So They Call It "Revival"
There is always much talk about revival in the church, the idea of the nation being swept up and over by the torrent of Christ's Spirit. America has been nicknamed "The Land of Revival", because ever since the Great Awakening in the 18th century, America has seen revival almost every fifty years. This title, however, appears a bit unrealistic to me in my generation. In the melting pot of the world, no longer defined by its western roots, it seems that nationwide revival is more of a dream than an actuality.
The church, as it has transitioned from traditional to modern, still harps on the revival note. Yet what we sometimes perceive as revival has no elements of it at all. Talk of sin and repentance take a back seat to conferences and self-help seminars about love. Thus, people become fans of Christ, awash in a sea of fellowship, rather than becoming disciples on a mission. Carnal-Christians are birthed, attending Christian concerts one day then serving sin the next. Yet, this is still no tragedy as God's grace is truly sufficient to guide these sheep onto greener pastures, however one cannot serve two masters. Thus, we are made aware of a great gulf separating Sunday morning worship from authentic revival.
The approach we have taken to bring forth revival has been to publicly proclaim our love and admiration of Christ. Certainly, there is NOTHING wrong with this, but it is viewed by a spiritual culture as just another spiritual act of people praising their object of worship. So how can the church stand out in this plurality of faiths surrounding us? The answer is brutal honesty.
Openness with the watching world will lower their pointing fingers and disarm the accusers. Let's face it, PEOPLE KNOW THAT CHRISTIANS SIN!!! The church is not some pretty place with clean hearts and even cleaner mouths. Instead we cry like Isaiah, "Woe is me! For I am a man of unclean lips, dwelling amongst people with unclean lips!" So Christians, get out of your comfortable pews and own your sin to a watching world.
I was at a gathering of young Christians at a Starbucks last week. They fellowshipped and praised God by song, spoken word, and dance. In their love for the Lord, they took over the coffee shop and claimed it for Christ. Yet, one thing could have taken this time of fellowship and transformed it into a time of revival, unabashed and unashamed honesty.
Consider this, a desperate and lonely man walking into the coffee shop that evening, he sees people praising their God. He feels alienated, after all, these twenty-somethings are all grouped together, and in his mind, he cannot relate to this clique. He leaves lonely, just as he came, no closer to Christ and no closer to His church.
Throw in the element of brutal honesty, however, and everything would change for this lonely man. Amidst the singing of praises and speaking of poetry, the microphone is handed to each of the 100-150 college aged students while they lay themselves bare, confessing their sins publicly and how Christ set them free. The age barrier is smashed (even the fashion barrier). The lonely old man relates to their loneliness, brokenness, sins and struggles, and sees that only in Christ can he be healed from the shame of it all.
It's true! How have we gotten so far along the church-game that we have since forgotten to be unashamed of the sin that has no power over us?! Yes, we are still human! Yes, my flesh still craves power, my lips still arrogantly curse those who I ought to pray for, and my eyes still seek to feast themselves upon the naked bodies of women that are not my wife! These, however, are no longer my chains by which I am held captive. They are, in turn, temptations. I am no longer enslaved by sin, as I am now dead to it! Thus being made free, I am able to call my master Christ and serve Him by his power that strengthens me.
Please, do not mistake what I am saying. I did not say, stop worshipping in public, or your spoken words of praise are inferior to what I have said about repentance. No, I am simply stating that if we want revival we must add BRUTAL HONESTY into the mix. Pastors must be open with their struggles. People must be willing to fess up to their double lives! James tells us to "Confess your sins one to another and pray for one another that we may be healed!" So why isn't this happening? Is this why so many are "sick, weak, and some have fallen asleep" in the church?
We, the body of Christ, must understand that when we withhold the truth of our sinful tendencies from others, we only appear as white-washed sepulchres. The watching world, that waits for the church to slip, will always do so unless the church makes it clear that the church slips. My warning is this, if we continue to publicly praise and adore God in this spiritually saturated time, it holds no greater impact than the Hare Krishnas doing the same thing. Why do you think there is such a push in the culture to adopt more eastern philosophies these days?
