Are You Ready?
On Palm Sunday, Pastor and I were talking about church services. Then he asked me. "What would we do if the first time we were able to meet together as a group, the building was filled with people.?" That is something to think about. Then I began to remember about some times in the past.
When the Soviet Union began to collapse, there was a "Spiritual vacuum" all through the land. Many people were coming to Christ. So much so, that the churches that were there, and the leaders, couldn't keep up with it. Churches were being birthed, but there were not enough trained Pastors to go around. I remember a situation I found when I was teaching in a Bible school near Kemerovo, Russia during that time. We were in central Siberia far away from Moscow. During the school, one of the students had his 18th birthday. He was the Pastor of 250 people. I asked him how he became the Pastor. He told me it was because he was the first one who got born again and he began leading them. In that group of Pastors and leaders, none of them had any training except what we were able to give them in an eight week school. You can be sure we poured all we could into them! The churches and leaders during that time were not ready for the harvest, and it is sad, but much fell through the cracks.
Remember "9-11"? It was a terrible time, and fear gripped our nation. It happened on a Tuesday. The next Sunday, churches all over the nation were filled. In Atlanta, they said the traffic rush was worse that day than during the weekdays. Then what happened? Within a few weeks, the crowds began to decrease. I wonder how many were saved that first Sunday? I wonder how much of the possible harvest was lost? I wonder how many of the churches were prepared to handle an influx of newborns, and to disciple them? What kind of a revival could it have brought? We may never know the answers.
Fast-forward to today. Our nation and the globe are once again in crisis. Fear has gripped so many. Restrictions have kept us from gathering together. Yes, we are able to use social media, and it is a great tool. I thank God for it. But what will happen when the restrictions are loosened?
Different ones have been saying that this will be a time of great revival, and I agree with them that it can be. But I am also concerned. Is the "church" prepared? Are we prepared individually as members of the Body of Christ?
I want to encourage you to spend time with the Father and get His heart for this time. Let Him speak to you, listen for His strategies, His plans. Then do what you can to be prepared to disciple newborns. Get prepared spiritually to heal the sick and set people free from the enemy. If we don't, then God can't use us as He wants. We don't want to miss this opportunity. Let's get ready for the harvest.
Are you ready?
