loss of religious freedom. It will also doom other righteous causes and political candidates. Fear of religious zealotry will grip the country to such a degree that it will cause moderates and the undecided to swing to opposite extremes; they will even be willing to deny Christians their basic liberties. By falling to the use of carnal weapons and strategies, this movement is now playing into the enemy's strategy against the unborn, the church, and basic moral values. This movement's present strategies will almost all ultimately produce the opposite results of those that were intended. As the movement itself begins to fracture it will be with poison like radioactive contamination, driving people into shelters to escape it. This is also part of the enemy's strategy to drive the church into obscurity. Instead of uniting the church it will divide it. Instead of activating lukewarm believers, it will deactivate many who had great zeal for the Lord. Instead of saving lives, it will end up destroying many more by driving them from the gospel. The Right to Life movement has captured some of the most courageous and zealous believers in the church. Many of these have the potential to become great leaders, and are desperately needed by the body of Christ. However, many who come out of this movement will need long periods of "decontamination" before they will be safe for church leadership again. Human zealotry is one of the most difficult strongholds to be delivered from, taking considerable time and patience, which are qualities obviously lacking in zealots. In spite of all of the mistakes, the lessons learned from the Right to Life movement will prove valuable for the last day ministry of the church. The power of demonstration can accomplish a little, but demonstrations of power will accomplish much more. The Lord does care deeply for the unborn, and He does want to save them. He also wants to save their mothers and fathers. If we will give ourselves more to helping people to be reborn, many more of these babies will have a better chance to be born.

Men's Movements:

The emerging men's movement in America has been a fresh stream of new life to flow through the church. It has already done much for the renewal of the church, and the strengthening of families against the devastating satanic assaults of the last few decades. This movement is anointed for continued growth, in numbers as well as power. The enemy has also placed three major stumbling blocks before this movement. One satanic strategy is to sidetrack it, allowing "spiritual special interest groups" to divert its energy and influence for their own, more narrow, causes. Another strategy is to use commercial interests to gain influence in order to divert its momentum. The third, is from political interests trying to do the same. This movement is far more than "God's answer to the feminist movement." Even so, it will greatly overshadow the feminist movement as a spiritual force. With sensitivity to the strategy of the Lord, it will impact areas of society that other spiritual movements have been unable to penetrate, giving birth to some of the most effective strategies for the inner-city and racial problems of America, and then the world.

Women's Movements:

After some years of pruning, many Christian women's groups are about to grow dramatically, in numbers as well as anointing. Much of this numerical growth will come through evangelism as the Lord turns thousands of small women's fellowships into powerful evangelistic teams. Others will become mighty in intercession and spiritual warfare, and will help spark great revivals and spiritual advances. It will also be Christian women who will be the light that does much to open Islam to the gospel. Both Moslem men and women will be moved by the power and grace of these women. This power will be found in the dignity and beauty found in true, godly submission, which is fueled by love, not fear. Everything that churches invest in these fellowships will produce great dividends, as women's ministries in the church will become one of her richest resources. It will be the women's movements in the church through which God's most effective strategy against abortion will arise. That these will be led by women will in itself give them much more credibility than previous pro-life movements. Because they will be led by women of such dignity and grace, it will cause even their most vehement enemies to show them deference, and will win many converts from other feminist movements. Through these movements both womanhood and motherhood will be raised to the level of honor and respect that they deserve. This will greatly impact the church's fruitfulness in both bringing forth spiritual births, and raising her spiritual children properly. Ultimately these new Christian women's movements will diffuse the political clout of The National Organization for Women and other feminist organizations. However, it is a snare of the enemy for these to be diverted and used for political power themselves. Those who gravitate toward political power will lose their spiritual power proportionately. When both men and women take their rightful place in the church, the church will take its rightful place in the world. These movements will do much to raise the church to her ultimate stature and beauty, which our glorious Savior deserves from His bride.

Summary:

All of these movements are meant to contribute to the River of Life, but they themselves are not that river. It is imperative that we stay in the river and not be tempted to turn and follow a tributary. Even though the Holy Spirit is compared to the wind (see John 3), we are not supposed to be blown about by every new wind of doctrine. We must learn to let the winds blow, not resisting the Holy Spirit, but allowing them to refresh us and help us while we stay on the course where we have been called to walk. After the church has been blown back and forth by many winds of doctrine over the last few decades, there is now a maturity and stability that will help us to properly relate to the new and powerful movements that are coming to help us. We must always keep our attention upon the Lord to follow Him and not movements. We are called to grow up "into the Head," not into a new teaching or trend. All of these movements and teachings can help us do this if we keep them in proper perspective.