It’s happening right now. The institutional church is fading. Even while many megachurches are on the rise, the church as an institution is fading.

The power and the presence are not reaching levels we desire. We’re not living up to 1st Century Church. Two thousand years of history to learn from, and we’re still on the cusp of the great transition. The medium is outdated and the world has come to recognize that “talking” about what’s wrong with society is old hat.

What Is In A Name?

Do you ever stopped to think about what your name means and how that meaning might play into the calling and destiny God has planned for you? I do. Quite often.

As I wrote my name on my latest journal, I felt compelled to write my full name for the first time: Daniel Mark Dessinger. It’s is a significant moment in my life, just like the time when I transitioned from being “Danny” to “Daniel” in 1996.

Before I invited Jesus into my life forever, I resented my formal name. It sounded stuffy and impersonal. I didn’t connect with it. Yes, my parents determined what nickname to call me when I was a child, but I kept it as a teenager because I innately rejected my real name.

This is quite an appeal. I’ve always regretted the events surrounding Mel Gibson’s reputation crisis because the quality of his work in Hollywood has been so great.

Robert Downey Jr. has a way with words. And this story combined with an appeal for forgiveness is compelling, to say the least. Downey highlighted while downplaying the significance of Yom Kippur to his Jewish audience.

“During the Days of Awe, a Jew tries to amend his or her behavior and seek forgiveness for wrongs done against God (bein adam leMakom) and against other human beings (bein adam lechavero).” – Wikipedia

It is a sacred holiday wherein forgiveness of debts is granted and slates are wiped clean. What a masterstroke of timing and approach.

I intended to renew my mind each and every day. And by “intended to”, I really mean “purposefully avoided.” It’s not that I don’t want the benefits of a renewed mind. Obviously I do. It’s that I don’t want to put in the work.

Or even more precise, I don’t want to sacrifice the time it takes to renew my mind. That’s precious downtime. More precious than gold, actually.

There are questions from every side about Rick Perry’s decision to spearhead a call to prayer that resulted in 35,000 people gathering to pray for the nation at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.

As a Christian, the primary question that crops up is this:

Was Rick Perry’s call to prayer genuine, or was he merely starting the momentum for a Presidential campaign?

Obviously, we will never know the answer to that question. Only God knows Governor Perry’s heart on the matter. It could be that the prayer event and Perry’s announcement to run for President could be a fortunate chronological coincidence. Then again, it could have been planned far in advance as a stepping stone to gain majority Republican votes. Or, honestly, it could have been an undesirable coincidence.

As soon as the question of Governor Perry’s motives pop into your head, meditate on this passage:

It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Ultimately, as Paul notes, it is not our responsibility to fact check everyone’s motives. He doesn’t just choose to not complain about it. He rejoices! The Kingdom of God is going out! The gospel is being preached! The Church is achieving unity!  The greater good has been served by having Christ preached and saints unified. Look at the fruit. Christians from a dozen or more denominations gathered under one roof to call out with singular purpose.

Jesus is only coming back for a pure and spotless bride.

If you missed it, you can watch video archives of The Response online.

Bringing a friend to church as a means of evangelism is dead. It may work in something like 10% of cases. In other words, not often enough to rely upon old wineskins.

The most impactful evangelism is America is happening when signs and wonders accompany expressions of love.

People want to love God. The real God. They DON’T want to submit to a God of rules and pressures and guilt and uneventful circumstances. People are drawn to LIFE. Life that oozes the presence and power of God.

The new old evangelism is everyday people like you and me pulling someone aside in the grocery line or at Starbucks and sharing the secrets of their hearts. It’s healing their diseases. It’s getting a word of knowledge for the telemarketer you used to hang up on.

Ministry isn’t something you do every second of the day while living off someone else’s salary and generosity. It’s taking those fleeting moments of opportunity seriously and taking a single risk… over and over and over again.

I’m here to tell you that it’s going to happen. I don’t care what you’ve feared. I don’t care what you’ve wondered. It’s going to happen.

It’s not unconditional, however. You must make the choice. Far too often, we’ve heard a prophetic word declared over our lives and just assumed that “now it’s up to God.”

We’ve languished in mental prisons far too long and with no good excuse.

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