As I read his analysis of a project that he and his family experienced in 2017, I was amazed at how similar our perspective is on what God is doing among the faithful. So, I wanted to share his testimony, and thought you would be blessed by it as we get ready to enter 2018. Read and contemplate...
We sold everything (our cars, furniture and home) in
2016 and moved our family of five into a motor home to travel the entire United
States in 2017 on a tour we called the Trail Of Fire. This week, we
arrived back where we started. We covered 50,000 miles, visited 47 states and
connected with 80 amazing ministries.
This past month, the question I have been asked the most is "What
is your biggest takeaway?" Curious?
One thing this year has done for us is this: it has given us a national
perspective. We didn't just pass through a city or state, we lived there. We
didn't just minister in the church. We walked their streets, bought groceries
in their supermarkets, sat in their homes and around their tables. We spent
time getting to know them and listening to their stories. Our lives have been
greatly enriched because so many were willing to share their own lives with us.
It's been a blessing! We set out in January of 2017 dreaming about the
impact we could make on the nation; however, we never considered the impact the
nation would make on us. We have truly been changed by this year for the
better!
Ultimately, we found a great remnant across the land that also carries
the same burden for national awakening. These churches, ministries, revival
hubs and houses of prayer are strategically positioned across America. They are a faithful
battalion of believers that have made seeking a greater awakening for their
city a priority.
This year has greatly encouraged me about the possibilities for
national awakening. I believe that true nationwide revival is not just a
distant dream, but an imminent reality if we will pay the price. I assure you
that though the full breakthrough we've prayed for may tarry, we ourselves are
not tarrying in vain!
So, what was my biggest takeaway from 2017?
Just as I am encouraged at all we saw and experienced, I also see a
tremendous need. I believe the church, as a whole, has lost its eternal
perspective. So much of what occupies our present time is making little eternal
impact. This must change if we have any hope of true revival.
This week I came across the following in a book called In Light of Eternity. It is the
biography of the late great revivalist, Leonard Ravenhill. At the end of the
book the biographer writes the following account. He asked Ravenhill in the last
year of his life if he had any regrets. This was his response:
"If I had spent more time alone with God rather
than preaching and planning how I was going to change the world, I would be a
very different man."
Stop and read that again! "If I had spent more time alone with God
rather than preaching and planning how I was going to change the world, I would
be a very different man." I pray it hits you like it did me!
Ravenhill was a man with a colossal prayer life. He would often spend
entire days locked away in his study in prayer. I've heard unbelievable stories
about the prayer meetings he hosted. The man was a giant in prayer, yet here he
was, at the end of his mortal life, with eternity in view and his response was,
if only I had prayed more and preached and planned less.
If such a man could say this, how much more should we!
That quote only reinforced what I had been feeling over the past few
months—that so much of what the church
world is doing right now is missing eternal intentionality. Let's be honest, we
could all say, "If we spent more time alone with God this year, rather
than—(preparing that sermon series, watching television, golfing, on
Facebook), I would be a different person right now."
Interestingly, here we are back where we started, and I find myself
confronted with a truth I wrote about one year ago in my book, Trail of Fire. Fifty thousand miles
traveled, only to arrive right where we began. I am convinced the Lord gave us
this assignment to give us His perspective on a serious need within the
American church. This is the key to unlocking
national awakening—we must bring eternity into view.
I said above that much of what the
church occupies its time with carries very little eternal significance. Most of
what we call "ministry" is really day-to-day maintenance.
Granted, this daily maintenance is necessary, and when done properly, it allows
us to actually do ministry. However, let's not confuse the two as being the
same thing.
This is true for individuals and churches.
Whether it is working a 9-5 just to make one more paycheck so you can make one
more payment or if it's one more Sunday so we have one more offering just to
keep the wheels spinning one more week, the effects are temporal, not eternal.
I think back to all the meetings, the plans, the series, the programs,
the budgets, the tasks that I let dominate my time and realize much of it could
have been eliminated or done more efficiently, allowing more time to pray and
truly love others. At one time, I called all of it ministry and was proud of my
busy ministry life. Looking back through the lens of eternity, I see so much of
that was arrogance. It is only the things
that impact eternity that can truly be called ministry.
This year, I stood by a man and watched as he was born again. What a
moment to witness and share with him. I've seen this so many times this year.
There is nothing like seeing eternal life come into what was once a broken
soul. That moment changed eternity, not just for him, but for his family as
well. I think about the orphans in Uganda we were able to help through
our giving. Yes, it was a simple thing that simply met a temporary need.
