Sunday I talked about the amazing things happening at Asbury College, also spilling over to the Seminary. I am always reluctant to call things like this a Revival. This is because Revival is something routine, normal and event-related in our Southern vernacular. WE plan and hold a Revival. What is happening at Asbury College and Seminary is more like a sleeping giant awakening from slumber, ready to take Jesus into this fallen world.
When we read this story, I think we all say "We want that here!" I do too! I want God's Spirit to enter every heart, every home, every life and every community. I want all of us to get out of God's way, and get into what God is doing. I want us to stop listening to the nonsense of "Find your/my purpose" and start being open to "Following God's purpose." All of these things ... good things for sure ... require something I speak about when I go out to our local congregations and talk about what is happening in God's Church. It is getting to the point, I am talking less about the Global Methodist Church and more preaching that we must be ready to give the church back to the Jesus that gives it power, presence, purpose and persistence! How do we give the Church back to Jesus?
In Seminary this subject is called Ecclesiology. It is the doctrine of the Church, the Ecclesia ... those who are called-out. The church, without Jesus is powerless, presenceless, purposeless and temporary ... "Upon this rock (the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God) I will build my Church (Matthew 16:18)!" The simple truth built into this short statement is ... we must believe what Jesus said about Himself! Not our reconstruction of Jesus from whatever perspective we like or have chosen for ourselves. Tha ad campaign says, "He gets us!" I applaud the desire to tell people from all walks of life that they can trust and have a relationship with Jesus. But I hope we are not domesticating Jesus into our pal who is here to be all about us. Jesus expressed love to all he met ... but sometimes that love was pretty tough! He called the church leadership of His time vipers and whitewashed tombs. He called a woman who was guilty of adultery to "Go and sin no more." He told us that if we called Him our Lord and savior we would be persecuted, possibly homeless, at odds with our families, challenged by the authorities, and (John the Baptist as an example) even killed. He said we must give up our life to save it and if we try to save our life we will lose it. So ... I ask you ... do you still want that?
I do ... and I hope I am willing to offer up to God what will make this happen. So I leave us today with a prayer ... "Lord ... I am no longer my own but yours. Put me to what you will. Place me with whom you will. Put me to doing. Put me to suffering. Let me be put to work for you, or set aside for you ... praised for you or criticized for you. Let me be full. Let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and full sacrifice all things to your glory and service. And now, O Wonderful and Holy God, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. You are mine and I am yours ... so be it! And the covenant I have made on earth, let it also be made in heaven. Amen." All of my Wesleyan's should know this Covenant Prayer of John Wesley. Let it be ours, for all of us "who want that!"
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