After a few jogging laps around the mall, I returned home with a weird drive to pray for my Church, revival particularly. The whole time I was jogging all I could think of was why for some reason, GCF is experiencing what may be described as a dry spell. While membership and giving are strangely increasing, worship attendance has been decreasing. It is, however, important to note that not only GCF is experiencing such but many churches in our area. Worship halls that used to teem with attendees are seeing more empty chairs Sunday after Sunday in the last several months. I was just jogging earlier with two guys from two other megachurches in our city who said they too are having a dry spell.
And so, I felt an invitation to lay flat on my face and pray. Just as I did my cell beeped with a text message from a pastor asking that I email him a document. I did so before praying. Just as I was about to sign out, I saw this quote in my one open email:
It came just in time when I was about to pray.
The alarming drop in attendance in many churches, not just in ours is a result of the increasing loss of spirituality among Christians and more importantly, the leaders of the church. Couple that with the pride in our hearts as churches that have grown so big and financially rich! We have become self-reliant. We have become complacent. We have become comfortable inside our large, cool, high-tech worship centers and pre-occupied with much programs. We have become more concerned with the breadth of our ministries over the depth of our spirituality.
What I can tell you is that at some point along the way something will happen, something we don’t expect, something that would come at us sideways from out of nowhere– and we have the choice to make about whether or not to let go and fall into the arms of God.
E. M. Bounds wrote, "Revivals are among the charter rights of the Church . . . A revival means a heartbroken pastor. A revival means a church on its knees confessing its sins - the sins of the individual and of the Church - confessing the sins of the times and of the community."
Jesus asserts, “Whoever serves me must follow me and where I am, there will my servant be also…When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself…”
And the mystery looms large and the mystery sounds like thunder, sometimes rattling and resonating our cellular membranes, the essence of our material and spiritual selves. Though we hadn’t thought of it like this before, its almost as if the seed is being put on alert that the time is near for its transformation. Time for the life God has intended for us all along. And if we listen, the voice says, “Watch Jesus. Listen to what he says. Let him move and see what can happen.."
This afternoon at our Pastoral Staff Meeting, each one in the staff has been having that same urge to pray for revival. At the end of our meeting, there was a palpable sense of wanting to pray! I'm not alone in my desire to see genuine spiritual revival take place. But like any other revivals, it must begin with individuals who are willing to be see God for Who He is and be smashed to pieces in order that God could reform us! Revival looms. We are all expectant!
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Readings:
- Revival & Awakening, http://www.liftupusa.com/revival.html
- Stephen Bauman, The Heart of the Gospel, Christ Church New York City, 032909
- Awake and Go, www.watchoword.org
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