“You can begin to transform the culture of your church by first seeking God’s revival in your own soul, reinstating in your own heart his vision for reaching this lost and dying world.” These words seemed to leap off of the page when I read them in The Unexpected Adventure by Lee Strobel and Mark Mittelberg (p. 23). They were part of yesterday’s reading for ‘Day 1' of our 42-day adventure of taking everyday risks to talk with people about Jesus.
These words struck me because they make a connection between revival – both in our church and in our personal lives – and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Please go back and read these words again, and then let’s think about them. I see three ideas which we need to consider.
First, I want to see the culture of our church transformed. Over the last decade, our church has declined. The reasons for this, I believe, are varied and complex. Our elders spent a significant amount of time discussing this a little over a week ago, and I spent almost all of the next day praying about and reflecting on it. That’s how seriously we treat this matter. Neither I nor our elders are satisfied to see our church stay on the same plateau. God has called us to build a loving community of Christ followers to reach a culture in need of God’s presence. That is our mission, and we want to see our church culture transformed so that the mission is the main thing. When churches, like ours, have been around for awhile, the “main thing” tends to become our comfort, our likes, and our desires. We may talk about the mission, but it takes second place to our comfort, our likes, and our desires. I pray that this will change so that we are truly gospel-driven and mission-driven!
Second, revival happens in churches when it first happens in individuals. How can we transform the culture of our church? The answer is by first seeking God’s revival in our own lives. Are you familiar with the term “revival”? It refers to God’s work of reviving our commitment to loving, obeying, and serving Him. It is God’s work of restoring our passion for the knowledge of God through Christ. Churches experience this when individuals in those churches experience this. So if we want the culture of our church to be transformed, then the life change has to begin in your life and in my life. How does this happen? The answer is found in the third part of this statement.
Third, revival happens when we recapture God’s vision for reaching this lost and dying world. There is a lot more to say about revival, including the role of prayer. But I believe that Mittelberg and Strobel have hit on an extremely important connection. In the introduction to their book, Strobel writes: “I’ve never head anyone complain saying, ‘My spiritual life is so dry right now; it’s like I’m living in a desert,’ and then add, ‘Oh, by the way, I’m actively trying to reach a friend for Christ.’” The point is, revival comes when we begin taking everyday risks to talk with people about Jesus! Yes, I am convinced that we will see our church transformed to the extent that we follow Jesus’ example in seeking the salvation of lost people (see Luke 19:10). Lord, restore in us a passion for reaching lost people who are in desperate need of your presence!
On the family front, we plan to make a quick trip to Minneapolis tomorrow to help Anna set up her new apartment – the one she and her fiancé, Grant, will move into after their wedding and honeymoon. We’ll return on Saturday, July 4, in time to watch fireworks!
This Sunday, July 5, we will continue our series on restoring worship with a message on “Worship and Giving” from Malachi 3:6-12. We will also spend time in 2 Corinthians 8-9 to learn how the instruction in Malachi carries over to the new covenant age in which we live. We expect our high school team to be back with us from their trip to Queens, New York. They will share about their trip the following Sunday, July 12. Have a good “Independence Day” with your families. I’ll see you on Sunday!
