Spirit-filled evangelist Mario Murillo claims that a movement that has lost its connection to the Holy Spirit has produced Christian leaders who have learned to conduct church without the Holy Spirit, as well as a widespread interest in erroneous teaching and emotional extremes.
"Our crimes become more glaring when we consider the magnitude of the original mandate Jesus gave regarding the Holy Spirit," the California-based evangelist pointed out in a Facebook post, Wednesday.
Citing Jesus' description of the Holy Spirit's role in a believer's life in John 13:13-15, Murillo said that it is difficult to live a fruitful Christian life, much less lead a ministry, without the Holy Spirit.
"He will take everything Jesus has and show it to us. We can't learn it outside of Him," he said. "He is our relevance to the world and the organizer of our church operations. He decodes the culture and shows us how to advance. He is the architect and general of our outreach to the world. It falls to Him to lead, train, empower, and equip us."
Even pastor Shane Idleman of Westside Christian Fellowship in Lancaster, California has long expressed this sentiment. He said that the Holy Spirit is available to everyone. D.L. Moody, John Bunyan, Amy Carmichael, Charles Finney, Adoniram Judson, Oswald Chambers, Hudson Taylor, Andrew Murray, and others who (according to their accounts) experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit years after their conversion, were among those he named in one of his early writings.
In the years since, Idleman has sounded the church's bell, summoning it to its fundamental mission of proclaiming the truth in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The manifestations of the Holy Spirit, on the other hand, have always been controversial and have drawn the scorn of non-charismatic congregations and leaders, such as John MacArthur, who has even written a book about it. However, although many Charismatic groups have been accused of manipulating the supernatural, this is not a sufficient reason to deny the inexplicable works of the Holy Spirit.
Derek Prince, a giant in faith, has spoken and written extensively about counterfeit manifestations of the Holy Spirit and how spirit-filled people might discern them. Prince, on the other hand, felt that the presence of counterfeit manifestations confirms the legitimacy of genuine ones.
That aside, Christians should understand that the Holy Spirit is not a power that can be used for their own ends. On the other hand, grieving Him is a severe issue, as Jesus said in Matthew 12:31 and the apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:30.
But like their predecessors in the time of Jesus, Murillo said that today's church leaders have become adept at leading services without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, While mega churches are on the rise, there has been a dramatic drop in morality under their leadership. As a result, there was a widespread interest in incorrect ideas and excessive emotional reactions in churches.
Most of Murillo's speeches and articles like this one have focused on rattling the cage of wakefulness "wokeness" on both Christians and pastors, but with a heavy emphasis on the latter.
Nevertheless, he has actively encouraged them to acquire the perspective that they are not only "peace-time pastors," but also "wartime pastors."
"No matter how cherished or effective a method seems, once it is revealed to be outside the Holy Spirit, it must be abandoned," he maintained. "We cannot prepare for the Godsend without first facing and forsaking our crimes against the Holy Spirit."
