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Prelude Story: The Christmas I Was Ready For

It was Christmas evening, and I was ready.

I had prepared a family worship that would bring everyone together—multi-generational and multi-lingual. There were songs for the kids, carols for the adults, and readings in the different languages represented around our table. I had games for laughter, moments for reflection, and a short devotion that I prayed would draw every heart toward Jesus.

Everything was in place.
I had prayed over it.
I was ready for a meaningful, Spirit-filled evening.

Then it happened.

One of my sisters suddenly stood up and—without hesitation—took charge. She began directing everyone from the table to the living room, assigning seats, organizing the children, and confidently starting the worship as though she had planned it all along.

I froze. Inside, I thought, “Wait—this isn’t the plan. I’m the pastor. I’m the one who prepared. It’s my house. My responsibility!”

But before I could react, I heard the Spirit whisper:
“Will you let Me lead?”

So I stepped back. I watched. And the Spirit began to move.
The songs were simple, the prayers unpolished, but the room filled with joy and reverence that only God could orchestrate. My sister’s leadership wasn’t part of my plan—but it was part of His.

That night, I realized something I’ll never forget: the worship I had prepared was good; the worship the Spirit led was better.

The Spirit Refuses to Be Managed

That moment exposed a truth every spiritual leader must face: the Holy Spirit is not a department head.

Sometimes, in our best intentions to lead well, we start trying to manage the very Presence we claim to follow. We ask for fire but then try to tell it where to burn. We pray for the wind but then build walls to keep it from rearranging the furniture.

The Spirit refuses to be domesticated.
He moves through whoever is listening—pastor or parent, board or child, prepared or unprepared.
And His movement almost always challenges our sense of order.

So here’s the question we have to ask:
Are our leadership systems cooperating with the Spirit—or controlling Him?

Fire and Form

The Spirit’s work always brings fire. Sometimes that fire looks like zeal—someone bold enough to speak, move, or act when others hesitate. And sometimes that same fire exposes what still needs refining in us—our need for control, recognition, or predictability.

My sister’s energy that night was fire—real, disruptive, and holy.
My silence was the tempering—the Spirit saying, “You don’t have to extinguish her flame; just make sure it burns toward Me.”

That’s the balance the Spirit builds in healthy leadership:
zeal without chaos, and order without control.
Fire without form consumes.
Form without fire dies.

And maybe this is what the Spirit is asking of His Church again—not to choose between passion and process, but to hold them together in holy tension.

When leadership learns that fire is not the enemy of order but the evidence of Presence, revival becomes sustainable.

The Maturing of Fire into Calling

Fire is essential—but not every flame is ready for the altar.

The same Spirit who ignites zeal also refines it.
When someone feels the call to lead, serve, or speak, that impulse may be holy—but it may need shaping.

Paul warned Timothy, “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands” (1 Timothy 5:22), not because enthusiasm is bad, but because calling must be tested. In another place, he says, “They have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge”(Romans 10:2). Zeal unguided by wisdom can burn more than it builds.

The Spirit gives gifts instantly, but He builds character gradually.
In Acts 13:2, Barnabas and Saul were already gifted when the Spirit said, “Set them apart for the work to which I have called them.” Their readiness wasn’t proven by talent—it was revealed by time, humility, and community discernment.

That’s how leadership grows:
Fire matures into light through surrender.
Zeal becomes wisdom when it learns to wait on the Spirit’s timing.

And that’s how the Church matures too—by refusing to quench the Spirit, yet remaining discerning about what we kindle.

When leaders and churches hold both truths—zeal and discernment, empowerment and patience—we become a people who burn bright without burning out.

Christ’s Method: The Model of Spirit-Led Leadership

This is, in fact, Christ’s method.

Jesus lived every day led by the Holy Spirit—never out of control, never without fire. He spoke with authority yet with gentleness. He acted boldly yet with timing that baffled both disciples and enemies.

Christ’s leadership was not impulsive; it was Spirit-sensitive.
He taught, healed, rebuked, withdrew, or advanced all under the same guiding wind that filled the Church at Pentecost.

His life was the perfect harmony of zeal and discernment—fire shaped by love, authority clothed in humility, power balanced by prayer.

That’s the leadership He calls us to reflect:
A church that burns with conviction yet waits for the Spirit before it moves.
A body that organizes, but never controls.
A people whose plans bend easily when the Spirit breathes.

To follow Christ’s method is to lead as He led—filled, guided, and yielded to the Holy Spirit.

A Practice for Today

1. Pray this question: “Lord, are we organizing to cooperate with You—or to control You?”
2. Look for the unexpected voice. The Spirit often moves through the overlooked or unplanned.
3. Practice surrender. Step back long enough to see where the Spirit is already at work.

When we stop trying to lead the Spirit, we finally begin to follow Christ.

Blessings in Jesus’ Name,
Tom Nicholas, Pastor
We are a Holy Spirit-Filled Church Family whose members engage deeply, serve faithfully, and reach their community for Christ.