Many things in Christianity get a bad rap. Most judgment comes from within the church; ministry against ministry and minister against minister, conservative against liberal, charismatic against traditional; denomination against denomination. Why do we even need enemies outside the faith, we are just a bunch of backbiting slanderers. The only thing that I am 100% sure of is that we need a revelation of Jesus! He said it would be better for us if He goes away because if He goes away He would send the Comforter. Who is comforted? I long for a family of people that really love Jesus. It seems like everyone is clamoring for position, power and influence in the body of Christ and I just want to hug someone.
You are a God of love!! Where are Your people of love? You are a God of light!! Where are the sons of the light? Am I blind? I surely hope so; blind to evil. But I am afraid I am not blind, but because I say I can see my sin remains. I am a hopeless finger pointer. Right now I am pointing it at you, Mr. Christian. Are you pointing your finger at me? We must put away the pointing of the finger. Sometimes I think we need a good strong dose of persecution here in the U.S. of A. We have it too easy, way too easy for our own good. What will it take for us to cast aside our foolishness?
Now it feels like I am continually trapped in styles of ministry. Like I have to choose in what way I am to serve Jesus. How much water is in the wine? His glory is so watered down that it is barely recognizable. We get one hallelujah and we think that revival is about to break out, and yet everyone goes home to their secret lives virtually absent of God. There I go finger pointing again.
What is it though? Revival. Is it an animated preacher? Is it signs & wonders? Is it worship that really gets the crowd jumpin’? Seriously, what is it and why do we want it? Nobody likes walls (unless they are the kind of walls that keep out the enemy). Revival can destroy walls (lies). Everything is so twisted. Good is spoken evil of while evil is praised as good.
I want to take that word “revival” and hold it in my imagination, turn it around, examine it from the inside out and ask the Lord what it is we are all looking for. When the meetings are over and everyone goes back to their life, what does it look like? What is true cultural transformation? What does it mean to “shift spiritual atmospheres”, and what does it look like when it happens? I am dead serious folks!! Is it enough to have a few healings, a miracle and someone raised from the dead? Ouch!
When I examine revival what do I see? I see love. I see orphans and widows being fathered. I see real equality expressed from the hearts of men toward all. I see sin being repented of, for good, and righteousness prevailing, because people want to be righteous, not because they have had the hell scared out of them. I see joy in the eyes of all no matter what they are doing!! Happiness is I believe, the real mark of transformation. Happiness in the middle of anything.
