I gasped in disbelief as I watched a fan stretching over the railing of the upper deck trying to catch a fly ball at a baseball game. At the last second, a fellow fan grabbed his legs and held on with all his might, pulling him to safety.
I couldn't help but think of our nation. Because of misplaced priorities, America is also falling headlong into the devastating consequences of greed, selfishness, and pride like never before ... and only one Person can save us!
In our culture, never before has immorality been more rampant, marriage more discarded, and leaders more misguided. And in the church, never has prayer been more absent, our children more spiritually disconnected, and eternity more disregarded.
Yet in mercy, God keeps holding on. His heart reaches out to rescue anyone who will genuinely turn to Him in true humility and faith. Jesus Christ loves to respond to the cries of those who seek Him.
Yes, the days in which we live are urgent, but America's final chapter has not yet been written. Despite our precipitous digression into encroaching evil and deserved judgment, God's promises are still true—if we will repent, God will relent (Jeremiah 18:7-8).
This promise is given in the Old and New Testaments, [1] as well as proven time and again in the history of revival. [2] And it's still true today.
This summer, Life Action Ministries celebrates 40 years on mission to ignite movements of authentic Christianity, like the early believers experienced when the Holy Spirit fell on them with might and power (Acts 2:42-46). Here's what happens when God's Spirit comes:
In other words, authentic Christianity is when Christ is the ruler and leader of the church, the Holy Spirit is manifesting His power, and the presence of God is felt everywhere.
Transformation is commonplace, and the deepest wounds are supernaturally healed. The impossible becomes probable, the embittered become filled with thanksgiving, and unforgiveness is replaced by the irresistible love of the Savior.
The call to this kind of authentic Christianity is burning in my heart. It is a call (perhaps a final call) to fervently seek the Lord for wide-scale spiritual awakening. And it's a call not primarily to nations, but rather a fervent plea to God's people—revival begins with us.
Are we in the last days? We don't know for certain, but we do know that the indicators are more numerous than ever before. That's why, as Life Action celebrates 40 years, we're turning the page to a brand new chapter of pursuing God with urgency and expanded vision. [Read more about OneCry.]
Three questions are fueling our passion and focusing our efforts:
What if America is not an exception to God's judgment? [We're not!]
What if the promises of God for revival are still true today? [They are!]
What if God is raising up an army of believers "for such a time as this"? [He is!]
The kind of urgency required today is no less than when the prophet Joel anguished over the coldness, callousness, carnality, and complacency of God's people in his day: "'Even now,' declares the Lord, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning'" (Joel 2:12).
This is the kind of intensity and urgency that I believe needs to grip our hearts today as we contemplate the need for revival in North America. It is the kind of holy desperation that caused the prophet Jeremiah to cry out, "My eyes fail from weeping, I am in torment within, my heart is poured out on the ground because my people are destroyed" (Lamentations 2:11).
What about you? Do you sense the urgency? Are you convinced that the time is now? Will you be one of those who hold on for revival?
ENDNOTES:
[1] 2 Chronicles 7:14; James 4:8-10; Revelation 2–3
[2] See “Flashes of His Glory,” p. 22
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