Convinced

How often do we say things like "I'm praying for revival"; or "I long for the day when we see a bunch of people saved"; or "we just need more programs in the church to reach more people"? Give me a break. What we need is for people to be sold out to a God they claim is real and living in their heart. We need people who will stop at nothing to see people saved, have a passion to see lives changed, and seriously long to see families restored. Now, is there anything wrong with praying for revival or wanting to see a "bunch" of people saved? Absolutely not. But, we have grown into a church who sits idly by and hoping for something instead of a proactive church who is willing to beat the bushes for lost people and make an investment in their lives. Revival starts with me. It starts with you. It's not something God is going to do in the life of a man or woman who continues to do the same thing they've always done while expecting different results. That is the definition of insanity.

The church is in desperate need of people who will not only pray for revival but will earnestly seek a deeper relationship with Christ. To pray for it is not enough. Act on your faith. If you truly believe that God is Who you say He is, then ask yourself this question: "what is keeping me from telling the world about this God that I know personally?" I'll tell you what I think it is. I don't think most people know God as well as they might have us think. I'm not talking about knowing the answers to a Sunday School lesson. I'm not even talking about having the "Romans Road" memorized. I'm talking about knowing the Savior of the universe in an intimate and personal way.

As a huge fan of a TV Show, we talk to people about it, we try to convince others why they should watch this show, and we make it our personal mission to keep everyone up to date as the plot thickens with each episode. We don't sit and fret about how to explain the storyline. We don't feel our palms get sweaty and our knees buckle as we consider asking someone if they watched last night's show. But, when it comes to telling someone how we were lost and on our way to hell until God saved our soul, we chicken out and talk about how that's not our gift. Something has to change.

Revival is an action - it's not an event. It is the result of your desire for a deeper relationship. We can sit by no longer and pray for things that we would like to see but are not willing to work for. Spend time with Him. Tell everyone you see about Him. When (and I do mean when) they accept Him, let's get them involved in the relationship. I pray new Christians don't learn from most of us. If they do, they will end up on the sidelines instead of in the game.

Now, what will you do with this challenge? Will you talk about how harsh it was? Will you speak of how much you agree? Will you think of how it relates to someone else instead of taking a long hard look at yourself? Or will you accept the challenge, get on board, and help me win this community for Christ? Is it time for a change - or are we going to repeat the cycle and keep doing things the same way?