Come Holy Spirit - Day One

**Note, this is rather lengthy as it is a recap of the entire conference. I will be splitting it up in four sections so as to try to include as much detail as I can. Once the videos are available online we will be hosting watch parties for anyone who is interested in watching the sessions **

I’ve been in some sort of ministry going back to my college days in the ‘70s. I’ve been a part of the Vineyard since the late 80’s. In that time I think I could conservatively say that I have attended over 50 leadership or church conferences. In the beginning I got more practical knowledge out of them than I ever did at college or seminary. However, after a while they all tend to be the same. You might pick up a nugget here or there, but for the most part you feel like, “been there, done that, bought the T-shirt”.

I am thrilled to say that this trip to the Vineyard USA “Come Holy Spirit” conference ranks among the best ones since the early days of the Vineyard when John Wimber was still alive. From the opening worship on Monday night to the end of Ministry time on Thursday night, the Holy Spirit was present and I dare say no one left the conference without hearing from Him or feeling His touch.

The Worship team was playing songs that were unfamiliar to us, but we were still able to enter into His presence rather quickly. Not only did we learn the songs but were able to worship while doing so. The songs grew on us as the week passed. While each session was led by a different team, the Spirit was the same. This wasn’t a performance or merely singing songs;  this was intimate worship declaring our love for Him and inviting His presence among us which He graciously gifted us with. 

While there were announcements and a video after the first song, we still had ample time in worship as the sets lasted from 45 minutes to over an hour. I realize that worship is all about Him, however, among the five stages of worship, as Wimber described them, is visitation and it was so tender to lose ourselves in His arms.  Among the songs that pointed us heavenward were; God of Our Mothers and Fathers, Spirit Burn, You Meet Me Here, Let Your Kingdom Come, Raise a Hallelujah and Te Amo.

There were two general types of preaching. On the one hand there was the kind of preaching with bullet points where you take copious notes and you feel like they are golden nuggets from the throne of God. The other kind was more experiential were the points being made were told through countless anecdotes of God miraculously working in the lives of people.

It started with Steve Nicholson prophesying over the Vineyard that a wind is coming. Not a gentle breeze but a mighty wind. This move of God is not rooted in methodology or programs but it is a mighty in-breaking of the Kingdom of God into His Church in the here and now. The kind of faith that God is looking for is the faith of obedience. Obedience turned out to be a major theme throughout the messages of all the speakers. 

This move is not about superstars, but healing communities of ordinary people obeying God. Pray-ers are midwives helping people receive what God has for them. As a result, there will be signs and wonders that will affirm the Spirit’s move. He then went on to catalog what, in his experience, are why we pray with our eyes open so that we can see who the Spirit is moving on, what the intent of the Spirit is, whom God wants to use in ministry and what indication of Spiritual Gifts are being imparted. 

He warned us that if we pray for the Spirit to come, then we have to be patient because He tends to come in waves and we often stop after the first wave. He encouraged us to bless what God was doing during and between each wave as we waited to see what else would happen. He reminded us that waiting is necessary.