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The real revival - the new reformation
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A New Reformation
The first reformation recovered with liberating clarity the truth of how we’re made right with God, how we receive God’s life and the guarantee of enjoying it forever. I suggest that the reformation needed in the church today would focus on why God gives us life, on the real reason that Jesus died. “It is not for your sake…that I am going to do these things,” God said, “but for the sake of my holy name.” The Spirit would cut through our narcissistic nuttiness to make clear that God saved us in order for Him to receive glory, not to help us feel good about ourselves and lead exciting lives. We would see that Christ’s blood was shed so that, as forgiven disciples, we might trust God when life falls apart rather than expecting Him to keep it together. Light would dispel the fog that prevents us from seeing anything beyond our own longings, and we would realize that life—our relationships, our health, our bank accounts, our time—is not all about us. It’s all about God. He’s the star of the show. We would see that we’re bit players, and we’d be thrilled that we’re part of the drama. No suffering would be viewed as unfair for us to endure if it helped keep the spotlight on Christ. That would be a turnabout, a reformation in our understanding of what God is up to in the gospel. Revival would follow. The Spirit would convince us that under the terms of God’s new arrangement with people—the New Covenant brought in at Pentecost that replaced the old one begun at Sinai—God has done more than we think. We’ve not only been forgiven so completely that the Father now sings over us with delight at every moment from conversion on, but He has also changed us, deeply, profoundly, permanently. Under the new arrangement we’re not merely ordered to glorify God, we now want to. And we’re equipped to do it. It becomes actually possible, we see it as our highest privilege and joy, to revolve our around God. We discover an appetite within us that prefers the pleasures of holiness to the pleasures of sin. With Augustine, we actually experience the joy of knowing God’s love as greater than the very real fun of sexual release—and so we overcome our addictions and express our sexuality within moral boundaries. We experience the pleasure of His company and the privilege of being in His service as far surpassing all lesser pleasures and privileges. And so we mature; we become more like Christ. We lead changed (though still imperfect) lives that reveal a new power in our makeup that puzzles people who watch. We were saved to glorify God. Realizing that one truth is the heart of the reformation that the modern church must experience. And our salvation provides us with all the resources we need to pull it off. That realization and learning how to draw on those resources will begin the revival. Our lives can actually be all about God and not about us. That’s the coming revolution. Think about it. Let your heart dream. From narcissists to worshipers. From people trying hard to make our lives more pleasing to us, to people who make it our priority to please God. Men would turn off their cable pornography. Lonely women would no longer date still-married men. People with limited means would be glad when their friends become rich. Children would spend time with their aging parents and count it a privilege to do so. We’d stop being so damnably selfish and actually be more concerned for others than for ourselves, even when the price is high. The church would shift from a fractious society of ego-driven competitors whose souls never meet to a gathering of broken, grateful saints ruled by the passion of grace. We’d become a community. If the Spirit reforms our understanding of why God bothered to save us in the first place, if He revives our own immediate sense of well-being, a revolution will be set in motion. The church will be on its way to again being the church, never perfectly of course, but perhaps as substantially as i n the days of Acts. -Larry Crabb
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Hi John 666, did Larry mention about teachings that are more pleasing to men? eom. by Ivan, 2001, Oct 30
I don't understand your question...sorry..eom by John Doe 666, 2001, Oct 31
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