Sherpherding Renewal First Chapter

SHEPHERDINGRENEWALwhat to do when the event is overFrank H. Billman

This is a resource ofAldersgate Renewal Ministriesan affiliate of theGeneral Board of Discipleship ofThe United Methodist Churchthrough Upper Room MinistriesPublished by Aldersgate Renewal Ministries, 2011.Scripture taken from the Holy Bible. New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

TABLE OF CONTENTSIntroduction 51. Continuing and Spreading Renewal 92. Dealing with Controversy 253. Manifestations of the Spirit 39Shaking and Trembling 45Resting in the Spirit 46Drunkenness 47Healings 48Deliverance 50Laughter 51Speaking in Tongues 52Other Spiritual Gifts 56Manifestations From Methodist History 57Contemporary Methodist Manifestations 604. Future Renewal in the Church 69Bibliography 74

INTRODUCTIONThe Purpose of This ResourcePerhaps you have had one of the Aldersgate RenewalMinistries [ARM] local church renewal events at yourchurch. Perhaps you and/or some people from your churchhave attended the national Aldersgate conference, the MethodistSchool for Supernatural Ministry, or some other ARM event.The event is over. What now? How do you evaluate whathappened during the event and what may be happening now inyour church? What steps should be taken next? If issues havearisen, how are you going to deal with them?

Shepherding Renewal | 6This resource is designed to help clergy, congregationalshepherds, address these kinds of questions after the event is over.What is renewal or revival?Renewal and revival are not biblical terms and they have beenvariously defined: there is no universally agreed upon definition.Some people may define these words in one way and then say thatothers are not experiencing true renewal or revival unless all thefactors in their definition are present.For the purpose of this booklet renewal and revival will beloosely defined as a time when the Holy Spirit moves in a significantway, touching and changing many lives in a congregation.Air is present everywhere. It sustains life on earth. Yet aircan move in a certain location and we call it wind. Air as windcan move powerfully in a certain location and we call it a storm,or tornado or hurricane.The Holy Spirit is present everywhere and sustains life onearth. As United Methodists we believe in the prevenient grace ofGod—the Holy Spirit working on all people everywhere trying tolead them to Jesus Christ.The word for Spirit and wind are the same word in the OldTestament. Jesus compared the Spirit to the wind in his discussionwith Nicodemus in John 3. We see in the Bible that the HolySpirit, like the wind, can move, even powerfully, in a certain place.In the Old Testament the presence of God descended uponMt. Sinai. The presence of God descended upon the Tent ofMeeting. When the Tabernacle and Temple were dedicated thepresence of God came in a concentrated and powerful way, somuch so that the priests were no longer able to stand up. The Sprit

7 | Continuing and Spreading Renewalcame upon prophets and gave them messages to deliver.On the day of Pentecost we read of the Holy Spirit’s comingwith the sound of a mighty rushing wind and with physicalmanifestations in the 120 disciples. The Bible says that tonguesof fire rested on each of them. The Greek word means that theHoly Spirit sat on them! In Acts 10:44 and 11:15 we read of theHoly Spirit’s falling on people or, in 10:45, being poured out uponpeople.These kinds of experiences occur when the omnipresent HolySpirit moves in a concentrated and powerful way in a specificlocation. There is renewal and revival, lives are changed, peopleknow that they have had a special, intimate encounter with God.As the wind of the Holy Spirit blows through your church,whether as a gentle breeze or as a powerful storm, lives are touchedand changed and people encounter God in a new way. Renewaland revival take place.This resource is being provided as a tool to better enable youto continue shepherding your flock that has experienced renewal.

1CONTINUING ANDSPREADING RENEWALYou have had a special spiritual growth event at yourchurch provided through Aldersgate Renewal Ministries(ARM). Or, you and/or some people from your churchattended the national Aldersgate conference, the MethodistSchool for Supernatural Ministry, or some other ARM event.The Spirit of God did great things in your midst. Maybe someexciting ministry took place. Perhaps you sensed God’s presenceas never before. People in the church were touched and blessedand, perhaps, changed forever.

