Occasionally I find a sermon that has much to chew on. Paris Reidhead's sermon "Ten Shekels and a Shirt" has a message that is incredibly relevant to our day and age. I highly recommend that you read it and ponder its message.
As you begin to read it, you might think that it is aimed only at pastors, but that really isn't the case. Instead, it deals with the issue of what true Christianity really is. So many times I see people who view religion as a utilitarian thing. If it works, great. And by working they mean that they want to know if religion helps them get what they want...a new car, a better marriage or a leg up on the competition then religion is fine with them. These people see religion as a buffet table. You take a little of this and a little of that, and pretty soon you have a fantastic meal. It kind of reminds me of the TV commercial for buying a car on the internet. You pick the model, color, options, press a button and Presto! there's your new car!
The reality is that we don't get to pick what God is like. He is God. The question then is not, "what do we want our designer "god" to be like?" but "what has God revealed Himself to be like?" The answer to that question is found in Bible and in the person of Jesus Christ, God-come-in-the -flesh.
Read the sermon. Its a good one.
Showing posts with label Revival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Revival. Show all posts
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
Revival...It is Possible
I read some startling comments the other day about the conditions on college campuses and on the conditions in the United States generally during the 90s.
Substance abuse is epidemic. The streets are not considered to be safe after dark. A poll taken at Harvard discovered not one believer in the whole student body. At Princeton they discovered only two believers. A mock communion was held at Williams College, and anti-Christian plays were performed at Dartmouth. A Bible was taken out of a local Presbyterian church and burned in a public bonfire. Christians were so scarce on campuses that they met in secret and kept the minutes of their meetings in code so that no one would know.
Substance abuse is epidemic. The streets are not considered to be safe after dark. A poll taken at Harvard discovered not one believer in the whole student body. At Princeton they discovered only two believers. A mock communion was held at Williams College, and anti-Christian plays were performed at Dartmouth. A Bible was taken out of a local Presbyterian church and burned in a public bonfire. Christians were so scarce on campuses that they met in secret and kept the minutes of their meetings in code so that no one would know.
These comments are adapted from J. Edwin Orr's message on "Prayer and Revival". They describe America in the 90s...the 1790s!
It is hard to believe, but its true. America was turning away from God. But then something happened. It started in Great Britain through William Carey as he and others founded the Union of Prayer. Then it jumped across the ocean and landed in America. People began to pray and soon the Second Great Awakening occurred. As the Spirit moved across America, missionary societies were formed, slavery was abolished, Sunday School was invented, and Bible Societies distributed the Bible far and wide.
Could it happen again? The first thing God does when he sends revival is he burdens his people to pray. Not surface, selfish prayers, but sobbing, soul-rending prayer that grabs a hold of the throne of God and won't let go.
Let us pray.
And pray some more.
Until revival comes.
Growing a Healthy Church
On Tuesday I attended a "Growing a Healthy Church" seminar in St. Paul put on by our District Office. The seminar covered the basics of what a healthy church should be doing. Surprisingly, many churches are not doing what the Bible says should be our primary task: Making disciples.
We should be working at reaching those who do not Christ and helping them become mature reproducing followers of Christ. As one person put it, "The task of the church is to turn atheists into missionaries." If all we are doing is educating, edifying and entertaining believers and their families, we are not doing what the Lord wants, nor are we a healthy church.
The seminar talked about measuring the number of people that become Christians through the ministry of the church and go on to be discipled by the church. The teacher urged us to focus on that number. "How many people are becoming disciples through the ministry of the church?" Most churches that are growing are growing because of transfer growth rather than conversion growth.
How many people should a healthy church be reaching? They suggested that churches should expect 10% conversion growth. That is, a healthy church of 100 should see 10 people come to Christ and become integrated in the life of the church each year.
That sounded like a lot to me until I started putting it in perspective. If every family in our church committed themselves to and were successful at leading one other family to Christ every 10 years, that would give NAC a 10% conversion growth rate. That sounds very doable to me, how about to you?
Do you think it is reasonable for you lead another person to Christ in the next decade? If not, what is standing in the way? Let's remove the obstacles and go for it!
We should be working at reaching those who do not Christ and helping them become mature reproducing followers of Christ. As one person put it, "The task of the church is to turn atheists into missionaries." If all we are doing is educating, edifying and entertaining believers and their families, we are not doing what the Lord wants, nor are we a healthy church.
The seminar talked about measuring the number of people that become Christians through the ministry of the church and go on to be discipled by the church. The teacher urged us to focus on that number. "How many people are becoming disciples through the ministry of the church?" Most churches that are growing are growing because of transfer growth rather than conversion growth.
How many people should a healthy church be reaching? They suggested that churches should expect 10% conversion growth. That is, a healthy church of 100 should see 10 people come to Christ and become integrated in the life of the church each year.
That sounded like a lot to me until I started putting it in perspective. If every family in our church committed themselves to and were successful at leading one other family to Christ every 10 years, that would give NAC a 10% conversion growth rate. That sounds very doable to me, how about to you?
Do you think it is reasonable for you lead another person to Christ in the next decade? If not, what is standing in the way? Let's remove the obstacles and go for it!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Introduction to Thoughts on Revival
There is something powerful about the writings of those that have experienced revival. I've decided that as part of my spiritual disciplines this fall I am going to do some reading on revival and then post some thoughts about what I am reading for others to read and perhaps interact with.
