AMERICA IS NOW RIPE FOR A REVIVAL
Historically speaking, revivals and mass awakenings follow long seasons of moral and spiritual decline. Good news; America is prepped for a historic revival in more ways than one. Yes, we are definitely in the throes of a moral and spiritual decline. If you differ with me on this point, maybe you need to go back to bed.
America’s moral decline is hallmarked by the ongoing objectification of women, our latent under the surface anger, our growing disdain for authority (police & government), the discounting of human life (abortion & school shootings), our deadly obsession with opiates, bullying, divisiveness, character assassination, and the list goes on regarding the family, the media, etc. etc. I use the word “our” because Nehemiah confessed the sins of his nation while they were not his own, why shouldn’t we?
America’s spiritual decline can be attributed to some church’s willingness to make accommodations for absolutes. Ironically, when the church gets goofy with core doctrine in hopes of being more relevant, the church only loses its credibility and relevancy. The hopeless world needs a church that stands up and believes and remains distinctive rather than one that sits down while compromising to look more appealing to a lost, dying, and angry world. Churches can change style and look and approaches but not doctrine. When sin is diluted or redefined, so too is the need for redemption, repentance, forgiveness, conviction, confession, and a Savior. Some churches or denominations have basically told the populous that their need for Christ is far less than even the culture originally thought.
Show me a nation that is confused, and I will show you a church that likely caused the confusion. Think about it, a nation is but a reflection of the health of the church. Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people (Proverbs 14:34). So, we have a moral and spiritual decline. In a way, this is really good news. We are prepped for a historic revival/awakening. There are two cultural distinctives that will help facilitate a revival and an awakening.
#1. A “Voice”
Our culture has reached an expert status in two areas that will eventually cause the gospel to spread. Individuals today now have something that was very hard to come by decades ago. Twenty-first century Americans have a “voice”. People today have a “platform” from which they launch stories, opinions, and humor as they also live vicariously through other people expressing themselves on their social media platform. Just like the Roman road system (Gal. 4:4) and shipping lanes were the ideal carrier of the gospel in the first century, social media will be the ideal infrastructure for testimonies of the Presence of God, transformation, healings, unity, sobriety. The “voice” longed for is now here. Facebook will one day be used to get people’s faces in the Book. While we have been falling apart, God is fostering a communication infrastructure to make Him the most talked about figure in all the world.
#2. The Joining of Voices
Our culture is enamored with causes and movements. Individual voices are good but when these voices join one another, they become a cause oriented, synergistic, symphonic movement that seeks to bring about transformation. Our cultural craving for movements will soon be satisfied with a divine movement in which once disgruntled tweeters will become ambassadors moving people closer to Christ. That’s a movement to long for and pray for.
We have a choice. We can dwell on how things are not going well while we share our disdain and offer little to no real solutions, or look closer and see that this culture is being prepped for an aggressive sweeping of the Spirit as in days past when the moral and spiritual decline of our nation rivaled our current mess. Which do you choose? Which will you act upon? What are you expecting and praying for? Dream a little for a moment.
-Dr. Gary Hewins,
Lifepoints.life
