A sermon arguing that church excellence in music, broadcasting, and facilities means nothing without the Holy Spirit's presence. The speaker warns that without the Spirit, worship becomes a concert and sermons become speeches. He calls for genuine encounter with God that transforms people and reveals Jesus.
Moses said to the Lord, if your presence doesn't go with us, how can they tell us apart from everyone else? He said, don't send me where your presence doesn't follow me. And I pray Encounter Church that we would be a church that prioritizes the presence of the Holy Spirit. Amen. I don't want to go where the Holy Spirit doesn't lead. I love all of you, but I don't want to gather just to gather. I don't want to go through religious motions of just singing songs and listening to a conversation. I want to encounter God. Yes. I want his word to be planted like a seed in my heart that bears fruit and brings actual transformation. I want to be empowered to make a difference in my family and in my world. If we don't have the presence of the Holy Spirit— please hear me now— I'm all for excellence, and we do things with excellence. I celebrate the excellence with which we do the broadcast and the music and the greeting. I'm thankful that we have a wonderful team that keeps our facility clean and the people welcomed. I'm thankful for every aspect of ministry. But please hear me now and don't forget it: if we don't have the manifestation of his presence, we have nothing. We have nothing without the anointing. The church is just a club. A sermon is just a speech. Worship is just a concert. Prayer is just wishful thinking. Without the anointing of the Holy Spirit, there's no power. Without the anointing, there's no transformation. Without the anointing, there's no revelation of Jesus. Amen.
