The Fellowship of the Unashamed

 The word ashamed defined means embarrassed because of a person's actions or association. Surely there has been a time when the actions of someone you were associated with embarrassed you and made you feel ashamed to even be near them. The reasons may vary but feeling ashamed can be common. When our third son, Tucker, was around five or six, we went to the grocery store. We made the guys hold our hands walking in parking lots when they were little. Tucker instinctively reached for my hand. That was not unusual. What weirded me out was when he interlocked fingers. He was old enough that it did not feel natural. I did not make a scene, but was ashamed to be seen interlocking fingers with my son walking into the store. 

That is not the thought on my mind. In fact, it is just the opposite. It is not feeling ashamed. Specifically not being ashamed of the gospel. Not being embarrassed to be associated with the Lord Jesus Christ. Not embarrassed by His death on a cross. Not ashamed of the resurrection. Not ashamed of the whole message, and what that means for people in society. You could categorize people in hundreds of different ways. I will only to do so with two. Lost. Saved. 

Let me address lost people first. People are born sinners. It is our natural inclination to sin. Sin comes easily for all of us. We all do it. The Bible confirms this fact in Rom 3:10-11 and Rom 3:23. I don't think that news is a revelation to anyone. We've done wrong and we know it. Here is the part people don't always have straight in their mind. There are consequences to sin. Not just consequences in our lives. There are eternal consequences. Rom 6:23 informs us that the wages of sin is death. Eternal separation from God. Judgement in hell. 

Here is a fact. None of us can do away with or undo our sins. It is like a criminal record stacked against us. Picture Satan as the prosecuting attorney bringing up every wrong we've done. God is the judge. We were helpless. I only stated half of Rom 6:23. The last half informs us the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Jesus took the punishment for sin each of us rightly deserved. To repent of our wrongdoings and embrace God's gift through Jesus of eternal life is what we call salvation. Jesus is our defense attorney. Only He paid the penalty for our guilt. We are justified because He took our punishment. 

I am not ashamed of that message. There is nothing embarrassing about it. Jesus performed a heroic act. People act ashamed of it though. The word gospel literally means "good news." It refers to the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. That is the greatest news in the world and the greatest news that was ever personally shared with me. That message changed my life when Jesus saved me. It is a message I am eager to share with others. 

Paul writes in Romans 1:16 that the gospel message is the power of God to everyone who believes. God empowers that message when it is shared and when it is believed. God transforms lives through that message. There is power in it. Miraculous might you could say. That is also something I am not ashamed to be associated with.

Consider the fact that few Christians share this message with lost people. Some are afraid to do so. Others feel they do not know enough to do so. A few are ashamed of the message because it is not popular in culture and they do not want to be rejected. Christians have been persecuted through the ages. Many have been tortured and killed for their unashamed association with the gospel message. Why would any Christian be ashamed of that message? That message is the hope for the world. It is the hope for every abuser, addict, adulterer, agnostic, and atheist. Jesus is the hope of the world. That is nothing to be ashamed of. Count me and many others I associate with as the Fellowship of the Unashamed. May we stand strong and proclaim that good news until our last breath. 

Preparation for Revival

 I have been a student of revival since the mid 1980s. I have shelves lined with books about revival. I have other shelves on the topic of prayer. Those two things gripped my heart as a college student and with rare exception have continued to do so for over 40 years. It continues to do so today. 

I recently asked God what I needed to do to personally prepare for revival and to lead His church to prepare for revival. The answers are not new. They are laid out plainly in scripture. It is a matter whether we are willing to obey and put forth the effort. I have said this numerous times over the past several decades. When most people ask God to send revival, they have no idea what they are asking. REAL REVIVAL IS COSTLY. 

First, it will cost genuine repentance. We are more prone to generic repentant prayer. Real repentance gets specific. It hurts. It leads to brokenness as God reveals the true condition of our hearts before Him. He demands a change of mind and a change of direction. Back in 2010, we were preparing for revival in FBC Seminole. In a time of repentance and confession of sin, I was convicted about some DVD movies we had at the house. There was offensive language in some of those movies that did not honor God. I did not even tell my family, but I went home when they were out of the house and gathered those movies and threw them away. Sometimes repentance will lead to a change of doubtful habits you are engaged in. It might also include the way you use your time.

 It takes courage to sit before the Lord and to pray Ps 139:23-24. Search me, O God and know my heart. Try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way. God sees our heart whether we pray this or not. The point is not for God to discover what is in our hearts, but for Him to reveal those things to us so we can repent and return to Him. Many people want no part of that. 

It is not surprise that to prepare for revival we must pray. Statistics show that most people pray an average of three minutes a day. Not thirteen or thirty. THREE! That kind of dedication to prayer will never move God to send revival. People say they believe in prayer, but when they pray it is not very long according to research and those prayers sound more like a Christmas wish list. The kind of prayer that moves God to send revival is an all in affair. You lose track of time. You are blood earnest in your petitions. The amount of time required in personal and group prayer is irrelevant if you truly want to see God move in supernatural ways. People will attend Bible studies, worship services, concerts and conferences. Plan a prayer meeting and attendance will dwindle. I have seen it in every church I have served. Many churches do not even have prayer meetings because they know people will not show up. 

Another common element of preparation for revival includes forgiving others and restoring broken relationships. I received a text earlier today telling me about a person who says she will never attend this church again because she was offended by the actions of another lady. A concerned member asked in the text what can we do? Matt 18:15-17 spells out what to do about broken relationships. When I relayed the fact that those two need to talk, I promptly received a replay that the offended woman is unwilling to do  this. That is why so many have broken relationships. We would rather talk to others about our offenses rather than to the one who offended us. When God sends real revival, people get right with one another. Relationships are restored. Past offenses are forgiven. 

Maybe because of these three life altering changes in behavior some are unwilling to do may describe why we do not experience revival often. People are unwilling to make these necessary changes. Which demonstrates to God we are not serious about wanting Him to send revival. We are content to live without it. All the while, the church becomes more apathetic and powerless in a dark culture that needs a sweeping move of God. May God move us to personally prepare for His outpouring.