The Greatest Need
Romans 13:11-14
* Tonight, I desire to do 2 things which are seemingly opposite of each other. I want to speak to the ‘church’s greatest need’ and then do it in the ‘simplest of terms.’
* To title a message ‘The Greatest Need’ is to cause confusion because everyone in this building knows the greatest need for all of mankind is to come to Jesus and be saved. We know that, without Jesus, people have no relationship to God the Father and without this relationship, there is no heaven – only hell waits. This is the broad view for all of humanity.
* This said; my desire is to tighten our focus from the world to the American church to US (You and me). Let me begin the argument this way: Inside the walls of the church there exists a type of creeping complacency which threatens the local church. Watch this progression; if the local church is threatened then the voice of the gospel is threatened. If the voice of the gospel is threatened then the voice of good and right is threatened. If the voice of good and right is threatened then the culture is threatened and if the culture is threatened then mankind is threatened with eternal damnation. While we don’t like these terms, they are Biblically true.
* Today, the average local church runs 100 or less in attendance and, as you know 75%-90% of these are declining. Many local churches don’t enjoy a good reputation & for some who do have a good reputation, it is simply, they are very tolerant.
* How different is this from those first century Christians and churches who were not tolerant but militant about the truths of Christ. They operated by balancing the uncompromised truth, being led by the Spirit, & exhibiting the love of Christ.
* The greatest need today is not for churches to become larger, for ministries to expand or even for the lost to get saved (these will be naturally resulting outcomes when the greatest need is met). The greatest need is for God’s people to be renewed in their spirit, revived in their souls, and to be revitalized in their service. It is time for ‘judgment to begin in the house of God!’
* As many of you know, for the last 8-10 months I have been praying, searching for, and longing for God to send a spirit of revival in this country and in this place. Since God has placed this burden on my heart, it seems like every conference I have attended, most messages which I have listened to, and even the Southern Baptist Convention, the call is the same – “We need a fresh infilling of God’s Spirit.”
* In March, at ReFresh in the Smokies, I began hearing about a call for Revival called “One Cry.” One Cry (onecry.com) is a national call for spiritual awakening. My belief is that this “One Cry” initiative has real teeth because it starts at the right place; it begins with our recognition of where we are. As I introduce you to this movement, please see the wilted plant in the ground as the church today. What if God decided to send ONE DROP of Holy Spirit water to (VIDEO)
* What a question, “WILL YOU JOIN US?” This is the essence of Jesus’ call.
* Back in January my text was that passage of scripture which I quoted this morning, Romans 13 (Read). Do you remember this outline? We need to ‘wake up’, ‘clean up,’ ‘dress up,’ and ‘step up.’ This is God’s call in this perilous time.
* Have you ever thought about our brand of Christianity? Is this all there is? Did Jesus die just so we could sit in a building a couple times a week, read the Bible, and maintain the status quo–or is it possible, that God has bigger plans & dreams for us?
* The question I have for you today is this: “Are you truly satisfied with the impact the church in America is having on this culture?” If not, then you cannot be satisfied with the impact this church is having on our area and the obvious conclusion is that you cannot be satisfied with YOUR IMPACT ON THOSE IN YOUR sphere of influence.
* Personally, I am taken with the ONE CRY initiative because, as I have already said, it begins at the right place. It admits we are in trouble. This nation is in deep trouble.
* During times of disaster, the President of the United States has the ability to declare a state of National emergency – which suspends business as usual to change normal behavior & allows for the discharge of an emergency plan.
* Sovereignly, the church has the greatest emergency plan ever brought forth and sadly, she either doesn’t know how or when to use it. Maybe, it’s that she can’t bring herself to admit, ‘it’s time.’ The place to begin is to admit we have a problem. Those were chilling words on Apollo 13, “Houston, We Have a problem.”
* Now – let’s begin this journey By Declaring a “State of Emergency.” (READ)
A Declaration of Spiritual Emergency
With heavy hearts, we recognize that the church in America is in a state of spiritual emergency. Like the churches warned in Revelation, we have become lukewarm and compromised, and the light of our witness has grown dim.
We confess that despite access to more resources and biblical teaching than any other group of believers in history, we are not characterized by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. And we acknowledge our lack of widespread impact for Christ on our lost and disintegrating culture.
But God is waking us from our slumber and mobilizing us to pray earnestly for revival. Together, we desire to travel the narrow road of brokenness, humility, and repentance.
In desperation for God, we cry out for the extraordinary work of the Holy Spirit in our day. We believe that true revival is the only hope to reverse our spiritual recession and enable us once again to display the beauty of Jesus Christ and His gospel throughout the world.
Because we believe that only Christ can save, heal, and revive, we pledge to:
TURN – in humble repentance from every sin God reveals to us
PRAY – with urgency for spiritual recovery and awakening
UNITE – with other believers in spreading the hope of Christ-centered revival
Lord, send revival, and let it begin in us!
* We are called to ‘turn,’ ‘pray,’ and ‘unite.’ Consider what this is calling us to do.