However, it also enabled a local church to show the love of Christ to them as
well. That moment impacted eternity. This was ministry! We should have, could
have done more!
The key to true eternal impact is found in learning to
minimize the maintenance so we can maximize the ministry. This shift is made
simple by adopting an eternal perspective.
Jonathan Edwards often prayed, "Oh
God, stamp eternity upon my eyeballs." He endeavored to live each day with eternity firmly fixed in view.
The result was America's
First Great Awakening. Ravenhill wrote that were we to be so bold to pray such
a prayer, we would likely change everything we do.
Now, there's a thought. Ravenhill went on further to say, "Five minutes inside eternity and we will wish
that we had sacrificed more, wept more, grieved more, loved and prayed more,
and given more." Oh, my friend, if that statement is true, then a
great deal must change. If we truly desire to see more in the coming year then
we need to start living with eternal intentionality today.
So what do we do? Let's start here. Take a moment to evaluate
2017 in light of eternity. What things have you done that will make a
difference 10 years, 100 years or even 1,000 years from now? Take a look at
your checking account. How much money went into temporary things and how much
went into things that will last? How much more could have been moved
toward eternal purposes? Look at your calendar. How much time was wasted
in frivolous activities and how much was sown into eternity?
I admit, this is a sobering exercise, but it is necessary. Too often,
we treat time as if it is something that can be wasted. However, eternity
leaves no time wasted. Each second is precious and must be invested wisely.
Here are three eternal priority shifts we must make this year:
1) Prioritize the Secret Place. Rather
than letting that place of prayer and devotion be the last place you run to,
let it be the first place. We must tackle each day and every problem from the
same starting point. There is no getting around this. Prayer must be paramount.
2) Prioritize the Word. God's Word
is eternal, powerful and life-changing, but it does you no good as long as the
words sit unread on the shelf. The American church is becoming increasingly
and biblically illiterate. If you're a pastor, I encourage you to minimize the
trivial sermon series that offer a few verses and take your congregation into
actual study of biblical texts. Let's preach the Word and let the Word
transform them. Don't just give your people verses, give them the Word. For the
rest of us, let me encourage you to adopt a daily reading plan. Get the Word in
you!
3) Prioritize Eternity in your Present.
Every day is pregnant with eternal possibilities. Most go unnoticed and
unrealized. Make it a daily goal to look for one eternal moment in each day.
You'll be surprised how many there are.
Eternal intentionality is the key to making 2018 more
significant. Eternal intentionality is the key to getting the
church on track toward awakening. Eternal intentionality is the key we've been
missing. It's time we find it.WOW! I feel like I could have written so much of this article! And there are several perspectives that struck me as identical to my views. First of all, I am in agreement that there is an awakening and revival among the faithful remnant of this country. And as I have written, God is now connecting us, making for a bigger impact for the Kingdom of God.
Then there is the idea that Daniel Norris presents that the Church has become all about "Maintenance". I would expound upon that and say it has become a Business. The Church's efforts are too often spent more on budgets and programs, than equipping the saints to continue the work of Jesus. And I agree with Mr. Norris, that this applies to us as individuals, too. It is sobering when we look at where we spend our efforts -- both financially and spiritually. How many hours a day do we spend watching TV versus studying the Word? How much of our money goes towards buying things "of the world" for ourselves versus spending our money to help ministries or individuals that are making a difference for the Kingdom?
I join with Daniel Norris in challenging myself [and you] with this question: How much have we sown into eternity? Could I stand before Jesus right now and be proud of how I've invested my time and treasure on earth?
And, if you have been reading my blog for awhile, then you will recognize my advice for 2018: 1) Make your prayer life change the atmosphere and display the power of Heaven, so that both you and others have encounters with God. 2) Be ever-mindful of the opportunities to present Jesus to the world. That is our commission! There are 365 days in a year -- how many days were you able to meet that goal? 3) We are all the Church. We don't need to meet in a building to come together and work with Jesus to take back territory from the Enemy and advance the Kingdom. When two or more are gathered in the Name of Jesus, that qualifies as the Body of Christ. It's all about exhibiting the Power of the Holy Spirit in how we represent Him. Without the power that He walked in, we cannot fulfill our commission.
So, let's look forward to 2018 and all that we can accomplish for the Kingdom. Let's get excited for what God is going to do across America, and the part we can play when we cooperate with Him. We were born for such a time as this!
Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that He may come and rain righteousness upon you.
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