revival

Maybe a Mighty Move (of God)

/ jerrythinks / 2 Comments

I’ve always been fascinated by the connection between two things: the will of God and the want of man. For decades now, I’ve witnessed and been involved in this tension that lives between what God has clearly stated that He desires from and for humanity, and what humanity is willing to engage with, participate in, and surrender to.

These two are often not the same thing.

I suppose that’s part of the reason why I’m often so reticent to call something a “revival” when others seem rather quick to sound the alarm of God’s Spirit clearly bringing us revival. It’s glorious, it’s wonderful, it’s magnetic, it’s inspirational, and it’s powerful, but is it revival in the truest sense? I pray it is. I don’t stand opposed to the thought. I’m just careful to watch, pray, and fan the ember with hopeful anticipation that it becomes a flame.

What’s got me thinking these thoughts even more lately is an idea that God had laid on my heart, and the heart of several others, to see a deep unity among followers of Jesus in our area.

Side note: In our county as of this writing, there are 234 churches, with about 170 of them being evangelical. Believe it or not, there are 17 churches on the same street our church is on, with only 2 of them with beliefs that would not align with orthodox Christianity. That’s a lot of people in our county gathered under the name of Christ. But what I see and grieve is not nearly enough unity among these churches. Yes, I know about denominational distinctives. Yes, I know about doctrine/theology differences. Yes, I know about church structures, philosophies, and well…preferences and how all those play into the understandable reasons why we have so many churches. Yes, I also know that multiplication is baked into the Great Commission, so I should be celebrating that 234 churches exist in my immediate area. I get all that.

But what I don’t understand is how any local church could choose to turn away from the unity that Jesus Himself prayed for on behalf of His followers. In His well-known prayer for His disciples, Jesus prayed to His Father: “May they be one, just as You and I are one.” (John 17:21) Jesus’ desire for His followers is that we be unified in our love for Him, in our decision to take up our cross to follow Him, in our loving of one another, and in our serving of the lost and least.

As I said, a couple of years ago, we began to talk and dream about a gathering of local churches for the singular purpose of lifting up Jesus in worship, through testimony, and through fellowship. We envisioned a tangible, visible reminder to all involved that the Family of God is far larger than any of us see on a daily basis. We had a vision for new friendships, stronger partnerships, and mutual encouragement among not only followers of Jesus, and soon-to-be followers of Jesus, but also among pastors and ministry leaders. We also have strived to have the venue change for each gathering; we did not want this to be perceived as “belonging” to any one local church.

The result was what we call RVA NOW. That’s shorthand for Richmond, VA Night of Worship. I’d love it if you’d go to Instagram and follow @rvanightofworship. There, you can find photos and video of previous gatherings, as well as stay informed about our next RVA NOW.

At our most recent RVA NOW, we counted over 300 young people gathered together for the sake of spiritual community and unity. We honestly welcome all ages, and you too are free to join in. We have simply chosen to go after the attention and energy of the young generation. We desire God to form within them a heart for unity among believers before things like routine, tradition, and claiming ground based on personal preferences set in. I should also say that our first RVA NOW (we’ve done 6 to date) had 78 people gathered.

Not only did 300 young people show up, but God kept His promise fully that “when 2 or 3 are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them.” (Matt. 18:20). I think you’d be hard-pressed to talk to anyone who’s been to RVA NOW who hasn’t sensed the presence of God to one degree or another. At our most recent RVA NOW, we also had an open baptism invitation for anyone who desired to follow Jesus and take that next step of obedience. And that night, we baptized 10 individuals who stood up to declare Jesus as Lord of their lives. As the one doing the baptizing, my heart got bigger and bigger as more and more young people came forward.

(I’ll add here that I also fully recognize that a gathered people are not necessarily and immediately a unified people. So, I do not contend that unity is ONLY gained by physically gathering. But I do think that it can help us move in the direction of unity like few other things can.)

The music was led humbly and powerfully, the testimonies were upheld boldly and unashamedly, and the gospel was preached clearly. God spoke; people responded. Revival? Maybe.

So, why would I not call this a move of God? Why would I be hesitant to label it revival?

Revival isn’t when we can get 300 (or 30,000) people together in one place. Any number of attractions can do that, and it happens all the time everywhere. Revival isn’t when “worship goes long”. Any number of quality worship leaders can massage a set list to invoke a willingness in the crowd to linger and sing. Revival isn’t when tears flow. Emotionalism and sensationalism–whether intentional or not–are things that can be mistaken for spirituality. Revival isn’t when things get loud and energetic. I love loud music and love getting lost in the sound of hundreds (I’ve experienced 10,000-plus voices lifted together) of people singing at the tops of their lungs. A gifted sound team can create a perfect audio blend that wraps us up in frequencies, even triggering goosebumps through the right sounds.

Revival? Dear God, I hope so. Let it be, and let it be here. Let it be a powerful move of God’s Spirit calling people to repentance, to holiness, to surrender, and to disciple-making. Let it be a fresh wind of passion that ignites God’s people to serve ALL people, regardless of their beliefs, convictions, past, preferences, skin color, neighborhood, or reciprocation. Let it be revival that results in saved souls and sanctified servants. Because I truly believe that THAT’S revival.

