By Orlando Cabrera
Leonard Ravenhill was a Christian Evangelist from England who died in 1994 at the age of 86. Ravenhill had a deep, deep interest in church history and Christian revival. His passion for Christ, his burden for the lost, and his fascination with Church revival, all led him to devote his life to the ministry of evangelism.
During the second World War, the Lord powerfully used Ravenhill to lead large revival meetings, seeing many people come to faith in Jesus Christ. Alongside of his work as an evangelist, Ravenhill was also a gifted author. Most of his writings centered on prayer and revival. Among the many books he wrote, my favorite is entitled “Why Revival Tarries”.
As we prayerfully prepare for Revive Us, this quote sticks in my mind and heart.
"Dear believers, listen. The world is not waiting for a new definition of the Gospel, but for a new demonstration of the power of the Gospel.”
I could fill pages on why this resonates with me so deeply, but let me just say this… So much of what Ravenhill expresses here is found in the words of Scripture. God has not called His church to refine or redefine His Gospel, but to obey it (2 Thess. 1:4-6), to walk in a manner worthy of it,(1 Thess. 2:12) and to proclaim it unashamedly (Romans 1:16).
Our prayer, as pastors here at Summit, is that each of us would grow to be fully devoted disciples of Jesus who glorify God by representing the Gospel to every man, woman, and child. This is NOT a call to something astonishing, but a call to live in ordinary ways through the extraordinary power of God’s Holy Spirit.
THE BARRIER TO GOD’S MISSION
If we’re being honest, the culture around us isn’t the greatest barrier to the mission; the greatest barrier is ourselves. Me. You. Missional living is an overflow of intimacy with God. We know this - we naturally share with others what we are enjoying, experiencing, and delighting in most in any given season of our lives. If we aren’t enjoying, delighting in, and experiencing the Lord’s presence in fresh ways, it will severely impact how freely and joyfully we share His message and grace with others.
THE PRIVILEGE OF MISSIONAL LIVING
Here’s something else to consider. Missional living isn’t a religious chore. It’s not something we have to do, rather, it’s a grace-filled invitation into the mission of God in the world. When the awe and wonder of that reality is lost on us, our passion to share the Gospel will wane. God is not served by human hands as though He needed anything (Acts 17:25), but He does desire to use His children to fulfill His purposes. Why? Because as we faithfully participate with Him, we get to experience His glory, His power, His presence, and His grace in ways we otherwise would not be able to.
SOLO VS. COMMUNITY
Here’s something else. When we think about missional living, is our default to think solo? Or do we remember that this is NOT a solo project? We are called to walk in fellowship with the Holy Spirit and in unity and partnership with the body of Christ, the Church. God doesn’t have lone-rangers. Missional living disconnected from those two gracious gifts will always feel laborious rather than liberating. It’s no wonder the Enemy, the Deceiver, loves to try to isolate us so much.
THE HINDRANCE OF SIN
Let me give you one more hindrance to the mission of God. Unrepentant sin will always hijack our joy and prevent us from living into God’s mission. Makes sense doesn’t it? Sin grieves the Holy Spirit and breaks our fellowship with the Father, and both are key factors in our missional engagement. It’s not the sin of others that is our greatest barrier to joining God in His mission, it’s the sin within ourselves that we try to conceal, minimize, and leave unconfessed that is the greatest hindrance to us.
You may be wondering where am I going with this. Well here it is. Our culture and the world around us is not the problem; they are our mission. God has sovereignly placed us here at this time in history to represent Him. By the Spirit’s power, we must break down the barriers to the mission by surrendering ourselves fully to God and pursuing Him as our greatest treasure.
My prayer for our upcoming “Revive Us” gathering is that it would be a catalyst for each of us…that as God revives us, He would convict us, purify us, empower us, unify us, and launch us out with vigor to those places where we work, live, and play with a deep burden for those who are far from Him and a yearning to see Jesus draw them to Himself. I ask that you join me in prayer and join us on the evenings of February 6th-9th at 6:30pm at our University Campus. God bless you.