Arthur Wallis, in his book In the Day of Thy Power, describes revival as being "Divine intervention in the normal course of spiritual things. It is God revealing Himself to man in awesome holiness and irresistible power." Examples of revival in American history include the Great Awakening in the 1700s under the preaching of Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley and George Whitefield. The Second Great Awakening in the mid 1800s under the preaching of Charles Finney led the way to the abolition of slavery in this country.
On a large scale, revival can change the moral fiber of a community or a nation. On a smaller scale, revival can be personal, resulting in renewed passion for Christ and the lost.
As I reflect on the reading I've done and the people I've talked to about revival it seems that they fall into two categories. The first are people who have witnessed or experienced true revival. They have sat in the presence of a holy God and their lives have been forever changed by an encounter with the Almighty God. There is profound humility and deep faith.
The second category of people I've met bother me deeply. They talk about "revival" almost as if it were some spiritual thrill...like a cool ride at Valley Fair. They brag about strange manifestations that appear to indicate the presence of God. They go running to places that have reported that "revival is happening" hoping to get in on the action or a stamp on their "spiritual adventurer passport" so they can say that they have been there. I could be wrong, but it seems to me like this group of people are chase revival reports like a drug addict looking for a fix. I don't want to be judgmental, but sometimes I feel like people in this category have only experienced revival like I experience an NFL game...from the stands or in my living room, but never on the field. In fact, I don't ever really want to experience an NFL game on the field...the personal consequences are too high.
Ah, but maybe that's the point. True revival carries a price. It's not a simply a spiritual high. It is in part a manifestation of the awesome holiness of the All-Powerful God. When we see him for who he is we either run in terror or fall to our knees in repentance. Revival cleanses from sin. Revival breaks the self-life in all of its forms. Revival is costly.
Sammy Tippit, in Fire in Your Heart describes ministering behind the Iron Curtain in East Germany during a period of revival. A young new believer came forward and told him that there were some things in her life that were not right and as a result that she had no joy. He asked her if she was willing to repent and forsake her sins. She said she was, knelt and prayed. She concluded her prayer with, "Lord, please take control of my life egal was es Kostet." In English, "no matter what the cost." She was embracing the cross.
He asked another young believer how she was doing now that she had become a follower of Christ. A tear formed in her eye as she told him that she had been the top student in her class but her profession of Christ meant that she could no longer go to school. She looked at him, smiled and said, "But it's worth it!" She had embraced the cross and discovered the power of the resurrection.
That's the type of heart that has been forged in the fires of revival. It burns with a passion for Christ that cannot be put out. It has counted the cost and said, "Jesus is worth it."
How about you? Have you experienced revival? Have you decided that Jesus is worth it? That's where it all begins.
Arthur Wallis, in his book In the Day of Thy Power, describes revival as being "Divine intervention in the normal course of spiritual things. It is God revealing Himself to man in awesome holiness and irresistible power." Examples of revival in American history include the Great Awakening in the 1700s under the preaching of Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley and George Whitefield. The Second Great Awakening in the mid 1800s under the preaching of Charles Finney led the way to the abolition of slavery in this country.
On a large scale, revival can change the moral fiber of a community or a nation. On a smaller scale, revival can be personal, resulting in renewed passion for Christ and the lost.
As I reflect on the reading I've done and the people I've talked to about revival it seems that they fall into two categories. The first are people who have witnessed or experienced true revival. They have sat in the presence of a holy God and their lives have been forever changed by an encounter with the Almighty God. There is profound humility and deep faith.
The second category of people I've met bother me deeply. They talk about "revival" almost as if it were some spiritual thrill...like a cool ride at Valley Fair. They brag about strange manifestations that appear to indicate the presence of God. They go running to places that have reported that "revival is happening" hoping to get in on the action or a stamp on their "spiritual adventurer passport" so they can say that they have been there. I could be wrong, but it seems to me like this group of people are chase revival reports like a drug addict looking for a fix. I don't want to be judgmental, but sometimes I feel like people in this category have only experienced revival like I experience an NFL game...from the stands or in my living room, but never on the field. In fact, I don't ever really want to experience an NFL game on the field...the personal consequences are too high.
Ah, but maybe that's the point. True revival carries a price. It's not a simply a spiritual high. It is in part a manifestation of the awesome holiness of the All-Powerful God. When we see him for who he is we either run in terror or fall to our knees in repentance. Revival cleanses from sin. Revival breaks the self-life in all of its forms. Revival is costly.
Sammy Tippit, in Fire in Your Heart describes ministering behind the Iron Curtain in East Germany during a period of revival. A young new believer came forward and told him that there were some things in her life that were not right and as a result that she had no joy. He asked her if she was willing to repent and forsake her sins. She said she was, knelt and prayed. She concluded her prayer with, "Lord, please take control of my life egal was es Kostet." In English, "no matter what the cost." She was embracing the cross.
He asked another young believer how she was doing now that she had become a follower of Christ. A tear formed in her eye as she told him that she had been the top student in her class but her profession of Christ meant that she could no longer go to school. She looked at him, smiled and said, "But it's worth it!" She had embraced the cross and discovered the power of the resurrection.
That's the type of heart that has been forged in the fires of revival. It burns with a passion for Christ that cannot be put out. It has counted the cost and said, "Jesus is worth it."
How about you? Have you experienced revival? Have you decided that Jesus is worth it? That's where it all begins.
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