By David Ryser
Maybe
the less you have, the more you are required to boast (John Steinbeck).
“The power is increasing!”
This claim was made from the
platform during a revival service. The
move of God had been ongoing for more than four years. The “fire” had broken out in a small rural
town. It had attracted people from all
over the world. They came to see what
God was doing. They received powerful
ministry as God restored them to wholeness according to their individual need. Over time, the small-town church facility
couldn’t hold the crowds.
It was time for a change. What should we do?
The decision was made to move the
church to a much larger city 100 miles away.
There would be plenty of land on which to build a suitable facility. There was a major airport in the area, so
people from out-of-town could more conveniently access the church and
experience God’s power.
It was a good plan. But was it God’s plan?
The leaders of the church began to
receive e-mails and other correspondence from supporters of the revival who
were concerned that a move to the big city would adversely affect this precious
gift from God. Rather than be grateful
that these people cared enough to share their concerns, the church leadership
interpreted these misgivings as criticism.
Their attitude was, “We are the experts.
We know what is best.”
It hadn’t always been that way.
In the early days of the revival,
God had come powerfully into a small church located in a small town. The atmosphere in the services was charged
with the presence of God. Signs and
wonders were a routine part of what He was doing. The congregation humbly welcomed God into
their midst. They were grateful every
time God was present…and He always showed up.
They never took Him for granted. They
were awed that He had chosen to abide with them. As time went on, the presence and power of
God increased.
Then we moved.
The revival services continued. First we met in temporary facilities, and then
in a beautiful church building. God
continued to come powerfully into the services.
But something was different.
Something was wrong. Although
people were still coming to the services and receiving ministry, there was a
noticeable diminishing of His power.
“The power is increasing!”
This declaration was met with a
shout of agreement. But I knew it wasn’t
true. I felt it in my spirit. I could see it in the eyes of my fellow
congregants. We knew God’s presence and
power was waning, and we didn’t know what to do about it. We praised louder. We worshiped more vigorously. We put more effort into everything we did.
The harder we worked, the less of
God’s presence and power we experienced.
Revival is not a place. It is the work of God in His people that
renews them and makes them fully alive in God again. Even so, many times God moves among a people
in a particular place for His own purposes.
The Bible is full of stories of God moving in power among His people in
the place of His choosing. The ongoing
story of the Israelites following the cloud and the pillar of fire during the
Exodus is perhaps the most well-known of these.
When the cloud/fire would move, the people would move. When the cloud/fire would stop, the people
would stop…and they would stay for as long as the cloud/fire stayed.
The Israelites followed the
cloud/fire. We followed the money.
It wasn’t that simple, of course. Oh, we did follow after the money. We also chased the adoration of the
crowds. We pursued fame. We sought acceptance with the leaders of the
very religious system we felt called to reform.
Their flattery was effective, and we ended up seeking the approval of
men rather than God.
And the power continued to wane.
The farther we wandered from God,
the less we experienced His presence and power.
He slowly withdrew Himself. We could’ve
run after Him. We didn’t. We continued to go through the motions of
revival while experiencing less of God.
We chased grand visions of ministry.
We pursued notoriety through a variety of media--newspapers, magazines,
radio, television, etc. Our services
were animated, but less alive with each passing day.
Revivals, like people, rarely die
all at once.
God in His mercy continued to meet
people in the services and ministered His love and power to them. But the spontaneity of the Spirit began to be
replaced with conditioned behavior and church programs. Over time, our church began to resemble the
religious system we had lampooned.
We became what we had fled.
I suppose there are a great number
of reasons revivals die, just as there are many causes of physical death.
1.
A move of God can die out because the people begin to become so familiar
with the presence and power of God that they no longer esteem and honor it…or
Him. We begin to go through the motions. Our worship is more akin to the performance
of a trained seal than the heartfelt worship in spirit and truth that it should
be.
2.
Sometimes the congregation wants to remain in a place, a system, or a
methodology after God has moved on to something else. Like Peter, wanting to build tents on the
Mount of Transfiguration, we contend passionately for what God was doing long
after He has left the building.
3.
Other times we chase after things that are not God. Shiny things.
Things that glitter and dazzle us.
Crying, “The power is increasing!”
the whole time.
And sometimes a revival dies a dignified,
natural death. God moves on. It is then that we discover whether we fell
in love with Him or with His stuff. When
He goes on, will we follow Him? Or will
we stay camped in the old place and pretend that the cloud and the fire are
still with us?
Selling religious souvenirs and
trying to recapture past glories.
Or, worse yet, occasionally digging
up the decaying body of something that once was living and vibrant…and parading
the rotting corpse on television as a fresh move of God.
Responses to this article are
welcomed. You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com
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