Shepherding Renewal | 10The visiting team is now gone. You have left the Aldersgateconference or Methodist School for Supernatural Ministry, orother ARM event. What do you do now? How do you nurture theseeds of renewal that were planted in your church?PRAYERPrayer was probably an important part of your preparationfor the event. You probably prayed a lot for people to be willing tohold the event, for all the planning to come together, for people tobe touched at the event. Perhaps your people engaged in personalprayer and a prayer vigil for the event. There were times of prayerduring the event asking God to come and move and touch people’slives.Don’t stop praying now! Pray that God will continue to moveand to speak. Pray that God will guide and direct the church afterthe event in the way he wants the church to go. Pray that God willcontinue to break through hard hearts and to guide and direct newjoy and enthusiasm. Thank God for what he has done and beginto listen for the next steps he wants you and your church to take.Encourage thedevelopment of small GROUPSSunday morning worship is an important time of worshipingtogether, seeing others in the body, receiving instruction from theWord, and experiencing the sacraments. The Sunday morning largegroup gathering, however, is not conducive to sharing personallywith each other, asking questions or praying specifically for oneanother. These activities are designed for small groups. Small

11 | Continuing and Spreading Renewalgroups may meet at your church or in homes. Most should NOTbe pastor-led. [ARM can provide you with a small group leadertraining session on DVD by Bishop Richard Wills.Participants may have a new hunger for the scriptures. Theymay have many questions. These needs are best addressed insmall groups.Preach on topics that build on what wastalked about and experienced at the eventPerhaps people in the church experienced some newexpressions of worship. Perhaps some new ideas were shared.Maybe spiritual gifts were demonstrated that the church had notexperienced before. Maybe some in the church are now havingnew spiritual experiences. Give your people biblical messagesthat will guide them into more of God’s truth and a deeperunderstanding of God’s heart on these matters.Schedule additional spiritual growthevents to take the congregation furtherSpecial Events are times of celebration and joy! They arealso part of God’s plan for spiritual growth. God’s people are tocome apart from their world and their work from time to time toappear before Him. God designed times for the people of God togather in His presence for spiritual renewal and growth.“Three times a year all your men must appear beforethe Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Feast ofthe Unleavened Bread, the Feast of weeks and the Feast ofTabernacles.” [Dt. 16:16]

Shepherding Renewal | 12God knows that there are special dynamics involved withspecial events, or celebrations when His people pull away fromday to day activities and pressures with an expectation andanticipation of experiencing God in new ways. When a churchsets aside special times to experience the Lord in new ways,amazing things happen.arm is a ministry of special eventsThat is what we do—we provide opportunities for people toappear before God in an atmosphere of special celebration wheretheir lives may be transformed.We provide opportunities for people to come apart to:• National Aldersgate Conferences• Clergy Conferences• Worship Conferences• Minister and Spouse Retreats• Regional Renewal Fellowship Events• The Methodist School for Supernatural MinistryYou may find out more about these opportunities on theARM website: www.AldersgateRenewal.org. We also provide sixdifferent team-led, local church renewal events for special seasonsin the life of the church:• Lay Witness Missionwww.LayWitnessMission.com• Venture in Discipleshipwww.VentureInDiscipleship.com• Lord Teach Us To Praywww.LordTeachUsToPraySeminar.com

13 | Continuing and Spreading Renewal• Life in the Spirit Seminarwww.LifeInTheSpiritSeminar.com• Worship In Spirit and Truthwww.WorshipInSpiritAndTruthSeminar.com• Pathways to a Praying Churchwww.PathwaysToAPrayingChurch.comKeep the momentum of renewal alive within your church byscheduling a special event time (at least annually) in the churchcalendar for spiritual growth and renewal.Take people to conferencesoutside your churchIf people never go outside their own church, their experienceswill be limited to what they have seen and heard there. Take themto other places to experience different styles of worship, to heardifferent speakers, and to fellowship with other believers. Don’tjust send them - go with them. Your church should budget fundsfor sending people to conferences as an investment in the futuregrowth of your church.Aldersgate Renewal Ministries provides a great opportunityfor this kind of growth and experience, in a United Methodistsetting, at our annual national Aldersgate conference held invarying locations around the country. If you hosted an ARMevent at your church, you as the pastor should have received afree family registration to the next Aldersgate conference, andsomeone in your church should have received one in the drawing.Contact ARM if these gifts were not provided. You may find outmore about this conference at www.AldersgateRenewal.org.In addition to the Aldersgate conference, there are other

