Towards revival in 10 days

Well, not exactly. Those who know me know that I won’t be dispensing much "how-to" advice here.That is because God’s work cannot be completely reduplicated by the best available means possible. Yet, on the other hand, as a consummate learner and question-asker, I am always seeking to know why churches and leaders are successful, and how we can measure it. Now that I have your attention … (Scroll down at least to the links near the end, an interview worth checking out. The rest of this post is winding a bit.)

What I mean is that in ten days I will be finished with this semester’s course work, and able to delve more deeply into the life of our new church community as Associate Pastor. This has been my life calling and this first month has been an incredible new adventure. Last night I sat down with our Elders over a meal and then conversed back and forth about the dreams and hopes and even obstacles to the vision we share in our community and beyond. God is over-the-top good.

I sense I revival in the small chalk circle around me. Seminary is great for mind, illuminating to the soul, and deeply affects my heart. As I’m not graduating (just taking a break), that experience will continue for a few more years. Yet, with my bandwidth limited as a finite human being, there are books and people and projects I’ve been putting off attending to. Soon some of those will be within touch. And thus I am praying for God to so overwhelm my heart, as He has been, that His passion and drive and zeal and wisdom overflow into this new adventure with our new church. It already has, just that I’ve had to temper myself with some time boundaries that will expand once this semester’s classes are over. Ten days; finish well, my soul.

Perhaps you can join me in this single-minded passion:

"Him [JESUS] we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ."

What an ambition! How can we work towards this end? Paul reminds us of the One power:

"For this I toil, struggling with all His energy that He powerfully works within me." ( Colossians 1:28-29 )

Thankful to be commissioned with that charge, and able to serve full-time in the Gospel. Yet, with a packed schedule, I haven’t yet been able to devote these energies completely toward this end. That’s because as a mere man I can only devote myself so much to various responsibilities. Being a husband and father are at the top of this man’s list, behind (and in no way competing with) being a child and servant of the King, the Creator God Almighty. Those two roles are my most beloved, and without doing them well I would be disqualified from much of any other roles I enjoy. My other two primary roles in life are Associate Pastor and as a seminary student. (Full-time for each those hats mentioned.) So, something has had to give. Late nights and early mornings (as today) have helped keep this learner focused and working towards accomplishing what is on this plate. (Plus this A-student has realized that a few B’s are in God’s will during this season!)

For those still with me, the first thought of this post was aimed at mentioning a two-part interview Tim Keller had with Darryl Dash. Check it out: parts one and two . The topic is effective ministry in a changing culture. And as he does in most things, Tim Keller writes and speaks like a prophet to the church and to culture, not being afraid to disrupt our little Evangelical bubble. Curiously, he is able to do one of the things I love (making people feel a bit uncomfortable) by helping them not realize they are uncomfortable at the moment. Such it is with the gospel of grace, how it reveals the truth of how awful we are while be oh so compellingly awesome and beautiful. Enjoy the tension, and appreciate the Jesus-centered vision he and others speak of.

Back to the revival theme. In part one of the interview Keller talks about what it takes for true revival to take place, and what its fruit becomes. In rightly focusing on a full-throttle emphasis on the gospel of grace , he notes:

When revival breaks out through a recovery of the gospel, three things happen:

1. nominal church members realize they’d never been converted;
2. sleepy, lethargic Christians are energized and renewed;
3. outsider non-Christians are attracted into the beautified worship, community and lives of the converted and renewed church members.

That’s how it works. We need it.

Well said. Read the rest, starting here .