Those who know me already know that I have been praying for Church revival and a national Spiritual Awakening for many years. What you might not know is that it has been since approximately 1992; nearly 30 years.
A special friend asked me recently what keeps me going, what keeps me from giving up, my answer was, “It’s worth it to stick with it!” Beloved, when God calls you to something, no matter the difficulty attached to the task, it is worth it to see it to completion according to His design. I believe God wants His Church to be revived, but His Church needs to want revival more than anything else and be willing to pay the price to achieve revival.
Historically, Church revival and Spiritual Awakening in the Church region were almost simultaneous in timing. When Christians sincerely pray for revival with fervency and humble repentance becoming righteousness, God sincerely heals the land, beginning at the Church.
Here is where we come to a blockage. I fear we will not experience a national Spiritual Awakening until we experience a national Church revival. Can you see our problem? Do you sense the blockage? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters, we have been speaking often about the terrible divisions in America; it is true and oh so sad. However, I think America has a bigger problem that she is not even aware of, and I do not believe the Church has even the slightest idea based on what I see, hear and read about nearly every day.
The Church is in sinful behavior as a practice because the Church is terribly divided and it seems to not just enjoy it, it works hard to maintain the things that divide her. However, before one moves to the political differences which have become somewhat obvious, she is not yet even in unity biblically speaking either and that is much worse! The Church must have unity of purpose to God above everything else, even politics or our self importance as churches or denominations.
God calls the Church His Bride, not His Brides! Jesus prayed that the Church would be One, not many of various thoughts and beliefs! The evil one has us right where he has always wanted us; who do you think coined the phrase first, “Divide and conquer”?
“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10).
“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous” (1 Peter 3:8).
“Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Philippians 2:2).
“Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Colossians 3:14).
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133:1).
“Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you” (2 Corinthians 13:11).
“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:1-6).
“That you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:6).
Church, America is being destroyed from the inside therefore she must be saved from the inside. And the pathway is paved with a humbled, repented, unified Church seeking the Father’s face.
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Church, lack of unity goes against God’s desires for His church. An intentional lack of unity is sin! How can we claim to be a people of the New Covenant if we refuse to be in covenant with one another? How can we experience koinonia with God yet refuse to experience the same between the various churches which make up His Church, His Bride? We claim to believe it, but we fail to live it out as though we truly believe it.
Church! Bride! We must finally and once and for all time get this right! Pray On! . . . together, in unity!
