(Image via Wikipedia)
The Christian Post put up some observations by mega pastor Francis Chan about the American Church.
Pastor Chan questions whether today’s church is anything like what God originally intended. Here’s some of the quotes –well worth reading:
“You go to a building, someone gives you a bulletin, you sit in a chair, you sing a few songs, a guy delivers maybe a polished message, maybe not, someone sings a solo, you go home.”
“When you read the New Testament, you see the Holy Spirit was supposed to change everything so that this gathering of people who call themselves Christians had this supernatural element about them.”
“Do you really see this supernatural power at work when the believers gather together for what we call church? Isn’t it the same Holy Spirit that’s supposed to be available to us today? Why is it so different?”
“I heard one person say the church nowadays is neither super nor natural,” he says. “Everything is predictable and everything is expected.”
“There’s a truth to that. I feel bad about it. Being around a church culture, even leading a gathering of believers, I’ve gotten pretty good at predicting what’s going to happen in a church service. Was that the way it was supposed to happen?”
“When Jesus said this power (of the Holy Spirit) would come upon you, it really did come upon them and they were powerful beings (Jesus’ disciples). Why is it that in the church so many people are weak or defeated or we get so insecure because we look at ourselves rather than God? It doesn’t make sense.”
“…the response among His people today is: “Hi, welcome to church. Here’s your bulletin. We’ll get you out in an hour. Come back next week.”
“I mean, really? Is that all God intended for us?”
“What would the church look like today if we really stopped taking control of it and let the Holy Spirit lead?”
“I believe this is exactly what the world needs to see.”
Response: I really like the ending. Here’s one pastor who obviously gets it. Those of us who have been seeking revival and renewal have all talked along the same lines about what we observe in the American church.
This is why many of us believe that when revival does come to America it will happen in the public square and in the Marketplace first just like where it started in the first century with the Apostles and also in the ministry of Jesus. The church will be substantially dragged along later kicking all of the way.
This does not mean that there will not be churches involved in the revival. There will be key congregations and groups all across North America that will prepare their members to respond, facilitate, accommodate, and make a place for the move of God. Come Holy Spirit.