Shepherding Renewal | 14conferences offered across the country each year. You may readabout these in Christian magazines and on the Internet. If youneed some suggestions, contact the ARM office.Provide resources, books, CD’s, and DVD’s onsubjects that will build on the weekendYou may have some resources in your own library or thechurch library that you can recommend to people in your church.If you ordered an ARM “Book Table in a Box” or had some otherbook table during your event you provided some materials onsite. Encourage people who purchased any of those tools andgrew as a result to write an article about the resource in the churchnewsletter encouraging others to use the information. Some ofthese resources may be useful in small group Bible studies. ARMcan also provide CD’s and DVD’s from speakers at previousAldersgate conferences that may be beneficial. Each session ofthe Methodist School for Supernatural Ministry is being put onDVD’s and can be an excellent tool for small group Bible studiesin your local church.Establish a long term plan forcontinued renewalKeep things going and growing rather than just looking backand celebrating the wonderful things that happened in the past.See that this event is viewed as a new beginning, another stepalong a journey, rather than a destination. The church has notnow “arrived” it has just made a new start in a new direction. Thechurch must move on.

15 | Continuing and Spreading RenewalJesus doesn’t tell his followers to stand there and watch him;he doesn’t tell them to cheer him on and root for him; he tells themto follow him. You can’t follow someone standing still, can you?You must be moving to follow someone.A college class was graduating on a hot and humid day.As the graduates walked across the platform and received theirdiplomas from the president, he smiled, shook their hands, andsaid loudly Congratulations. Then, in a much lower voice, onethat was firm and could only be heard by the graduates, he wouldsay, Keep moving!He was merely trying to keep the line moving across thestage, but his words are good advice for a lifetime: Keep moving.After every achievement—growing up, graduation, marriage, jobpromotion, even retirement—the best advice is: Congratulations!Keep moving. Don’t stop. Don’t stagnate. There is more to lifethan you have found thus far.Jesus said, Come follow me. Following Jesus is made upof many individual steps. Many important steps. You may meetJesus and give your life to him. Keep moving. You may havebeen touched deeply at the special spiritual renewal event at yourchurch. Keep moving. You may be filled with the Holy Spirit.Keep moving. You will find daily acts of cross bearing that hecalls you to do. Keep moving. You may experience a greathealing. Keep moving. You will perform daily acts of obedience.Keep moving. There are many important steps that you will take.But there is always another step to take, so you must keep moving.In a very real sense, the most important step that you can takeis not one that you have already taken in the past, it is your nextstep. The next step that God is calling you to take. The health ofyour relationship with God hinges on your response to Jesus’ call

Shepherding Renewal | 16for you to take that next step. Where you are with God is not asimportant as the direction in which you are going. Are you goingtoward Christ, following him, moving in his direction? Or are youstanding still, just looking at him, fearing taking that next step?Are you circling around him, holding him at arm’s length afraidof allowing him to come closer? Are you going away from God,rejecting his call on your life? In which direction are you moving?That’s an important question.What is the next step that you need to take? What is the nextstep that your people need to take? Begin to plan for those stepsand work toward your new goals now.In John 16:12 Jesus tells his disciples I have much MORE tosay to you, MORE than you can now bear. And he says that hewould send the Holy Spirit to bring the disciples into the MOREthat he had for them. Jesus has even MORE in store for your lifeand for the life of your church. There is MORE of God than youknow about or have experienced at this time. Emphasize to yourpeople that, as good as things were at the event, there is still more.You all need to be seeking the MORE that God is offering you.Continue your own journeyinto deeper intimacy with GodI have heard it said that you cannot lead your people to aplace that you have not been. In other words, you need to arriveat a spiritual place yourself before you can lead your people there.I believe that there is some truth in that, but it is not completelytrue. Abraham led his family to a place that he had never beenbecause he stayed in touch with God and followed God’s leading.

17 | Continuing and Spreading RenewalMoses led the Israelites through the wilderness to thepromised land where he had never been. Our word wildernessconjures up the image of being lost in a wild and dangerous land.The Hebrew word for wilderness means a place of hearing. Itwas a place with few distractions so people could concentrate onhearing from God. The Israelites were not lost. God addressedevery danger that they faced along the way. Moses made it veryclear that he wanted to stay in intimate communication with Godwhile they were there [Ex. 33:14-15]. He wanted to hear God andto listen for God’s direction. He wanted to continue to journeywith God to wherever God would lead them.You need to do the same things. Perhaps you may senseyourself entering a wilderness that does seem wild and dangerous.Recognize the importance of making it a place of hearing, whereyou stay in close touch with God, seeking to come even closer,even more intimate with Him. Then you can invite your sheep tocontinue with you on your mutual journeys to deeper relationshipswith Jesus and more effectiveness as his disciples.You should seek support and accountability with otherpastors and church leaders who are also hungering for revival andrenewal.Pray for yourself and for your people to befilled with the Holy SpiritAs we read the pages of the New Testament and especiallythe book of Acts, we see people who are not just having greatMOMENTS when they are touched by the Holy Spirit, we seepeople who are living life in the Holy Spirit. They are not justhaving great spiritual highs, they are experiencing new lifestyles, a