Let’s Ride: An open letter to the Church

/ jerrythinks / 1 Comment

Just down the street from where I live sits a car with a flat tire. It’s been months just sitting there. Maybe a year. And every time I pass it, I can’t help but wonder why they don’t fix the flat. This seems to be an otherwise fine car that could be taking people here and there. But instead, it sits sadly idle.

That’s the imagery I’m using today as I speak to any and all who consider themselves part of the Church. There’s a spectrum of involvement there, from occasional attenders of some religious service all the way to radically transformed, Spirit-filled followers of Jesus. No matter where you are on that spectrum, if you say you’re on it, I’m talking to you.

There is a wave of spiritual happenings in our nation right now. If you’ve bothered to look out your window, or are listening to the news reports, there is a groundswell of spiritual “revival” as it’s being called by some. Others are holding their verdict on whether they feel it meets some criteria of revival. As for me, I’m here for it. 100% here for it.

I’ll post some links to a few examples at the end of this blog so you can see for yourself what I’ve been seeing. The point of this blog today is not to merely echo or emphasize those stories. My point is to urge the Church not to botch this. Let me explain, in case that sounds harsh.

For decades, there has been a dark cloud hanging over the Church in America. It has been a reputation that those who go to church and/or call themselves Christians have not been the models of Christ-likeness. There have been instances of people coming into a gathering of those who say they believe in and follow Jesus, and yet have not been welcomed. Worse than that, they’ve been cold-shouldered, judged, or even turned away. Why? Because the would-be new person didn’t fit the mold of what the established “Christian” thought they should be whether in speech, actions, or even clothing.

It’s no wonder, then, that little by little the Church has made her way slowly but surely to the irrelevant margins of our culture. It’s no wonder that America doesn’t take the Church seriously. The Church doesn’t take the gospel seriously, so why would we expect any other outcome? We have traded the cross and an exalted, resurrected Jesus for what amounts to a members-only club with a particular set of often unwritten, unspoken, yet highly upheld set of expectations. If you don’t see this as true, simply look seriously at the statistical reality of the Church in the past several decades. Decline across the board, with few exceptions. Many churches haven’t brought one person to faith in years. Church services are looking more like nursing homes than thriving gatherings of young people. And yes, young people in the Church matter so much because the presence of young people is almost always indicative of health and growth.

While that might pinch, it still isn’t the point of this post. Now that you know where I stand on the Church of the past, let me urge you to come into a new view of today’s ekklesia. Why? Because new people are finally turning to Jesus in numbers we haven’t seen in a very long time. And for the Church as she is now to try and engage those new to their faith in Christ is like us inviting someone to hop into our car with four flat tires. “Hop in, let’s go for a ride.”

As the Church sits presently, we aren’t going anywhere. As the Church sits presently, we aren’t ready to disciple new believers. As the Church sits presently, those new to faith will quickly come to learn that faith in grace offered by Jesus on the cross for us has devolved into rote and stale tradition based on nothing more than collective preferences about stylings and methodology. Yikes.

Church, as we engage with those who are new to a relationship with Christ, we must do so with little to no grip on what has been “church” in the past. At this point in history, there is a new complexion of faith and Jesus-follower that is emerging. It must be given space to grow.

So my plea to us is to take these few simple, yet critical steps as we speak with others about faith in Christ, and as we welcome and disciple those new to their faith.

  1. Listen first, listen well. (It’s been said that in our culture, listening is the new evangelism.)
  2. Lead with genuine hospitality. (Read early Acts if you want to see how this is done.)
  3. Integrate your faith in Jesus into absolutely everything. (Compartmentalizing has historically destroyed the credibility of our witness.)
  4. Uphold the Church, not the church service. (Yes, we’re called to gather. (Acts 2) Yes, that’s a non-negotiable. (Hebrews 10:25) But what might a new iteration of gathering look like today?)
  5. Play the role of witness, not attorney, jury, or judge. (Like a courtroom witness, your role is to simply tell what you’ve seen and experienced. Don’t slip into being jury or judge. Just be real and honest about your own story.)

Some things to be on guard against:

  1. Don’t allow traditions to overshadow the Jesus of the Bible. We Christians LOVE our traditions, but while some have value, most have no significant place in the current and future landscape of faith.
  2. Be careful not to stray from the gospel message of repentance, faith in Christ alone for salvation, baptism, and transformational living empowered by God’s promised Holy Spirit to be disciples who make disciples. (Check me on this. Is there anything outside of these essentials that is really that important?)
  3. Face forward. Many well-meaning believers who’ve been around the block a few times seem to love to talk about what was, what has been, or what they like. Nothing wrong with those things necessarily, but in some cases, the past becomes an idol that focuses attention on the rearview rather than the horizon. When God says, “See, I am doing a new thing! Don’t you see it?” (Is. 43:19), He’s actually inviting us to face forward and see what He’s doing right now.

So Church, as you talk with people about the new day of faith and the new era of focus on Jesus in America, let me encourage you not to assume that they’re looking for the nearest church. They’re likely not. So that means we have a poignant opportunity in this cultural moment to reimagine ourselves in light of the new thing God is doing in our culture. Let’s not squander it. Let’s fix the flat (and whatever else we perceive to be amiss) and move with God’s Holy Spirit and what He is doing in our time to bring more souls into a love affair relationship with Jesus.

A few non-spiritual news sources that have recently reported on the “revival” in America: