unity

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.

RVA NOW — A Unified Bride

/ jerrythinks / 2 Comments

I want to share something with you that brings me a tremendous amount of joy.

Years ago, I began to imagine what it would look like to see local churches in our area united in worship. Each church has its own place, of course–its own flavor, style, vibe, traditions, and all the unique qualities each local church has–but what if we were to intentionally decide to gather for the sole purpose of worshiping Jesus in the kind of unity that He desires? That He Himself prayed for?

What might that look like?

I know this is not a new concept. Unity among the Church has been an issue pretty much since the Church began. But when we catch glimpses of that unity, I believe we are catching glimpses of heaven itself.

At about the same time as I was envisioning this type of unity, a woman in my local church connected with me, and I learned quickly that she had the same vision and desire. She, too, wanted to see times of gathering for Jesus’ followers in our local geographical area, and we both wanted to focus those gatherings on connecting young people.

So we reached out to local ministry leaders/pastors and began a journey that led us to what is now known as “RVA NOW” (The “NOW” is short for “Night of Worship”). The concept is simple to explain but not as simple to execute: Bring together musicians, vocalists, worship leaders from a variety of local churches, and have them collaborate where no one claims to be “in charge.” Each servant submitted to the leadership of God while they cooperated together in leading those gathered in authentic, unified worship.

Last night was our most recent RVA NOW, and it was, in a word, glorious. Can you imagine a crowd of young adults, some teenagers, and a few older adults (because all are welcome) gathered together in unity under the banner of Jesus? No denominational banners, no local church banners, no theological banners. Just the banner of King Jesus.

I had the privilege last night of sharing a word of welcome to all those gathered to worship. I shared from my heart that we had gathered for two things: First of course, to worship Jesus. But also to build unity among local churches. I asked, “What if our best worship has nothing to do with the song list? What if our best worship has nothing to do with the experience here tonight, or how loud we sing? What if the highest praise we can give Jesus is a unified bride?”

Believe me, I understand theological, doctrinal, and even denominational differences. I grew up in the local church and know all too well the things that can separate us. I’d even call some of them worthwhile conversations and important distinctions. But the central question whose answer unites us is this: “Who is Jesus to me?” If I asked you, “Who is Jesus to you?”, what would your response be?

Those who claim Jesus as their Savior and Lord are those He Himself calls His Bride. And Jesus has much to say about what He expects and desires of His Bride. The keystone desire of Jesus’ heart in terms of us, His Bride is found in Jesus’ high priestly prayer, specfically in John 17:21:

“I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.”

There’s a simple life principle I’ve learned in my years on earth so far: What grows is what’s watered. RVA NOW seeks to water unity among believers; the very unity Jesus prayed for. And little by little, that sprout has broken the surface and is slowly reaching its way heavenward as it grows.

If you live in the Chesterfield, Virginia area and would like to know when the next RVA NOW is happening, simply follow @rvanightofworship on Instagram. There, you can stay informed about upcoming ways to unite the body of Christ in our area, and join in as we prepare to present to the Groom His Unified Bride.