Encountering the Presence of God
in our Services!
Depending on your prior church experiences, you may see or hear some things that are unfamiliar to you. Here at Harvest Chapel we believe that our understanding of God and our response to Him must be based on God’s own revelation of Himself – The Holy Bible.
The Bible tells us, “If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us.” The Bible describes what happens when the people of God encounter the presence of God. The information below is intended to help you understand what you are experiencing and where you can find it in the Bible.
THE SHOUT OF PRAISE:
We witness people everywhere shouting over things that excite them and move them to shout enthusiastically.
But nowhere are the shouts more appropriate than in the presence of the Lord!
Psalm 47:1 Psalm 66:1 Psalm 95:1
Psalm 12:6 Psalm 40:9 Isaiah 54:1
We have much to shout about concerning the life we now have in Christ. We must let the whole world know the One who has redeemed us and set us free. Whether the shout is a part of our personal nature or not, it is indeed a real part of His Divine Nature. It should be practiced at its appropriate time by the believer.
LIFTING UP HOLY HANDS:
The lifting of our hands is an act of worship, and is Biblical and important.
Psalm 63:4 1 Timothy 2:8
Psalm 134:2
The lifting of hands signifies our surrender to the Lord and the recognition of who He is as Lord of Lords.
WAITING ON GOD:
There will be periods during a service when we take time just to wait on God. We are careful not to allow our agenda to interfere with what God desires to do. We don’t ever want to interrupt the moving of the Holy Spirit to have the service go our way.
We encourage everyone to enter into and hunger for the presence of God. He will never disappoint us if we will just reach out for Him. He will renew our strength. Our goal is for each service to be led completely by the Spirit of God, so we wait upon Him to lead us.
LAYING ON OF HANDS:
In agreement with the Word of God, we lay hands on people to pray for them.
Mark 16:8 Mark 6:13 Acts 9:17
Acts 28:8 James 5:14
We have no healing ability or power in and of ourselves, but simply serve as obedient vessels that God can use as a point of contact and agreement with those for whom we are praying.
Anointing with oil signifies the presence of the Holy Spirit as we pray.
THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:
Acts 1:8 says: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem , and in all Judea, and in Samaria , and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
We believe the baptism of the Holy Spirit is for every believer and can be accepted just by asking God for it. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit provides great boldness and power to witness to the believer. It enables the believer to do what Paul wrote concerning praying in the Spirit and praying with the understanding, singing in the Spirit and singing with understanding. When someone is baptized in the Holy Spirit, it is evidenced by speaking in tongues, a heavenly language.
(Acts 10:46 and 19:6) This language is used by the believer to pray, worship and sing to the Lord as the Holy Spirit flows through them. We are not seeking tongues, but rather His glorious baptism in the Holy Spirit. Tongues will come with the baptism as an evidence of your having been filled. As a result, you may hear those around you speaking in an unknown language. They are speaking in tongues (according to Acts 2:4).
SLAIN IN THE SPIRIT:
There will be times when you might experience or see someone fall to the floor. We call this being “slain in the spirit” or having “gone out” under the power of God. Please know that the awesome power of God is something more than our frail human bodies can handle and will often cause us to be unable to stand.
God is always doing something in the lives of the persons who are on the floor such as: healing, giving direction, refreshing, changing, or speaking to them. This is the wonder of the God we serve, caring so much to meet with us individually.
II Chronicles 5:14 John 18:6 Acts 9:4
Revelation 1:17 Acts 22:7
THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:
Other times you will hear someone speak in tongues and then you hear another person speak in English. This is a message in tongues followed by interpretation as described in 1 Corinthians chapters 12 & 14.
The gift of tongues must always be followed by the gift of interpretation so that all in attendance can understand what God is trying to say to the Church. God uses messages in tongues and interpretation to guide, instruct, encourage and support His church. What an awesome thought that the God of Heaven speaks in this way to His bride.