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I was once called idealistic for taking the Word of God to heart. But who is the idealist except the one who calls himself a Christian yet denies the very real continuing and coming activity of the living God upon the earth? Such persons cannot possibly truly know the Lord for isn´t the new birth prima facie evidence of His right now work and power? But these are days that grow ever darker spiritually as the Most High foretold through the prophets of Israel, His Son and His apostles in the 1st century AD. Sadly, this darkness envelopes the many leaders and people making up churches today who practice a form of godliness in religion, but deny the power of the God they profess to serve.
The darkness of religion is one of the major reasons I am not being heard in issuing the Lord´s call to revival in the churches. Religious people hear me to be calling for an event instead of an experience of the heart. Fellow pastors have not been consulted or asked to be on a program so they turn a deaf ear; their pride filled leaders resent "an outsider" who will not seek their approval. This is religion as it has always been: external, flesh driven, self-exalting and devoid of God (Matthew 6:1-18)!
The Revival Meeting today is nothing more than another annual event on the church calendar. After one, everyone remembers how well the guest preacher preached, the choirs "sang" and the people gave or did not give! Nobody laments how few souls from the pulpit to the pews in all repentance really met or had a life-renewing encounter with God. An experience of the heart; this is the kind of revival the Lord God has sought among those who profess to know Him from ancient times (Nehemiah 8:1-9, 9:1-37; Psalm 32:1-7, 34:18, 51:1-17, 119:25-32; Daniel 9:1-19; Luke 7:36-50).
True revival of hearts that have gone dead over time due to compromise, willful sin (rebellion) and the slow poison of religion is desperately needed among the churches of Jesus Christ at this hour. It is our only hope of avoiding His severe judgment (Revelation 3: 1-6). It is our only hope of being effectively used of the Lord to complete His Kingdom command to preach and witness the Gospel to all the nations including, of course, our own increasingly lawless nation before He brings the end of this evil world system (Matthew 24:14).
True revival of hearts in the churches is the only hope we have of restoring men, their families and communities as God wills (Malachi 4:5-6). Those in the many predominantly Black churches especially that have prided ourselves on being the historic champions of our community are in need of this heart revival. For like the ancient Caesar, Nero, who was accused of fiddling as Rome burned, so we truly fiddle in frivolous, self-serving religious activity while our community burns in self-destruction!
Beside the pseudo-Revival Meeting, what church sponsored activities are more frivolous today than king and queen contests, teas, fashion shows, endless annual days and choir musicals? Worship acceptable to God rarely takes place in these events because of the wickedness of the "performers" and worshipers whose high emotion does not impress Him (Jeremiah 7:1-11)! And please, do not call those activities church fellowship since very often folk in attendance barely speak to but instead talk about each other.
In good faith I once led our church to rip and run to traditional black Baptist outings. However, the Lord convicted me that following the traditions of men was causing us to disobey His commandments (Matthew 15:1-9). We spent more time and money so-called "fellowshipping" than doing the work He commanded! Periodic gatherings for true "koinonia" (fellowship) are good. But the events above really just serve the need for money and the central attraction of religion: human self-expression!
Religion endures because it is what we can do. Men love titles, chief seats, making up their own self-righteous rules, being seen and having control. Black folk are not the exception. In fact, we brag "the black church is the only institution we control in America." However, Scripture says Jesus Christ is "Head over all things to the church, which is His body," (Ephesians 1:22-23, NKJV). Surely God does not mean this does He? He does, but the darkness of religion blinds the eyes of men who seize the Lord´s church to exalt themselves!
Yes, black and other men in the flesh do control churches and that is the problem. The Lord cannot get us to carry out His Kingdom agenda because we are busy carrying out our own in the false belief we are entitled to do so as owners (Luke 6:46). As former slaves, ownership among black Americans as a point of pride is understandable if something is actually ours. But God literally owns His true churches since Christ paid the purchase price in full with His blood (Acts 20:28)! Every pastor or any other leaders in a church are only temporary stewards of God´s people and property who will give an account to Christ (Romans 14:7-13; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11; 1 Peter 5:1-4)!
True revival of the heart will cause black church leadership to repent from the deception we own God´s churches and allow Jesus Christ through His Word to sit in His rightful place as Lord! Pastors who do so will cast His vision to the Lord´s people beginning with the "Great Commission" (Matthew 28:18-20). Though we have been privileged to be used by the Lord to minister to the multi-faceted earthly needs of those recovering from the painful experiences of slavery and racism, the primary mission is and always has been saving those souls eternally through the preaching of the Gospel!
To Be Continued Next Issue
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