In most of biblically recorded history, God’s people were seeking to live faithfully during seemingly mundane times. Most people throughout history lived and died without ever witnessing anything we today would label “miraculous,” and yet every single one of those people had direct access to the work of God’s Spirit…Want to know where the Spirit is? Find Christ. 

In the book of Acts, the arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost comes audibly “like a mighty rushing wind” and visibly as “divided tongues as of fire” rests on the apostles (2:2-3). The greatest miracle, however, appears as men from every nation hear the gospel in their own respective languages, sparking repentance and faith for three thousand souls (2:41).

We read such scenes with longing curiosity. How amazing to have been there to witness such a clear inbreaking of divine power into the mundanity of our world! And Pentecost is only one such scene. Think of all the instances in the Bible when the Holy Spirit showcases his power—miracles, signs and wonders, resurrection! Most of us would trade an arm to witness such scenes.

If we’re honest, we’ve probably walked away from studying such accounts and wondered why our church services contrast so severely. Lacking the fire and the spontaneity, is the Holy Spirit absent when we gather? On multiple occasions I’ve heard people critique churches for not emphasizing the Holy Spirit enough. We long to witness the power of God’s Spirit, and since we see such powerful scenes in the Bible, we assume we ought to experience the same today. In fact, some even conclude their church is doing something wrong if it doesn’t curate such experiences.

To be clear, it is possible for a church to grow so mechanical that its people stop expecting the living God to show up. When a spirit of legalism sets in, for example, the Christian life easily gets reduced to behaviorism. Mechanistic and legalistic people do not look for the Spirit to show up. They don’t ask him to move. They’re content with the status quo.

However, most often, these sentiments are motivated by false expectations. When people critique churches for not emphasizing the Holy Spirit enough, often their criticisms prove that their theology of the Holy Spirit is too small instead of too big.

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