Harness the Spirit??

I was listening to a sermon recently (actually, the introduction to a whole sermon series) where the pastor's topic was how to harness the Holy Spirit. Um, excuse me? Can you do that?

To harness something is to capture its power and bring it under your control. Last I checked, God's Spirit isn't something that is - or should ever be - under our control. Would you want to go to a church that tries to use the power of God for its own purposes like that? Yeah, me neither.

Jesus said, "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." (John 3:8) I think it's more accurate to say we enter into what the Spirit is doing, or that we engage the Spirit. We don't harness it. God does not want us to be like the horse "without understanding" that must be controlled with bit and bridle (Psalm 32:9). So how much less can we put God in that position! To enter into something is to take part in or form a part of. To engage something is to pledge oneself, or involve onself. I want to be part of a community that seeks God in this way -- that enters into the Spirit-filled life and engages God in the business of life. Doesn't that sound so much more appealing?