Instead, own your sin in front of people who seek to accuse you of it. Disarm your adversary by the power of the truth that has set you free! If we balk at this, we will forfeit this window in history, where for a brief moment we had the opportunity to do so freely.
The church, as it has transitioned from traditional to modern, still harps on the revival note. Yet what we sometimes perceive as revival has no elements of it at all. Talk of sin and repentance take a back seat to conferences and self-help seminars about love. Thus, people become fans of Christ, awash in a sea of fellowship, rather than becoming disciples on a mission. Carnal-Christians are birthed, attending Christian concerts one day then serving sin the next. Yet, this is still no tragedy as God's grace is truly sufficient to guide these sheep onto greener pastures, however one cannot serve two masters. Thus, we are made aware of a great gulf separating Sunday morning worship from authentic revival.
The approach we have taken to bring forth revival has been to publicly proclaim our love and admiration of Christ. Certainly, there is NOTHING wrong with this, but it is viewed by a spiritual culture as just another spiritual act of people praising their object of worship. So how can the church stand out in this plurality of faiths surrounding us? The answer is brutal honesty.
Openness with the watching world will lower their pointing fingers and disarm the accusers. Let's face it, PEOPLE KNOW THAT CHRISTIANS SIN!!! The church is not some pretty place with clean hearts and even cleaner mouths. Instead we cry like Isaiah, "Woe is me! For I am a man of unclean lips, dwelling amongst people with unclean lips!" So Christians, get out of your comfortable pews and own your sin to a watching world.
I was at a gathering of young Christians at a Starbucks last week. They fellowshipped and praised God by song, spoken word, and dance. In their love for the Lord, they took over the coffee shop and claimed it for Christ. Yet, one thing could have taken this time of fellowship and transformed it into a time of revival, unabashed and unashamed honesty.
Consider this, a desperate and lonely man walking into the coffee shop that evening, he sees people praising their God. He feels alienated, after all, these twenty-somethings are all grouped together, and in his mind, he cannot relate to this clique. He leaves lonely, just as he came, no closer to Christ and no closer to His church.
Throw in the element of brutal honesty, however, and everything would change for this lonely man. Amidst the singing of praises and speaking of poetry, the microphone is handed to each of the 100-150 college aged students while they lay themselves bare, confessing their sins publicly and how Christ set them free. The age barrier is smashed (even the fashion barrier). The lonely old man relates to their loneliness, brokenness, sins and struggles, and sees that only in Christ can he be healed from the shame of it all.
It's true! How have we gotten so far along the church-game that we have since forgotten to be unashamed of the sin that has no power over us?! Yes, we are still human! Yes, my flesh still craves power, my lips still arrogantly curse those who I ought to pray for, and my eyes still seek to feast themselves upon the naked bodies of women that are not my wife! These, however, are no longer my chains by which I am held captive. They are, in turn, temptations. I am no longer enslaved by sin, as I am now dead to it! Thus being made free, I am able to call my master Christ and serve Him by his power that strengthens me.
Please, do not mistake what I am saying. I did not say, stop worshipping in public, or your spoken words of praise are inferior to what I have said about repentance. No, I am simply stating that if we want revival we must add BRUTAL HONESTY into the mix. Pastors must be open with their struggles. People must be willing to fess up to their double lives! James tells us to "Confess your sins one to another and pray for one another that we may be healed!" So why isn't this happening? Is this why so many are "sick, weak, and some have fallen asleep" in the church?
We, the body of Christ, must understand that when we withhold the truth of our sinful tendencies from others, we only appear as white-washed sepulchres. The watching world, that waits for the church to slip, will always do so unless the church makes it clear that the church slips. My warning is this, if we continue to publicly praise and adore God in this spiritually saturated time, it holds no greater impact than the Hare Krishnas doing the same thing. Why do you think there is such a push in the culture to adopt more eastern philosophies these days?
Instead, own your sin in front of people who seek to accuse you of it. Disarm your adversary by the power of the truth that has set you free! If we balk at this, we will forfeit this window in history, where for a brief moment we had the opportunity to do so freely.
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