Have you ever thought that the walk we were called to by Jesus Christ was more than 3 Sundays a month for an hour? Have you ever longed for something that truly transfigures your life into a place of radical devotion and unconditional sacrifice? Could there possibly be more than the world of the mega church where the Gospel is watered down with so much creativity (media, props, hype) that the raw power meant to save the soul has been turned into fodder to entertain? As one recent author astutely asked, “Is this more about Holy Spirit or Hype?”
There is a growing urgency in my spirit to warn the Body of Christ of a trend that the enemy would delight in seeing more of that would cause the church to pursue being so relevant that it ceases to have any true relevance at all. When our dress attire and coffee bars have become so sheik but we no longer have demons coming out with a shriek we should be forewarned. Nothing wrong with updating a look or appealing to certain groups but can we please get back to the Jesus style of ministry where things are not so candy coated? One thing about Jesus ministry that you could say that is missing in most churches today is the confrontational nature of Christ against sin and darkness and the heralding of repentance and righteousness before God.
One such church that I heard of recently was actually allowing congregants to bring in alcoholic drinks to the sanctuary during “service.” You may think this to be some small, irrelevant church led by some weird nobody but in reality it is the largest “church” in the entire region of a massive American city! We also see a trend of young pastors and leaders being so worldly that you cannot see any difference between them and the sinners they have deluded themselves into thinking they are reaching. God forbid! When did we cease to be called into a lifestyle of being “salt and light” and start exemplifying a life more sugar coated and shadows?
The time is now for leaders to seek God more than plan their next amazing series. It is time for prayer that greatly overshadows preaching with the supernatural moving of God’s Spirit. The time is now for true conviction in the house of God and abroad by the message of repentance and a lifestyle of complete holiness. Unfortunately, with the fall of so many ministers, we have made anyone that doesn’t get caught in gross sin a hero when the standard of the Bible goes way beyond simple integrity to launching out from that sound platform into great exploits of faith (Heb. 11).
Now is a time for leaders\believers to start examining their walk with the Lord and see if they are bringing forth “fruit that remains.” This goes far beyond a monthly volunteer duty into the place of real compassion for the lost and a trail of lives that have been saved and delivered through your overflowing devotion for Jesus. When are we going to find a message that doesn’t center on us but actually prunes our life for greater service in His Kingdom (Jn. 15:1)? The apathy and superficiality of our present reality has lulled us into a complete slumber in regards to ever seeing the supernatural hand of God at work. When is the last time your church had a divine healing or a word of prophecy? When is the last time you wept in the presence of Almighty God in brokenness before Him? When is the last time you remember tarrying in prayer for just one hour before the Lord? Sadly, these types of questions are not being asked and even more tragic would be the honest answers.
Today my challenge is to all who are hungry and thirsty to press in for righteousness. Press in for the radical love and devotion that has been the hallmark of our faith for 2k years. Press in for the miracles and outpourings of the New Testament to once again light our services with revival fire. Refuse to be caught up in a consumer, user-friendly gospel that is void of all power and focused on church growth alone. It is time for the leaders of today to quit bowing their knee to the idolatry and notoriety of bigness and start looking for a cloud the size of a man’s hand because if you haven’t noticed lately we are in a major spiritual drought in this land. Instead of being caught up in every nuance of the political scene we need to get on our knees and find the heartbeat of our Master.
Rom. 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
1Kings 18:43-44a Then he said to his servant, “Go and look out toward the sea.” The servant went and looked, then returned to Elijah and said, “I didn’t see anything.” Seven times Elijah told him to go and look. Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, “I saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand rising from the sea.”

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