The other day, I was speaking to the pastor on our church staff who conducts the majority of the funerals for our church. I jokingly told him that I don’t officiate too many funerals because the funeral homes have forbidden me to get anywhere near a casket. I continued by telling him that due to the supernatural power on the inside of me the funeral directors are fearful that the church lighting might cause my shadow to fall upon the deceased laying in the casket and cause the deceased to spring back to life.
While I was only joking with my friend, the Holy Spirit later reminded me of the conversation and challenged me in an area of my personal life and ministry. Doesn’t Acts 5 tell of people waiting alongside of the street just for Peter’s shadow to fall upon them? Were they waiting there to see what Peter was wearing or was it because they knew that what was in Peter could cause them to be healed? They weren’t there to hear Peter preach or teach. They weren’t there for Peter to lay his hands upon them. They were waiting for his shadow!
Here is what the Holy Spirit told me. You and I can be so filled-to-overflowing with God’s Spirit that our bodies can’t contain all of His presence. So, what happens with this overflow? I call it the “ooze” and “splash” factor. We see with Peter, this overflow was too much for Peter’s body to hold and so it splashed out and brought healing to all who connected with his shadow.
Thank God for the lesson preparation that you and I do each week. Thank God for the extra preparation to make the lesson leap off of the page and become a rhema, God-breathed word. But, there is another factor that we might be overlooking. Add in the “ooze” and “splash” factor from the filled-to-overflowing teacher (that’s you) and the boys and girls will be touched by the Holy Spirit by just walking into our rooms and being in our presence!
Remember, don’t neglect the teaching preparation. Continue to find all of the tools and props that will captivate the listener’s attention. Constantly feast upon the meat of God’s Word so that we can serve our children a solid, balanced spiritual meal. But, now with this new “ooze” knowledge, let’s be filled-to-overflowing with His presence. I guarantee that adding the “ooze” and “splash” factor will cause your ministry to never ever be the same again.
