"Up on your feet! Take a deep breath! Maybe there's life in you yet. But I wouldn't know it by looking at your busywork; nothing of God's work has been completed. Your condition is desperate. Think of the gift you once had in your hands, the Message you heard with your ears—grasp it again and turn back to God.
"If you pull the covers back over your head and sleep on, oblivious to God, I'll return when you least expect it, break into your life like a thief in the night.
"You still have a few followers of Jesus... who haven't ruined themselves wallowing in the muck of the world's ways. They'll walk with me on parade! They've proved their worth!
"Conquerors will march in the victory parade, their names indelible in the Book of Life. I'll lead them up and present them by name to my Father and his Angels.
"Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches." Revelation 3:1-6
What the church needs is the Word of God and the Spirit of God working through His Word. What we don't need is more activity, more gimmicks, more programs, more contemporary music, more marketing, etc.
In order for something (i.e. the church or a person) to grow it must be alive. In order for someone to grow it must be born. John - chapter 3 tells us that we must be born from above. This is a work of God. When we believe, place our trust in what the Lord Jesus has done for us in giving His life for us, we are born anew. We become new creations see 2 Corinthians 5 and are truly alive!! No amount of activity from the outside will revive a person.
It's time to get back to the basics of Prayer, the Word of God and the Spirit of God working through His Word. A spiritual work can only be accomplished through the Spirit of God.
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This just in: A new book called "Prayers from the Pews: The Power of Praying for Your Church"
What if the problem with the church isn’t what we are doing but rather what we are not doing?
In Prayers from the Pews, Teri Lynne Underwood explores the connection between embracing Scripture, evaluating personal experience, and experiencing the power in praying for your church. Acknowledging the difficulties and short-comings of the “institution of church” while challenging believers to invest in the study of the early church and harness the power of prayer, Teri Lynne brings a voice of hope to the often-hopeless landscape of the modern church experience.
Prayers from the Pews is ideal for individuals seeking guidance in praying for their churches as well as small groups who want to experience the power of prayer in their own congregation. More than another study of prayer, Prayers from the Pews is an invitation to pray.
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