Living for ‘Revival’

 by Chris Jones

If I could zero in on a particular audience for this post, I’d say it’s for my Christian friends. Specifically, it’s for those who consider themselves to be “Evangelical”. More precisely, I’m thinking of those who are praying for something we generally refer to as “revival”; an awakening of our spirits, a movement towards repentance, resulting in deeper fellowship with God, spilling into and filling every corner of our lives. Do I have your attention?

In recent months, I’ve experienced a growing sense that the awakening we’re pursuing will not only be characterized, but catalyzed by two things: “compassion” and “generosity”. Although the two might be easily summed by saying “charity” or “love”, I think it’s important to see their progression. A thought or image triggers our compassion, hopefully moving us towards acts of generosity. My concern is in wondering what obstacles stand in the way of us, as a body, walking these out in practical, everyday applications.

As much as we want to believe that we’re compassionate and generous people, do our lives yield enough evidence to provide proof? Are we able to allow our generosity to take us to a place where our lives might become less comfortable?

At the risk of stirring the negative emotions and political opinions many have assigned to them, consider the following scenarios. Think about the college kid somewhere in the middle of America, asking for help with his mounting student debt. In a different town, there’s a single mother asking for a bump in pay to help spread her little income over many expenses. Broken families ask for protection from those they see as their oppressors. While one might feel justified in criticizing the notion that a system of government should intervene on their behalf, what other solution exists in the absence of the manifest compassion and generosity of their local communities? How might the compassion and generosity of God’s people change these seemingly unsolvable situations?

Is it really a surprise that revival doesn’t come to America, when much of the evidence seems to reveal our real dysfunction? Of all the requests we could make of God, have we failed to take firm hold of the basic tools He has already given us? What if our pursuit of revival began with earnest prayers to grow in the fruit He has promised us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (Galatians 5)?  I believe this is the answer to all of the above.

Isn’t it true that the contrast of our joy, peace, patience and self control, against the world’s despair, should move our hearts with compassion to see people restored? What role might more love, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and gentleness play in motivating us to meet the needs of our neighbors, in generosity, with the resources of God’s Kingdom? What real, lasting revival might be sparked if we stopped just praying for it, and committed ourselves to living for it?

Is Happiness Stealing Our Joy?

 by Chris Jones

You know that feeling, the one you get when you’ve gone out of your way for someone. Weather in response to that “still, small voice” or personal gumption, there’s a sense of a greater call we tap into when we help those in need. It’s the inexpressible emotions of uniting in labor with Missionaries in the field. It’s the reward found in our sacrifice to make sure others don’t go without. It’s the peace that settles after sharing the grief of the broken and hurting. It’s unspeakable and enduring joy.

While such joy is the theme of life for some, it’s all too rare a glimpse of God’s glory for most. It makes me wonder, is the pursuit of happiness stealing our joy?

While it may seem like a matter of semantics to many, some will agree that there’s an undeniable difference in the happiness that comes from the pursuit of earthly goals and the joy we discover in the work of God’s Kingdom, being His love extended to the overlooked, the devalued, the forgotten, the “least” among us. None-the-less, we spend the greater part of our resources in a lopsided pursuit of a temporary happiness that expires as the luster of our possessions fades, inspiring us to believe that “bigger” and “better” will somehow satisfy the restless desire for our hearts to be filled.

In this context, it’s hard to ignore John’s urging to “…not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” Peter also acknowledges the key to this joy when he said, “You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.”

Christmas is a natural time of benevolence, and the joy that comes with giving. We’ve missed something though, if we believe God’s intent was that the birth of his Son would merely inspire a season of giving. Rather, His gift to us is that we needn’t settle for the “happiness” of this world, but that we share in the joy of being ambassadors for His Kingdom, giving completely of ourselves in service to others.

Life, More Delicious

 by Chris Jones

I have a certain routine, when I get to the office each morning.  As I start work, I have a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of water.  It’s not instant oatmeal from a package.  I have a big tube of plain, whole oats in my desk.  It’s a pretty bland breakfast…until I add the fruit.  A fresh peach, banana, apple or strawberries transforms this otherwise flavorless breakfast into something that truly gives each morning a needed boost.

Life has it’s ups and downs.  Sometimes we’re riding the wave.  Other times we’re being tossed by it.  Regardless of the quality of the lives we live, they’re always better with a little fruit.

As Christians we have the option of living everyday, boosted by the Fruit of the Spirit.  Galatians 5 tells us this fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

I challenged a group of high-school and twenty-something-year-old men to consider the “flavor” the Holy Spirit brings to our lives.  Those men come to a basketball ministry I run.  The easy majority of them are the types of guys most would consider at-risk or disadvantaged, from most socio-economic standards.  These guys might not be the type to see patience or goodness or gentleness as very masculine qualities.  I encouraged them to know that a man who is patient, is a better man.  A man who is kind and shows goodness, is a better man.  A man who understands the power expressed through self-control and gentleness, is a better man.

It’s true for all of us.  The Fruit of the Spirit makes our lives, better lives.

Why, then, do we settle for anything less?  The help and power of the Holy Spirit is one prayer away, in any moment.  Imagine being on the verge of snapping at the kids when a simple prayer brings patience and the time you need to more carefully consider your response.  Picture being caught in afternoon traffic, as self-control and peace allow you to sit back and enjoy the day.  The Holy Spirit offers love and goodness, so we may show it to those in need.  He offers joy that lasts through any storm.  He makes life more delicious.