Shepherding Renewal | 18way of living their lives under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.The New Testament makes it clear that Life in the Spirit,being filled with the Spirit, and living under the power andguidance of the Spirit was the NORM of the New Testament. ASpirit-born, Spirit-baptized, living-in-the-Spirit Christian was theminimum expectation for all Christians.Paul commands us in Ephesians 5:18 to be filled with theSpirit. In fact, in the original language, it is more accurately, Keepon being filled with the Spirit. A constant state of being filled withthe Spirit is the norm of the New Testament.Paul tells us in Galatians 5:16 Live by the Spirit, and you willnot gratify the desires of the sinful nature. He tells us in Galatians5:25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.Since the Spirit filled Christian is the norm, the minimumexpectation of the New Testament, and since Paul commands usto be continually filled with the Holy Spirit, that means that youare expected to be a Spirit filled parent for your children, and aSpirit filled spouse for your spouse, and a Spirit filled pastor foryour church. And if you are not Spirit filled those other people aregetting ripped off! They are getting less than God wants for them.Since the Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit as being a personrather than a force Scripture warns us in Matthew 12:32 not tospeak against the Holy Spirit, and in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 notto quench the Holy Spirit, and in Acts 7:51 not to resist the HolySpirit. So whether we live in the Spirit and find the Spirit flowingin and through our lives or whether we block the Spirit’s work inand through our lives is up to us.Our spiritual life begins by the Spirit in the New Birth. InJesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, in John 3:1-8, Jesus tellshim no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of

19 | Continuing and Spreading Renewalwater and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit givesbirth to Spirit. When we come before God and confess our sins,trusting Christ as our Savior, the Spirit comes to dwell within us.He becomes RESIDENT. In John 20:22 the resurrected Jesusappeared to his disciples in a locked room on Easter evening. TheScripture says he breathed on them and said “Receive the HolySpirit.” I think it is safe to say that if Jesus said “Receive theHoly Spirit” they did INDEED receive the Holy Spirit. He wasRESIDENT within them from that point on.That same resurrected Jesus, at the ascension just 40 dayslater, told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they receivedpower from on high, the Promise of the Father, the baptism withthe Holy Spirit. Evidently, for Jesus, being born again and havingthe Holy Spirit resident within was not enough. We read in Acts 2that on the Day of Pentecost the disciples received the promise ofthe Father and were filled with the Holy Spirit. Being filled withthe Spirit demonstrates a believer’s obedience to Jesus’ example[Mt. 3:13-17; Mk. 1:9-11; Lk. 3:21-22] and his commandment[Lk. 24:49; Acts 1:4-8].In Acts 8:14-17 we read that the Apostles heard that somehad come to faith in Samaria under Philip’s ministry and that theyhad been baptized with water. They sent Peter and John to thesenew believers with the expressed purpose of praying that theywould be filled with the Holy Spirit.In Acts 19:2 Paul specifically asked some believers if theyhad received the Holy Spirit when they believed. Jesus, theApostles and Paul all looked at the filling of the Holy Spirit asan important part of our spiritual growth in addition to our beingborn again.

