Where is the revival Oh God?

 

The word revival has become such a common term today that it is casually used in our preaching, singing, playing music, and in every other Christian setting without any serious implications. I hope we are really aware of the actual meaning to the context of the early Church history and Missionary movements. They were not talking about raising children, building happy marriages, being a member in the Church and so on but rather emphasized on sending, which is the mandate in Christ’s mission. These are the people who like Peter on behalf of all the disciples said in Matthew 19:27 “See we have left everything and followed you. So what will there be for us”. The reward Jesus articulated in this context was not assured happiness, prosperity & happy marriages on this earth but rather emphasized their place and their position in eternity. Today many preach, God is going to shower His abundant blessing on those who are serving Him, and there will be no lack, they will be prosperous and full always. Absolutely contradicting what Christ intends, when it comes to mission. It’s good to think about this, in the light of Christ’s mission and His mandate.

The problem today is, we are looking for comforts in Christian life and luxury in Christian service and name it blessing. We all are aware that the twelve disciples left everything including their families and scattered to different parts of the world and died as martyrs, including most of the missionaries. There were sacrifices involved in their commitment to follow Christ. But sadly, today we strive to find a comfortable position here on this earth and in the Churches.  

Christianity has been limited only to buildings, structures and sanctuaries taking the priority and successfully replaced the mission. You may fail to accept it, but that’s the truth. If this is not the case with your Church, praise God! People sit in the Church and pray for a revival and go home happy, thereafter. The question ‘who will go for me?’’ remains a paradox in this new era.

One of the challenging books by Leonard Ravenhill “Why Revival Tarries?” is a must-read book for all of us.  Leonard points out, “We have millions of Bibles, scores of thousands of churches, endless preachers-and yet what sin!” . “Going out” is being commercialised, today. How could we expect a revival in such a scenario? Leonard, in one of the many explanations says this to the response to ‘why revival tarries?’, “The answer is simple enough-because evangelism is so highly commercialized. The tithes of widows and of the poor are spent in luxury-living by many evangelists. The great crowds, great lines of seekers, great appreciation by the mayor, etc., are shouted to high heaven. All get publicity--except the love-offering! The poor dupes who give "think they do God service," while all they are doing is keeping a big-reputationed, small-hearted preacher living in Hollywood style.”.  What a tragedy!”.

Paul Rees remarks, “Revival and evangelism, although closely linked, are not to be confounded. Revival is an experience in the Church, evangelism is and expression of the Church”. Today most of the people think the failure to evangelism work is due to the lack of resources, which is untrue. We forget we have an unutilized resource; the Congregation members. Unfortunately, they are looked upon more only as our funders and donors. They are used for only one purpose and that is to invest in the church through their offerings and tithes and go home happy believing they have done a big service for God. Unless we are willing to break this myth and release them out, revival will remain a jargon. If your congregation members are resembling dry bones, it is probably because we have sucked them dry. It is time to revive the dry bones as we see in Ezekiel 37. Do we have enough tears to wail and do something about the millions who are going to Christless eternity?

A repeated cry of David Livingstone was, ‘‘Lord, when will the wounds of this world’s sin be healed?’’ But are we grief stricken in prayer? is a million-dollar question. Do we soak our pillows, as John Welch did, in our soul’s travail? The scholarly Andrew Bonar lay on his bed on a Saturday night in Scotland, and as people below tramped the streets from the taverns and shows, he used to call from his tortured heart: ‘‘Oh! they perish, they perish!’’ Alas, brethren, we have not so learned Christ. Many of us know only a slick, tearless, passionless, soulless round of preaching, which passes for the minister’s office these days. I urge you to do retrospection in the light of this blog.

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Unending spiritual pandemic!

The recent pandemic, Covid-19 swept the entire nations. The symptoms and effects were the same irrespective of the geographical location. Symptoms of the first and the second waves were almost similar for people across the world. Any particular disease for that matter, its symptoms and severity remain same irrespective of wherever people are situated. Similarly, in this blog, I want to point out a spiritual pandemic sweeping the Churches today and that is 'spiritual complacency'.

The urgency of the gospel still remains ineffective. You can disagree with me, but the facts and statistics don't lie. We are constantly focusing on crowd control, crowd retention and financial stability in Churches. As I always comment, we measure the success of the Churches by the “ABC method” i.e., Attendance, Building and Cash. As long as this is satisfying, leaders are happy. If you refer to the 2011 Christian census in India, the Christian population was 2.3% and now it is said the Christian population is 4.9%. However, the percentage also includes Catholics who need salvation. Their percentage is approximately 2%, which means we are still close to only 3%. I am not just focusing on the increase of percentage, but my problem is growing spiritual complacency.

What are we doing with the crowd, who come week after week and go back home comfortably? Rather I would say, we make them comfortable with spiritual activities without sensitizing on Christ’s Mission. Psalmist remarks, "The horse is prepared for the day of the battle...", Psalms 21:31. What are we preparing for, with the congregation who are with us? Don't tell me it is to get them to heaven. I understand spiritual maturity, spiritual carefulness is necessary, but the moment one finds the Savior and becomes a disciple the Holy Spirit takes control of the person (Acts 1:8) and the anointing leads, teaches and guides him/her through the way as said in 1 John 2:20,27. He already qualifies to inherit the kingdom of God. But the goal of the Church is to go out, reach out and win the perishing souls. But is it still done with all urgency? Leslie Newbigin states, "the church is not meant to call men and women out of the world into a safe religious enclave, but to call them out in order to send them back as agents of God's kingship.".

Jesus called people not to just follow Him like the three jokers. He is not interested in people who want to follow Him without owning a responsibility (Luke 9:57-62). Jesus was not excited because He got people who can be added as a follower. Jesus was always emphasizing to go and tell the goodness of the Lord and not to sit and be a worshipper without following the mission. This is the purpose of the Church in all its priority. F. Lincicome states, “God never intended His Church to be a refrigerator in which to preserve perishable piety. He intended it to be an incubator in which to hatch out converts.”.

Do not forget many who were healed by Jesus urged to follow Christ and recorded in the New testament, but  Jesus, emphasized and ensured to send them back. One example is the demons possessed man in Mark 5 :18. It says, 'As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged him earnestly that he might remain with him.'  but mark Jesus' response in verse 19 "Jesus did not let him but told him, “Go home to your own people, and report to them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.”.  And are you aware of the outcome dear people? It is recorded in verse 20,  "the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.".  Would you say an Amen for it? How many of us have guds to send people out? Many are careful to hold him/her to be a kindergarten student of their Church /fellowship all their life. Would you want to treat this serious disease? It is time we abandon the selfishness and start revolutionizing people God has given in our hand.

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