I had invested eight years in campus ministry when God surprised me and the staff I was working with at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. On a Friday evening as we listened to the testimonies of two visiting students from a nearby Christian college, God revealed Himself in His holiness. Suddenly we found ourselves broken and repenting publicly over the sin lurking beneath the surface of our lives.

Before the evening was over, everything was brought into the light, often through tears: anger, bitterness, pride, hatred, deception, stealing, spiritual coldness, and a wide range of sexual sins. Since the vast majority of people in attendance had never experienced anything like this before, we were somewhat bewildered and had many questions.

Since that gathering, I have been privileged to take part in many similar meetings where God powerfully manifested His presence. Each time, He accomplished a modern-day version of John the Baptist's ministry of calling people to repentance, to prepare the way of the Lord.

Undeniably, many have experienced a fresh encounter with Jesus Christ, with "streams of living water" becoming a reality instead of simply a concept found somewhere in the Bible. The following summarizes what God has taught me over the years regarding these kinds of meetings, and what I wish someone had shared with me following that initial life-changing evening at the university.


Be ready to explain God's purposes in public confession.

Many will likely ask, "Why is all this sin being confessed publicly? I've always been taught to confess my sin privately." Even so, the power of sin is in its secrecy. Once a person's disposition of concealment is broken, the Spirit can do a powerful, transforming work.

More specifically, even though private prayer with confession has a key role, too often sin's hold is not broken because we continue to coddle it at some level. Instead of the abundant life Jesus promised His followers, the result is defeat.

But in public confession, very few confess their waywardness unless they have a sincere desire to turn, burn bridges, and close doors once for all. People feel the weight of the issue at hand, and playing games with God is over.

Another benefit of public confession is that masks come off, real needs are shared, and the body of Christ at last becomes what God intended it to be. Like never before, God's people will pray for and encourage each other and navigate His will together.

Perhaps this is why James urges believers to "confess your sins to one another, that you may be healed" (James 5:16). Spiritual, physical, emotional, and relational healing is waiting for us on the other side of public confession.

Often, the real issue is not the sin that needs to be confessed publicly, but the pride that needs to be slain so the Spirit's promptings to be transparent will be obeyed. Fundamentally, God uses public confession to humble us.

Humility is a prerequisite to the Spirit working in our lives, because God opposes the proud but works graciously in the humble (2 Chron. 7:14; James 4:6). Peter encourages us to clothe ourselves with humility (1 Pet. 5:5).

Regarding public confession, it is imperative to clearly communicate that God is not trying to embarrass people but to free them. The truth often hurts before it heals, and becoming all that God wants us to be in Christ is the goal of public confession.


Go the whole way with God.

The most prevalent mistake I have observed after initial breakthroughs of God's manifest presence is the decision to go back to less convicting, more informational and teaching-oriented and (at times) entertainment-driven meetings. Sometimes this is willful, but often it's a default mode—after all, it's what we know.

But while reverting to previous patterns may feel right, your ministry will inadvertently move out of the Spirit's flow and back into a conspicuous lack of power and fruitfulness. To avoid God's diminishing presence, leadership must persistently speak to the issues that have surfaced, and relentlessly pursue those issues yet to surface, so that no stone is left unturned.

Many times the first encounter with God that brings people under conviction and to public confession is only the beginning of what God desires to do. We have arrived at the homepage of the Spirit's work, but we have much farther to go.

Like peeling back layers of an onion, leadership must continue to address humility, brokenness, and repentance until each layer of sin has been exposed, each idol has been torn down, and the Spirit's power is in full effect. Because we have set our hearts on going the whole way with God, wherever that may lead, there is real hope for freedom, genuine life change, and community transformation.


Increasingly focus on the cross.

Once God breaks in and people have shared their deepest, darkest struggles—things they previously would not have shared with their best friend over coffee—many will need clear, redemptive teaching from the Word. It is the leader's role to provide this truth, while being careful not to back off of or obscure the Holy Spirit's searchlight of conviction for those still in the process of coming clean with God and others.

While challenging your people to go the whole way with God in repentance and confession, you will need to explain God's truths that no one is beyond the reach of the cross, Jesus died for every sin, and God's desire is not to condemn anyone but to have everyone walk in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:7).


Keep pressing in.

As you continue to navigate, it can be challenging to "stay out of the way" of what God is doing but not allow the Enemy or the flesh to disrupt the work of the Spirit. Rather than controlling every detail, there are some practical steps that can help keep God's work on track and even open a meeting to a deeper work of the Spirit. As the meeting progresses, regularly remind people to:

• Bring everything into the light where Jesus can touch it. Satan wants us to keep our sin and struggles in the dark where he can continue holding us in bondage. The last thing he wants is for us to walk in the light.

• Go that last 10%. Partial obedience is still disobedience. Deal with whatever is still blocking the streams of living water, the real issue at the root of grieving the Holy Spirit.

• Be specific. Help people articulate what God is placing on their hearts by asking, "What specifically are you turning from? And what are you turning to?" These questions help steer people toward true, heartfelt repentance and away from "venting" or from vague, meaningless confessions. The Spirit always reveals specifics.

Teach that brokenness is a lifestyle, not an event.

Because of the powerful way God meets people during seasons of His manifest presence, confession of sin, brokenness, repentance, and fresh fillings of the Holy Spirit can be viewed as dramatic events that happen only on rare occasions. However, Scripture teaches that these are to be experienced as a lifestyle.

