Prophets have been telling us this time would come. You don't have to be one to know that things are shaking everywhere today. While there is a lot of tragedy associated with the shaking, it is an incredible time to be alive and not hide in fear. Instead, it's a time for the Church to shine and spread the good news of Christ. We don't want to miss this opportunity.
John 4:35 Do you not say, "There are still four months and then comes the harvest"? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest.
I take Jesus to mean from this statement we should always be ready to share the good news of the Kingdom of God. But there are special seasons and times where people are hungry to know the truth and find hope that are unlike typical seasons. I believe we are in such a time. It reminds me of the 1970s when I first came to Christ in what we refer to as the "Jesus Movement." World conditions politically, economically, socially, and spiritually are all on shaky ground and in need of true hope. The only real hope for our world is the good news of the Kingdom of God.
Putting the Gospel in its Proper Place
I have been stirred about leading people to Christ as true followers since answering the call of Christ. In the last several years, it has become clear that even though 85 percent of Americans identify in some way with Christianity, there are not that many who are real followers. Yet, the simple truth and power of the Gospel is still holding its power for those who have heard a clear presentation and put their trust in Christ.
Not long ago, I had picture come to mind in a worship time. I saw a freight train moving along its tracks with an engine in the front and the back. In between the engines were different colored boxcars. When I asked the Holy Spirit what I was looking at, it was a very precise answer: The engines were the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the box cars were the stuff of the Kingdom being delivered by the train, which is the Church.
The authority and power of the Holy Spirit runs the engines, but it is through the Gospel. The broad view of what we call "sozo" or salvation is forgiveness, healing, deliverance, wholeness, provision, and life abundant. But without the Gospel there is no entrance into it or a way to deliver it to the people that gives them a pathway to follow Christ.
I hear all kinds of excuses why we should not focus on evangelism. Some are mind-boggling: The Church is not ready; the Church's condition is lacking; there is not enough unity, prayer, and on and on. We rehearse these mindsets while every day people die and go into a Christ-less eternity. If we really believe the Gospel was important for us to have a hope in Heaven, how can we not have the same passion to see others receive the grace of God that came to us?
I realize we can deliver the goods of the Kingdom and hope that those acts of love and kindness of the Lord will lead people to Christ. But even Jesus healed people who never followed Him. Following Jesus starts with a decision to believe and receive what He did for us on the Cross, that He is the Lord of all, and that He has risen from the dead. People are far more likely to make that decision if they are not only loved by Jesus through His people, but also hear His story. It's time to not only demonstrate, but also go and tell people the good news. I am ecstatic at where we have come to in the Church with healing, acts of kindness, social justice and miracles of all kinds becoming normal for many. But the Gospel all by itself is the hope of our nation. You don't have to have the five-fold call of an evangelist to have the heart of one if you have Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Awakening Has Begun
Now I am going to give one example that awakening has begun, knowing there could be many others. But the reason I give this one is because the Gospel is the priority, not an add-on. Some know (but I am not sure how many do yet) that in the Tampa Bay area over 50,000 people have prayed to receive Christ and asked to be filled with the Holy Spirit and put their trust in Him since January of this year alone.
God sent Dr. Rodney Howard Browne to this country in the late '80s with his family and nothing more than a few dollars and a word that God would use him to help America experience another great awakening. He became known for a renewal that has spread all over the world and birthed many visitations, including the Toronto and Pensacola outpourings. Since that time we have seen and experienced sporadic visitations, including healings and many ministries that move in healing. But we have not seen massive conversions to Christ in America since the Jesus Movement. And we have not seen what sustained revivals like the great awakenings of the 1700s and 1800s produced in societal transformation.
The emphasis I love about this ministry and what is happening is that it is first about the love of God through winning people to Christ. Healing, restoration, the baptism of the Holy Spirit and reaching the poor are part of it, too. But the Gospel is the front and back of the train that powers it. The results since January are staggering.
I took one of my young leaders and asked five other pastors to come with us to Florida from Oregon. We all went on the streets, used a simple script which you can quickly memorize as a tool, and got filled up with a fresh fire and passion in the Holy Spirit. Every one of us easily won souls to Christ there and at home. It's not about numbers, though that is significant, too. The reason is that every soul counted is a life saved from eternal darkness and a follower of Christ. The Holy Spirit is the best follow-up person on earth; so getting people filled with the Holy Spirit is a real priority, too, in presenting the Gospel.
I believe we are seeing the beginning of the Great Awakening that the Body of Christ has prayed for – for nearly two decades now. Keep praying, but let's put feet to prayer and hope, and preach good news as a passion and lifestyle.
Denny Cline
Senior Leader, Jesus Pursuit Church
Email: click here
For information about foundational schools and ministries go to www.jesuspursuit.org.
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