It is told of A.B. Simpson, founder of The Christian and Missionary Alliance, that he prayed daily with his arms wrapped around a globe. As difficult as it may be for us to comprehend the depth of this mans love for those who did not know Christ, the vision of him praying is a vivid reminder of what is missing in the church today! Unless we rekindle this kind of love for the lost, those without Christ, the church becomes viral. The ‘Great Commission’ becomes the ‘Great Omission’ and we become ‘unhealthy’ churches.
If we understand the principles of the feeding cycle of our physical bodies we soon learn that if we only take food in and it never passes through our bodies we soon become very sick and eventually die. The ‘unhealthy church’ that we hear so much about in recent times is really a victim of it’s own spiritual nutritional habits. Since the days of what I call the ‘Intellectual Evangelical Movement’ of the 70’s the church has been ‘feeding’ on the Word for personal growth (discipleship) but has become so selfish that it has refused to allow the Word to pass through it to share with the lost. Therefore, the lost remain lost and the church has become ‘unhealthy’!
When the church is evangelizing, the church is healthy! There is no greater thrill in the life of an individual believer or in the life of the local church than when someone receives Christ. Even the angels rejoice! When we, through various attitudes and behaviors, abandon this natural process we become dormant and stagnant in our faith. This condition results in believers ‘finding faults’ instead of ‘finding fulfillment.’ THE LOCAL CHURCH, THROUGH INDIVIDUAL BELIEVERS, NEEDS TO BE LEADING THE LOST OT CHRIST! It is the void in each individual of the local church that causes spiritual frustration resulting in the current climate for pastors, church members and denominations. We must seek His presence!
Uncle Buddy Robinson, renown evangelist of the Church of The Nazarene of the 1950’s and 1960’s, preached such powerful messages that so convicted his listeners that they fell to their knees weeping. His passion for Christ and the lost was incredible. Many received Christ then and many are still receiving Christ today as a result of his passion and God’s power.
It is told how when he went to bed one night at the home he was staying at after a revival/evangelistic meeting. He had hung his suit pants over a chair and when he went to lie down in bed he noticed that there was a hole worn right through in the seat of the pants. He hung his head with anguish because it was the only suit he owned and he had to preach again the next night. Finally in tears he prayed something like this:
‘Dear Jesus, I don’t have another suit and you know that. I don’t want to be embarrassed and I don’t want to embarrass you by preaching Your Word in these worn out pants with a hole in them. I would appreciate it if you would somehow provide me with a new suit or fix these pants. But Jesus, if for some reason you choose not to do either, I’ll still preach!’
The story goes that Buddy Robinson woke up the next morning and the hole was gone, as if it never was there.
The Holy Spirit power of the ‘evangelizing Church’ is the hunger of the local church that we have been neglecting to feed. The ‘power’ of the church has given way to the ‘program’ of the church. And the lost remain lost and the church remains ‘unhealthy.’ We must seek His power!
And finally, we should dwell on His purpose. Paul writes in Romans chapter eight, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (NIV). The church needs to spend time individually and corporately dwelling on His purpose. If His purpose is prayerfully sought in earnest, evangelism and the Great Commission will soon be the passion of the local church. We must seek His purpose!
We must seek Him!
