For decades the church has been praying for revival. However, for revival to take place, change must happen. Change, by its very nature, is always disruptive and creates tension. This tension is problematic at times, but necessary, if the change desired is to take place. Which means, if we truly want revival, then the Church must be willing to accept and embrace the change necessary to bring about revival.
If revival is the goal, then there has to be some elements of persecution in place in order to accomplish that goal. As pastors, we are called to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ. If the work of the ministry is discipling individuals to Know God and share the hope and good news of Jesus with the world, then it is also necessary to equip the individuals that make up the Church to identify and adapt to the tensions necessary to bring about change. In short, individuals need to be discipled and prepared, both in seasons of revival and in seasons of persecution, to know God and share the hope and good news of Jesus with the world.
If this is true, then why does it seem that so many pastors are anxious and worrying about the potential threat of persecution?
Have these pastors been derelict in their duties to equip the saints and instead been placating the masses with easily consumable life lessons that have no eternal impact?
Have these pastors failed to equip the saints under their charge to process information correctly with a Christian mindset in order to filter out the nonsense and to discern the best way to share the hope and good news of Jesus with others in any situation?
Have these pastors emasculated themselves from the power of the Holy Spirit to change lives and subjugated themselves to the whims of the perceived cultural and societal needs for the sake. maintaining a status quo, of placing “butts in the the seats”, and procuring consistently increasing tithes and offerings?
Have these pastors embraced a “victim” mindset that has created an “us versus them” framework that’s allowed various cult ideologies to exist rather then a “victor” mindset that creates an “all have sinned” framework that correctly positions Jesus as the hope and salvation for the world?
Why are so many pastors worrying about the potential threat of persecution instead of focusing on the hope of Jesus?