1. Turn – The Bible word for turn is ‘repent.’ It is the message of Jesus, John the Baptist, Peter, Paul, and others. It is Jesus’ first word to the world and His last word to the church. It is our call to salvation and to being spirit filled. We will never know the fullness of God until we repent of the ongoing sin in our life. Remember that repentance is not just feeling sorry for what you’ve done; repentance is TURNING AWAY from your sin. In fact, 2 Chronicles 7:14 tell us this is a two step process. We must turn from and turn to. This requires a ‘change of mind & direction.’
* In the latest “Revive” magazine is an article by Del Fehsenfield III who tells the story of Vinko Bogataj. Do you know him? He is the ski jumper whom we have seen fall dozens of times to the voice of Jim McKay’s Wide World of sports.
* As Del tells it, Vinko recognized that the ramp had become too fast which would cause him to fly too far in the air. For this reason, so says Del, after pushing off Vinko made the decision to abort. The result was a fall and as I understand it, a slight concussion – but how does that stack up to disability or death?
* Having already pushed off the ramp in life and beginning to pick up speed, our way has been littered by sin causing our journey to be very treacherous and dangerous. We are faced with two choices; continue or change. Sadly, too many continue instead of change. THE TAKEAWAY: If we are unwilling to turn, He is unwilling.
2. Pray – This morning you heard quoted 2 Thessalonians 5:17 which says, “Pray without ceasing.” This speaks of our attitude of prayer. God desires for us to talk with Him every step of our way each and every day. It is the only way to keep a soft heart and Christ-like demeanor. Several things happen when we pray. These truths are gleaned from the "One Cry" - "Life Action" info, but are deeply true.
* We begin by looking inside.
* First we ‘bow before God.’
* Then we reaffirm to Him that your relationship with Him is your top priority (Staying close to Jesus helps us reject pride which creeps in & leads to destruction).
* Then in prayer, we submit to the authority of the Bible to guide us.
* Next we confess our sins. How long has it been since you named them?
* Through this process, you embrace a desire to be attention & obedient to the Holy Spirit. We are told to “Walk in the Spirit” which means He leads.
* We then continue by looking up.
* Ask God for a healthy fear of Him. This will cause you to care more about His opinion of you than people’s opinion.
* Ask God to show you the depth of your need for Him. Be careful because this will break down your self-sufficiency and pride.
* Ask God to change your mindset so that prayer becomes your ‘first option’ & not your last response.
* Ask God to help you put all your hope in Him. “Confess’ misplaced trust.
* Ask God to trust Him that He can supernaturally intervene in life.
* Ask God to help you to make bringing Glory (fame) to become your greatest passion, priority, and pursuit.
* SEEK HIS FACE! Seek it often.
* We conclude by looking out.
* See people who need the Lord. (people in your circle of influence). See the fields.
* It is only when we become people of prayer that we will become people who are filled with the Spirit. It is only when we become filled with the Spirit that we will become ‘salt’ in this world. And it is only when we become ‘salt’ that we can be used by God to become a change agent. If we are unwilling – so is God.
3. Unite – What a word! Unite! It is the most needed and ignored word given to the church of the Lord Jesus. Church unity today is almost a joke. The reasons for this are many. As I have watched church life from a church staff position, I suggest that the sin of ‘lack of trust’ heads the list. We don’t trust each other, we don’t trust leaders, and we don’t trust pastors which reveal that we really don’t trust God. Because if really trusted God and His sovereignty – we’d find a way to trust those in the family. Jesus said, “Love one another like I have loved you and it is in this way, the world will know that you are mine.” These sound like marching orders. In Acts 2 they were altogether, in one accord, and in one place.
* I suggest that the church today has difficulty being in one accord because she is rarely in one place. If the greatest need of the church is to be ‘Revival’ one of the factors may well be that the church gets together so she can be together.
* Honestly, we could run around this truth all night long – and nothing be changed, ‘IF’ we are too proud and prideful to let God change our hearts.
* One Cry is not a new program or ministry; it is a call to God beginning at the level of your heart and requiring action. Faith is action. This action can be painful but it is required. Without it, there can be no Renewal, Reawakening, or Revival.
* I end with this picturesque story. At the end of WWII, General Douglas MacArthur was the official representative of the US who would meet a highly decorated officer of the Japanese Imperial forces on the deck of the battleship “Missouri.” It was here that the official agreement of surrender would be forged to end the bloodiest war in modern history (up to this time). As the actual moment of the ceremony came to a climax, the Japanese officer extended a hand in the international symbol of friendship and peace. MacArthur kept his hand by his side and firmly said, “Sir, Your sword first, please.” It was only after surrendering the sword that MacArthur offered his hand. You see, until the weapon was handed over, the hostilities had not formally ceased.
* Before God offers us His hand of friendship in Renewal through the pouring out of His Holy Spirit, the weapons of our selfishness, sinfulness, & stubbornness must be handed over. It is now time for us to wake up, clean up, dress up, & step up.
