There are some church leaders who are in the habit of blame-shifting their own shortcomings in the Lord onto the church congregation.

These church leaders do not have the Holy Ghost anointing…but they want the same results in their church as if they did have the Spirit of God flowing, speaking, and working through them.

As a rule, church members will always be less spiritual than the church leaders…

And yet, these church leaders will frequently “preach” (i.e. gripe, whine, and complain) at the church members for not being on fire for God.

These church leaders will chastise church members for passively setting through church services instead of being spiritually active in the church services.

These church leaders will criticize the church members who miss church services.

These church leaders will condemn those who leave the church.

Is this appropriate?

Well, let’s have a closer look at this…

Let’s imagine ourselves in a secular setting where an entertainer is up on a stage and his job is to entertain the audience. With this scenario in mind, is it the audience’s fault if the entertainer is a lousy entertainer? Is it the audience’s fault if the entertainer’s program is a flop? Is it the audience’s fault if the entertainer is boring? Is it the audience’s fault if the entertainer shows up unprepared with nothing of substance to share with the audience? Is it the audience’s fault if some people in the audience start leaving?

Of course not! There is NO universe where it is justifiable for the entertainer to condemn or criticize the audience for HIS shortcomings or failures.

Now, we know that church is to be a place of worship and not a place of entertainment. But, this scenario I am describing is EXACTLY what happens in some churches. The lessons and messages given by the church leaders are a flop. The church leaders are low-energy, dull, and boring. The church leaders show up far more carnally-minded than they are spiritually-minded (yes, church leaders can talk about God and the Bible and still be COMPLETELY carnally-minded.) And then after all this, the church leaders blame the church members because the revival fires aren’t burning…the church leaders criticize the church members for being so “checked-out” in the House of God.

So, I will be blunt…

Church leaders, STOP blaming and criticizing your church members for YOUR shortcomings and failures in the Lord…for your lack of Holy Ghost anointing…if that is what you have been doing.

Instead, YOU get filled with the anointing of the Holy Ghost…YOU rise up in the power of the Holy Ghost…so that your church members can also move up.

After all, YOU are the leader, right?

Aren’t you supposed to be the one who is leading?

Aren’t you the one who is supposed to be the model and the example?

Yes you are!

So STOP expecting the congregation to be the leader.

STOP expecting the congregation to set the high-water mark.

STOP blaming the congregation for your lack of Holy Ghost anointing!

STOP standing around and waiting around for the congregation to show you a move of the Holy Ghost!

Instead of expecting the congregation to show you the anointing of the Holy Ghost, YOU start showing the anointing of the Holy Ghost to the congregation!

When the congregation sees YOU rising up in the Spirit of the Lord, then they will follow that lead and begin rising up in the Spirit of the Lord as well.

That is how it works!

— SLF