Shepherding Renewal | 20This experience is called different by names--baptism IN theHoly Spirit, Baptism WITH the Holy Spirit, filling with the HolySpirit, the second blessing, entire sanctification--what you call itis not as important as whether or not you have experienced it.At the new birth the Holy Spirit becomes RESIDENT inthe believer as he brings spiritual life where there previously wasspiritual deadness. However, when one is filled with the Spirit theHoly Spirit becomes PRESIDENT in the believer as he is allowedto lead and direct the life of the believer with power and authority.At the New Birth you get the Holy Spirit. In Spirit Baptism,the Holy Spirit gets you. The Spirit became a resident within youwith the express purpose of becoming president.Jesus’ death on the cross is the basis for your forgiveness andnew birth. Jesus’ ascension and glorification are the basis on whichthe Holy Spirit is given to you. You were saved by dependingon the death of Christ. You receive the power of the Spirit bydepending on the ascension of Christ. And ever since Christ wasglorified and the Spirit was given on the day of Pentecost, everybeliever may be filled with the Spirit.In the new birth, God imparts DIVINE LIFE. Jesus said inJohn 3:5 unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enterthe kingdom of God. In Spirit Baptism,God imparts DIVINE POWER TO BECOME ANEMPOWERED FUNCTIONING CHRISTIAN.Jesus said in Acts 1:8 “You shall receive POWER whenthe Holy Spirit has come upon you.” And in Luke 24:49 he said“Behold I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you;

21 | Continuing and Spreading Renewalbut you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with powerfrom on high.”Being filled with the Spirit is not a sign of holiness orperfection. It is not an arrival, but the beginning of a newrelationship with God enabling one to grow in holiness (JohnWesley’s “going on to perfection”). It is not spiritual maturity—maturity comes through a process of growth and dedication. Itis not something which makes one better than others. Hopefullybeing filled with the Spirit makes us better than WE were before.How do you get filled with the Holy Spirit? The same wayyou get anything from God, by faith-filled prayer. Jesus said thatthe Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him for theSpirit [Lk. 11:13]. Peter said that the gift of the Spirit is availableto everyone [Acts 2:39].You need to be thirsty for all that God wants to give you.Then simply ask Jesus to fill you with his Spirit. As a believer youhave the Holy Spirit within you. He does not have to come downfrom heaven upon you; Jesus said that the Spirit will bubble upfrom within you like a river of living water [Jn. 7:38-39].In some cases in the book of Acts someone laid hands on aperson and prayed that they would be filled with the Spirit [Acts8:14-18]. You may want to do that. In other cases the Spirit cameon them without any laying on of hands [Acts 10:44-46]. Wemust not put God in a “box” assuming that this infilling can onlyhappen in one way.You may need to overcome obstacles in yourself or in theone you are praying for to be filled with the Spirit. Some of thoseobstacles may be:• Unbelief• Sin

Shepherding Renewal | 22• Un-forgiveness• Distorted image of God• Intellectualism• Fear of other people’s opinions• Vows and/or Judgments• Spirit of control/fear• Demonic bondageOnce you have overcome any obstacles and have asked tobe filled with the Spirit you trust that you have received basedon God’s promises. You have prayed something that you knowis God’s will for you so you know that such a prayer will beanswered [1 Jn. 5:14-15]. Give God thanks for what he has doneand will be doing in your life from now on.Once filled, stay filled! Paul commands us to be filled withthe Spirit in Ephesians 5:18, but in the original language it is moreaccurately translated Keep on being filled with the Spirit. He isspeaking of a continuous process. One’s initial experience ofbeing filled with the Spirit is meant to begin a Spirit filled life,walking in the Spirit every day.The banks of a river stay filled as long as there are noobstructions blocking the flow from its source. Again, Jesus spokeof the Holy Spirit as being a river of living water within you. Youwill stay filled as long as you keep your channels clear with yourSource. Ask him to increase the flow. Ask him for more. Thereis always more. You need never run dry.You can’t renew your church because the renewal of achurch depends on the willingness of the people of the church tobe renewed. You have no control over their response to God. ButYOU can walk in renewal every day. Draw an imaginary circleon the floor and step into it. Ask God to pour out His Spirit on the

23 | Shepherding Renewalone in the circle and use the one in the circle this day. You canmove in the anointing and power of the Spirit wherever you go(note that the vast majority of the miracles in the New Testamentwere not done in a church or synagogue). You can invite othersto join you in this. And you can invite God to move where Hispresence is not.You may find that a portion of the congregation did notparticipate in the event other than on Sunday morning. What willyou do to touch them?Certainly you will want to invite the whole congregation toparticipate in any small groups or other follow-up programs thatare set up after the event. Encourage people who DID participatein the event to specifically invite those who did not.You can have people who were touched by the event givetestimonies during worship or in the church newsletter so otherswill see that people they know were deeply touched by God duringthis event.Some churches schedule another different spiritual growthevent within 6 months or a year to involve more people. Now thatmore people in the church have experienced an event there aremore “promoters” available the second time around.

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