Previously: The coming evangelical collapse
Points 1-6 in The Coming Evangelical Collapse have been pretty well addressed in my previous post. All of the article’s assertions are true – IF God is not the Great Shepherd of His church, and IF the prophesied coming Revival, whose purpose is to breathe life and fire into a dead church, and cause it to stand up on its feet, so that the lost come in in great numbers, does not come to pass. But I don’t believe that will happen.
Evangelicalism has been with us since the book of Acts. But the church did sleep through the Middle Ages, while the counterfeit church, with claims to godliness but denying its power, took the ascendancy. But since the Reformation, evangelicalism was reborn and has been increasing. And what do I mean by evangelicalism? I mean, church like the book of Acts. That is normal Christianity. The church where Jesus is Lord, He is worshiped and obeyed, the Spirit radically changes lives by His indwelling, and the Gospel goes forth with power.
The article’s final point, for proof that EC (evangelical Christianity) is on its way out, is that the money will dry up. The great sums of money that are being poured into missions right now are being used primarily to evangelize closed, poor, and unreached areas of the world, and to provide Scriptures to places that do not have them. But what if all that were to stop today? Does God need our money in order to advance His kingdom? I don’t think so. From the seeds that have already been planted, God can entirely change the whole world!
Take Africa, for example. Right now, people come from miles around to bring their dead on pallets and line them up in the shade behind the church building, because when church begins, and the worship of God begins, and He responds to His people by pouring out His presence on them, the dead just leap up and walk away. No one even prays over them anymore, because it is so commonplace. This happens every week in Africa. In places without newspapers and Internet and photographers, so it is not on the 6 o’clock news. But missionaries that our church supports have sent us reports of the amazing things that God is doing, and I am sure that you have heard of them in your congregations, too.
How much money does God need to proclaim His power, His might, and His glory in that way? To be a witness to the whole world? And if He needs money, well, God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and He knows how to get resources to the place He wants resources. If the money dries up in America, that limits God in no way whatsoever.
People, we are going to be living in the most exciting times a human being can ever live in – the witness of God going out to the whole world, with boldness and truth, being confirmed by signs and wonders following. And it will increase and increase until the evidence is so undeniable that God exists, that He is great and glorious, and that He loves everyone with a fervent love. The knowledge and the glory of God will cover the earth as waters cover the seas. And then the Lord Jesus Christ will return. That is what I believe will happen. 🙂
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Update: continued in The coming evangelical collapse, part three
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