It's important to understand that God desires His children to continually live so close to His throne that sin is always seen as repulsive. Therefore, whenever we sin, we will respond to it with a broken and contrite heart (Ps. 51:17) and move right back into a fresh experience with our heavenly Father.

Additionally, leaders must model a lifestyle with the "roof off" before God and the "walls down" before others. Broken people have nothing to hide. More than anything else, this "heart-set" will ignite movements of authentic Christianity wherever we go.


Educate on "big R" and "little r" repentance.

While something deep within the soul changes at the moment of brokenness and public confession, this doesn't necessarily mean that a person will never commit that sin again.

Someone brokenly repents of anger. Will anger ever surface in the days and years to come? Probably.

If someone repents of lust, will he or she ever experience a lustful feeling again? Probably.

Even so, this doesn't mean that the Holy Spirit was not moving powerfully at the moment of confession. At that instant when the Holy Spirit opens our eyes, prompts confession, and brings sin issues into the light where Jesus supplies grace and forgiveness, we are experiencing "big R" Repentance.

However, "big R" Repentance must be followed by "little r" repentances whenever the flesh rears its ugly head. Put another way, the apostle Paul said to make it a practice to take off the old self and put on the new self (Eph. 4:20-24). Following the Spirit's promptings versus fleshly impulses requires a daily choice, and we shouldn't be surprised to experience some level of continued temptation.

When we do sin, however, it is important to remember John's words: "My little children, ... [do] not sin. But if you do sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 John 2:1 ESV). Through public confession, true repentance, and renewed freedom through the cross and God's grace, we move from habitual sin with occasional victory, to habitual righteousness with the possibility of an occasional sin.


Address deceptions that will leave people unchanged.

For example, some people deceive themselves by admitting sin publicly without repenting. This is dangerous because the person will experience disappointment when his or her life is not changed, resulting in a disturbing, lingering disconnect from the life of God.

It's one thing to admit a personal sin before others, and quite another to humble oneself before a holy God, to turn and forsake that sin. It has been said that confession to other people moves the lips, but repentance before a holy God moves the heart. And God encourages us to do this by explaining that He will not refuse a humble, sincere heart that turns to Him in brokenness (Ps. 51:17).

This is why John explains that believers are to confess their sins (1 John 1:9) AND walk in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:7). When both of these commands are embraced—confess and walk—forgiveness, fellowship, and life change through the power of the Holy Spirit are experienced.


Counter the Enemy's schemes.

The Enemy hates Christians (1 Pet. 5:8). But even more, he hates Christians who are clean before God and experiencing streams of living water. He will do everything possible to steal their first love and their joy in Jesus. It's important to teach those under your care to anticipate and deal with the following lies:

• "You embarrassed yourself by confessing your sin and weaknesses publicly. Now you'll be shunned; no one will accept you." Actually, the opposite is true. Christians who humbly and genuinely confess their sins and weaknesses are among the most loved in the body of Christ.

• "Although you confessed, you are still guilty and will always feel guilty about what you have done. You will never be free." Actually, John teaches that "If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9 NIV); and the Psalmist says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us" (Ps. 103:12).

• "You have no power, and your life will never change." Actually, in Christ we are dead to sin and are new creations (Rom. 6:1ff.; 2 Cor. 5:17). As Paul reminds us, "I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2:20).

Make restitution.

Those who have sinned against someone else will only find initial freedom through their confession. They must also go to the offended person(s) and humbly confess and seek forgiveness for what they have done, with a sincere desire to do whatever they can to promote reconciliation. The joy of having an absolutely clear conscience will never be realized until this final, crucial step of obedience is complete. But once it has taken place, there will be boundless freedom!


Avoid commiserating groups.

Paul said, "Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15:57). As your ministry moves forward experiencing real life in God, your people will need to stay close to others who can hold them accountable and help them walk victoriously together.

Too often, accountability groups see little victory, instead degenerating into commiserating groups where empathy is high but real life change is low. The specifics of public confession and repentance detailed above also need to be practiced in small groups and accountability groups.

Anytime a system is created where sin is simply pushed down, there will not be long-term freedom. Sin must be identified at its root, confessed and renounced, and brought to the cross, where grace and forgiveness are abundantly supplied.


View holiness as life-giving rather than burdensome.

Wherever sin operates, toxicity creeps in and chokes the life of Christ being experienced by the individual and the believing community. However, where holiness exists, there is purity, and the Holy Spirit expresses His life, peace, and power. To see real transformation, holiness must be embraced.

Rarely in contemporary ministry does one find a robust view of the holiness of God and the holiness of the believer. But Paul encourages us, "Dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God" (2 Cor. 7:1).

Giving people a positive, realistic, life-giving picture of holiness is crucial. Paul does this very thing: "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life" (Rom. 6:22). Holiness should never be viewed as an impossible task or burden, but as life-giving streams of water, freely available to everyone through the Holy Spirit.


Conclusion

A life-changing move of the Holy Spirit is a paradox. On the one hand it encompasses the power of heaven being released to accomplish all that God desires for a given ministry and the lost community connected to it. On the other hand it is fragile, and the Spirit's work can be quenched at any point. This is the tension that anyone ministering in these sacred moments of God's manifest presence feels.

However, if we employ the principles above and trust the Holy Spirit to lead us forward in a variety of ways beyond the scope of this article, I believe that a deep, sweeping move of the Spirit will be something we no longer simply read about in history books, but a reality we observe with our own eyes. Let us pray and walk by faith toward that end.