Changing the Corporate Atmosphere

We are all aware of common ways to stir up the Spirit of God such as praise, worship, preaching, teaching, testimony, and prayer but in this teaching we want to focus on a tactic less talked about but equally as important as those listed above and that tactic is agreement.

Many of us read the book of Acts and yearn for that same anointing that was on the early church. Many of us ask why the modern church as a whole doesn’t walk in the same anointing and while there may be many reasons I believe the most important is unity or agreement.

POSITIONING YOURSELF “WITH ONE ACCORD”

After Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem and ascended to heaven, the disciples entered the upper room and “all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication (Acts 1:14).” How important is it to come together “with one accord?” It’s so important that it is mentioned in the books of Acts 11 times for both good and bad (See link below). It’s so important that the disciples used it to position themselves to what God was doing.

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them (Acts 2:1-3).”

Look what happens in Acts 4 when the disciples came together “with one accord” in prayer:

“And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord… And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness(Acts 4:23-31).”

THE POWER OF AGREEMENT

“Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them (Matthew 18:18-20).”

WOW! This is a powerful scripture! Jesus didn’t say I might be there, I may be a little late, or I’ll think about it, He said, “where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Come on Lord! This scripture gets us excited! Why? Because it tells us that all we need is 2 or 3 in agreement and He is there! Do you want to hang out with Jesus? Simply get at 2 or 3 people in the same place to come into agreement in His name! It is clear that it is His will to be there with us! What an awesome God we have! AMEN!

“Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another,
And the LORD listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the LORD
And who meditate on His name.
“They shall be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts,
“On the day that I make them My jewels.
And I will spare them
As a man spares his own son who serves him (Malachi 3:16-17).”

UNITY BRINGS AN ATMOSPHERIC ANOINTING

“1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!

2 It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Running down on the beard,
The beard of Aaron,
Running down on the edge of his garments.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
Descending upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the LORD commanded the blessing—
Life forevermore (Psalm 133).”

This is another powerful scripture we need to examine closely! Verse 2 illustrates the anointing that comes from unity as oil being poured out all over us. We believe this verse is symbolic of Christ who is the head of the church which is His body and when we come together “with one accord” the oil (anointing) pours down from the head (Jesus) onto His body (The Church).

Verse 3 illustrates the anointing that comes from unity as dew descending upon a mountain, a cloud coming down. This verse sounds a lot like the day of Pentecost and the mount of transfiguration where the disciples were overshadowed by a cloud before entering it (Luke 9:34). Unity can bring down a cloud of God’s presence! Hallelujah!


CHANGING THE ATMOSPHERE OF YOUR CHURCH

If we are going to change the atmosphere of your church, you must position yourself with what God is going “with one accord.” Some churches may already be there, others it may take some time but we are going to give you a few keys in order to set yourself up for a powerful move of God in your church!

1. Cast a vision – Determine what direction the Lord wants your church to go then cast your vision repeatedly to the congregation. Proverbs 29:18 says “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” You must continually preserve and promote the “with one accord” principle and when you come together in Spirit and in truth, you will begin to feel that sense of family we long for!

2. Get anointed – You can give out what you don’t have. You need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit and to be continually filled (See our teaching on how to increase the anointing).

3. Strengthen your inner man - The outward power of God works according to the power of God that works in us (Ephesians 3:20, 1:19-20). In other words, you can only transfer the amount of God’s power your inner man can handle which is why Paul prayed that God would strengthen with might their inner man through the Holy Spirit (Keep in mind these were Christians). Think about your house. You may be connected to the power from Niagara Falls but your house can only exert the amount of electricity the wiring can handle. If you want more power, you need to strengthen your spiritual power lines.

4. Operate out of the overflow – In Psalm 23:5, David said, “You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.” As our cups overruns, the anointing pours out of us onto those around us, changing the atmosphere according to the amount of the overflow. If you are having trouble overflowing, be humble enough to get ministered to by those who are. The words “anoint” means to rub or smear into, like marinating a steak. The more we get into the presence of God, the more of His presence we carry!

This is a continually process, the more we allow the Lord to change us the more anointing we will carry. “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).”

5. Develop a small group – Develop a small group for the task of changing the atmosphere. Make sure you pick the right people. Many churches play safe picking who looks good for the position rather than the one the Lord has anointed for this task. If the people you pick are not anointed for these positions, their success may appear to be better at first but may be limited to their natural ability. The anointed one may seem to be reckless at first but it is the job of leaders and spiritual parents to mentor and develop these people into their calling. Jesus did this by picking 12 out of the multitude that would later establish the foundation of the church.

The Lord said to Moses in Numbers 11:16-17, “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone.”

6. Use the group – Just the presence of these newly overflowing light-bearers in your congregation will begin to change those around them. I can see in a dark place with a flashlight but with 12 flashlights you will light up a room! We see this at the day of Pentecost when 3,000 were added to the church by 120 being filled with the power of God.

7. Sharpen the saw – After the first group is developed and sent out so to speak, develop another group. Also use first group to develop others. After Jesus sent out 12, He sent out 70, and then He sent them out to make disciples of nations. As we see in the book of Acts, the disciples continued to multiply this way. It works the same way with changing the atmosphere of your congregation!

PRAYER

We have met and known pastors who wanted a powerful move of God in their congregation but their people weren’t ready or didn’t want it. We believe everyone wants the power and presence of God whether they realize it or not. It seems many who do not want it are tied up in the physical manifestations of the Spirit but what we notice is that once they receive it for themselves and know in their heart (not in their head) that it is real, they almost always want it and yearn for it!

So this we pray, that this teaching with touch you and your church, small group, home, or organization and provide an effective strategy to changing the corporate atmosphere that will embrace the power and presence of God. We pray that God grants you each wisdom, understanding, perseverance, and boldness in order for Him to establish through you an atmosphere that diffuses the sweet fragrance of the love of Christ, to the praise and Glory of God in the name of our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! AMEN!

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