It Is Time for Revival in the Land

Romans 13: 8 - 14, Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. NKJV

Today, I want to share some findings about the church and our culture with you that were taken from the research of "The Barna Group." The purpose of this word is to encourage you in your walk of faith as a follower of Christ. If you have ever wondered if you're making a difference in the world, or if you even matter to anyone as a believer in Christ, let me share these staggering stats with you about American society. After reading these percentages, you should have a new-found sense of duty and responsibility to be all that God has ordained you to be as one of His children.

During the WWII generation, the percentage of Bible-believing Christians was 65%. This generation gave birth to the largest baby boom in history... up to that time; they were called the "Baby Boomers." There was a sharp decline of Bible-believing Christians in the Baby-Boomer generation; the percentage went from 65% down to 36%. The Baby Boomers gave then gave birth to Generation X. In this particular generation, the number of Bible-believing Christians now dropped to only 16% from the previous number of 36%.

Now, we come to the new generation that has exploded in number and exceeds the record number of babies who were conceived shortly after the end of WWII. The Millennial Generation has the lowest number of Bible-believing Christians of any generation that we have a record of in the church, at only 4%. Finally, 91% of those polled by The Barna Group say there is "no" absolute truth. 

It is high time, as the Apostle Paul proclaimed in his epistle to the church of his day, for Christians to put off the "works of darkness" and to put on the "armor of light." Our salvation is much nearer now than when we first believed. I was compelled by the Holy Spirit to share the findings of this poll with you to show that we are, indeed, living in dark times. Nevertheless, it is not the time to get in despair or to become despondent over the situation we find ourselves in, but rather it is the time for the CHURCH to RISE UP and be counted for Christ. It's time for us separate ourselves from the pleasures of this world and to become the "salt and light" that Christ ordained us to be. 

Instead of the world influencing the church, let us live out the Word of God so that we are able to influence and impact the world for the glory of God. It is the prayer of many believers; myself included, that we will see a revival of God's holy fire return to the hearts of His children. It's also time that we return to our First Love, Jesus, and seek to please Him, instead of our fleshly appetites.

According to the stats that I have shared with you today, this nation is poised for a revival like this world has never seen. I don't believe it is a coincidence that God has moved upon the heart of Reverend Billy Graham during this season to bring a grassroots movement of evangelism back to the church of America and Canada. It is possible for us to see millions of souls swept into the kingdom of God in 2013. In Romans 5:20, Paul tells us that where sin increased, grace increased the more. God has always had a plan; even so, He needs people to carry out that plan. Won't you join with thousands of believers to turn this tide of evil descent around and proclaim that this is the year for a mighty harvest? You can learn more about "MyHope with Billy Graham on our website. Go to www.whcnorth.org. You will find the link to MyHope there. Will you be a part of this great move of God's Spirit in these last days? Contact me at passion30@whcnorth.org. I look forward to hearing from you.

Reaching Out to a Dark World with the Love of Christ,
Pastor Asa Dockery