The Heart of the Great Awakening

I love reading about church history. I especially love to read about the great movements of God in church history. But, as I read, I always catch my mind asking the same question: “When is the next movement of God coming?” This question has led me to my knees as I pray that I could be a part of that next great movement. You, reading this post, could be responsible for that next great movement. We should not read church history and continue saying to ourselves, “boy I wish I could be a part of something like that”. Instead, we should allow the Holy Spirit to move us to missional living. We… I, should stand up and say, “Here I am Lord, send me”! Believers should be convicted over the lost!

Jonathan Edwards was a great figure during the Great Awakening of the 1700’s. During a great revival in Northampton, Edwards wrote a narrative called “Faithful narrative of the surprising work of God”. In this narrative Edwards states:

“There was scarcely a single person in the town, old or young, left unconcerned about the great things of the eternal world. Those who were wont to be the vainest, and loosest; and those who had been most disposed to think, and speak slightly of vital and experimental religion, were now generally subject to great awakenings. And the work of conversion was carried on in a most astonishing manner, and increased more and more; souls did, as it were, come by flocks to Jesus Christ. From day to day, for many months together, might be seen evident instances of sinners brought out of darkness into marvellous light, and delivered out of a horrible pit, and from the miry clay, and set upon a rock with a new song of praise to God in their mouths.”

How amazing would it be to see flocks, yes FLOCKS, of people turning from sin to Jesus Christ. Being brought out of darkness into marvellous light. Let us take responsibility for living missionally and sharing this hope of salvation to the lost world. HERE I AM LORD, SEND ME!

What do you say?

I just recently read an article by a nutritionist named Jennifer Clampet that said the average American eats between 4,500 and 7,100 calories on Thanksgiving.  Wow!  That means that the average person gains about two pounds of fat on Thanksgiving.  That statistic just blows me away.  We work so hard to eat right, stay healthy, exercise, and take care of ourselves all year and then we blow it in the name of a holiday about giving thanks.  For many people, this one day of unhealthy living leads to an entire month of overeating and under-exercising.  That same article said:

“It’s like they switch off that mental note, and Thanksgiving for some people becomes a five or six day ordeal,” said Leslie Brenton, nutrition coach at Club Sport in Tualatin.

Then there’s the shopping on Black Friday and then outings with friends. Brenton, a registered dietician, says that as the holiday season gets into full swing people cut back on their exercise routines as their days get busier.

This is a very similar picture to our spiritual lives.  We work so hard to live a life of holiness.  We pray, go to church, do good deeds, and seek the Lord.  We try to do our best and work out our salvation.  Then Satan steps in and brings temptation one time and we indulge in whatever it is.  Then, just like eating, sin is a slippery slope that keeps us down.  Instead of a onetime thing, it becomes something we are caught in for a long time.  It is time for believers to exercise their faith.  When we get weighted down with sin, we become useless to the Kingdom.  So, let us join together in the workout program of the Lord.  It goes something like this:

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us”     -Hebrews 12:1 NKJV-

ONE LOVE,ONE GOD, ONE WAY

                   JD

HE IS WORTHY!

“Would you still praise God if He was going to send you to Hell?”  This was a question posed to me about three months ago as I listened to a preacher by the name of Paris Reidhead.  In his sermon “Ten Shekels and a Shirt”, Mr. Reidhead boldly asked this question to his listening congregation.  My very first thought to the question was “NO WAY!”  I accepted Jesus in to my life so that I would not go to Hell.  As Reidhead continues, he made me think twice. 

Do we treat Jesus as a means to an end, or as the ultimate end?  What I did not realize is that my entire philosophy on Christianity was, in all reality, a humanistic view.   Humanism is the idea that the chief end of being is the happiness of men.  It is this idea that has led to the breakdown of people having true relationships with Christ.  We have fallen in to the humanistic view that salvation is simply for the happiness of man. 

In all reality, we should still worship God even if He was going to send us to Hell.  We should not accept Jesus as our Lord to simply get to Heaven, we should accept Jesus so that the Father is glorified.  It is simple:

God created us to be with Him.  That was the whole reason for God creating man and doing that in His image.  The problem is that Our sin seperates us from Him. 

                           “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

                                                              -Romans 3:23-

So, God wanted us to be with Him, to glorify Him and worship Him.  Man messed up and fell in to sin.  So we deserve Hell.  Yet God loves us so much that He sent Jesus as a rescue from sin.  Why?  To renew the relationship between sinful man and holy God.  So, Jesus came for one purpose:  Redeem man.  Therefore, we should accept Christ, not to get to heaven, although this is the ultimate result, but to fulfill the original purpose for man being created.  TO GIVE HIM GLORY, FOR HE IS WORTHY!!

What do you say?