Leviticus 26:19-20 "I will break down your strong pride. I will make your sky like iron and your land like bronze...Your land will not yield its produce...."
Reading those words this morning I sensed a powerful urge to stop and read no further. Could it be that the lack of spiritual fruit (i.e. the lack of new believers, the lack of evangelistic fervor if you will, the lack of a passion to share Jesus Christ in ways that are meaningful and significant with a generation of spiritually hungry people) is rooted in our own pride?
I know several spiritual people who have little room for 'church' in their lives. As I was praying and reading God's Word this morning a couple of thoughts:
1. Do our worship services focus on God, His Son, and the reality of His Spirit, or are we celebrating our past, focusing on our traditions and concentrating on our own unmet needs?
2. Are we as individuals vibrant about Jesus or are we excited about 'church?' There is a HUGE difference between inviting people to follow Jesus and inviting people to 'come to church.'
3. Are we using the wrong tools? Spiritual warfare cannot be fought with better marketing, more attractive facilities, more 'user-friendly' worship styles. Spiritual warfare muse be waged spiritually. The first battle is not with Satan's grip on the lost- It must be with Satan's infiltration of my own heart, the weeds of sin that have taken such deep root in my own heart and mind.
This is heavy stuff, but frankly, I am no longer a young pastor. I have fewer years of ministry ahead of me than behind me. I am desperate to see God move. Join me in battle- that God will reveal sin in us as believers, that we will allow the Son to root out our sin, that we will seek the filling and empowering of the Holy Spirit to reflect Jesus Christ- not some vision of 'church' to a lost and dying world that is hungry for meaning, for hope, and for purpose!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment