| The western church is seen by the world as | | | | would be the members of their own households? |
| anything BUT Christian. We are making no one | | | | Are we willing to deny ourselves to DISCIPLE |
| jealous for what we claim we've found in Christ. | | | | them? That is the Great Commission after all. |
| Independent and proud of it, our only chance is of | | | | REPENTANCE |
| winning this "holy war" is to declare our | | | | We need a major overhaul; we must repent. The |
| DEPENDENCE upon God. See, our problem is not | | | | Greek word is "metanoia," to change one's mind. |
| our weak leaders or our demoralization. It's not | | | | We must change our mind about this thing we call |
| Hollywood or Harry Potter. | | | | church. As we look to our brothers in the east, |
| The problem is the church's foolish fearlessness of | | | | we see that six of every eleven conversions |
| God. | | | | today are from Asia or India. The underground |
| A nation is never better than its church, the | | | | church in China grows at a rate of 20,000 daily |
| church no better than its people. Only | | | | amidst persecution. Though 80% of the world is |
| God-transformed believers can change the moral | | | | literally dying to serve Jesus, the western church |
| fiber of any nation. If we will commit to prayer | | | | is blessed and free. It seems that same freedom |
| and the ministry of the Word, out of this focus | | | | has become our greatest enemy as freedom |
| would come a harvest of last-day prophets. | | | | includes the freedom to do nothing. |
| Prophets...not professional preachers. Agonizers in | | | | Our greatest threat? God Himself! Much has been |
| prayer, not organizers in team meetings. Count on | | | | given us and much will be required. The best way |
| it! | | | | to grind our billions of wheels to a screeching halt |
| If we could save our nations with Christian music, | | | | could be by way of some disaster. Must it come |
| TV, books, tapes, conferences and beautiful | | | | to that? Ninevah lasted a mere 150 years after |
| buildings, we would have done so by now. Instead, | | | | Jonah before she forgot God and was destroyed |
| what we call "Christianity" has become the | | | | by her enemies. Have we had our run? |
| number one cause of atheism. We've made man | | | | REVIVAL |
| in our own image...a sickly church, with a form of | | | | It comes through prayer, not by waving our |
| godliness with no power to speak of. For this we | | | | wooden swords, marching around our sanctuaries |
| must repent. | | | | with banners, and singing to goose-bump-raising |
| Babies are born in travail (Isa. 66:8). Revival is | | | | decibels so high we confuse them for "the |
| birthed by spiritual people, not by slick-talking, high | | | | anointing." Our churches are the laughing stock of |
| dollar pulpiteers. As Leonard Ravenhill put it, "The | | | | Hell and we don't even realize it. Our services and |
| professional preacher gets popular and pampered. | | | | conferences have the same effect on principalities |
| A true revivalist gets persecuted, ostracized, and | | | | and powers as the hole made by a finger in a |
| lonely." Our "life-changing sermons" aren't changing | | | | bowl of pudding. When the dust settles, the finger |
| lives because we're impotent in our pleading | | | | is removed, everything becomes as it was. |
| before God. Whereas a preacher develops a | | | | REVOLUTION |
| sermon; a prophet brings a message from | | | | Rotten as we are, we are as we are for such a |
| Heaven's throne. | | | | time as this. Our youth included. God needs us and |
| So, the burden for revival is not on the pew, but | | | | every emotional scar, every bitter bone and |
| on the preacher. New Testament ministers have | | | | nasty habit we possess. He can use these things. |
| one vital aspect to their job description: to fulfill | | | | We must surrender them to Him. He sees our |
| Acts 6 by giving themselves continually to the | | | | potential to be more than pew potatoes raising |
| ministry of the Word and to prayer. That's it. Too | | | | tater tots. Jesus was a revolutionary. Though |
| often they seem more concerned with personal | | | | some of us may actually die, like the kids in the |
| savings than personal salvations. The worldly are | | | | American schools and churches who were shot |
| keen to it and the church goers are tired of it. | | | | just because they were Christians, we must be |
| REASONS | | | | the radicals who dare to turn on the light in a |
| The reason for this sickly western church? 1) | | | | culture that is getting gloriously darker. |
| Some people work without worship, 2) others | | | | Fear not! The Lord is with you! The people who |
| worship without work, 3) few people maintain the | | | | know their God will be strong and do great things! |
| discipline of prayer. The prayer meeting is | | | | All we need to be is willing and obedient. |
| obsolete in most congregations. We cannot preach | | | | READ 'EM & REAP!! |
| "you must be born again" until we "travail in birth" | | | | Matthew 5:6 Psalm 33:12 2 Chronicles 7:14 Psalm |
| that people BE born again. Then we must not only | | | | 9:17 Proverbs 14:34 |
| conceive these babes, but raise them. We cannot | | | | It's your choice. Your decision. We can be like |
| merely lead them in "the sinner's Prayer" or take | | | | thermometers or thermostats, blending with the |
| them down "the Roman Road" and deceive | | | | social climate or changing the rules. You may not |
| ourselves into believing anyone has actually been | | | | be a church-goer. Well, then BE the church and |
| saved. No, any manipulative soul can do that. | | | | shine the light of Christ where you DO go. From |
| Over 30 times in the New Testament we see | | | | now on, everything changes. Let's serve the King! |
| some variation of the phrase "Follow Me." Are we | | | | Let's give 'em Heaven! |
| willing to warn the new converts, as Jesus did, | | | | Need pastoral counseling and prayer? Write or IM |
| that the world will hate them? That their enemies | | | | me at Every blessing! |