I am reposting this for two reasons. First, this has been a busier week than normal and I am fighting some sort of bug (not sure if the bug or I will win). The second, this was posted so early in my blog that many never got to see it.

Why do I think it is important that more people read it?

I am just an arrogant man who thinks everything I write is so brilliant that it must be read.

Okay, that isn’t it.

As a matter of fact I am so humble that everyone wants to be humble like me. I am telling you this because I believe that I have mastered humility and can only wonder why everyone is not like me.

Okay, that wasn’t humble or the reason.

The truth is, this post sums up a fight I believe we must all wage to have God put back in His rightful place in our lives and in our churches. Somewhere along the line we became so entangled in our desire to see things done a certain way that we have waged war on believers and non-believers alike.

Great moves of God have come because they are moves of God not of man.

We have tried to change the way things are done through our own strength using our own plans implemented to fit our own schedule. This leads to frustration and often to militant behaviour and speech. Anger fuels our revolution as we try to make inroads under the banner of revival. We claim the changes are necessary if we are going to make a difference in the world but even if we are successful have we really made a difference or just forced others to do things our way?

Original Post 

I am a veteran of a revolutionary war.

I am not sure how many casualties were inflicted as a direct or indirect result of this conflict but I personally witnessed the pain and division it caused. As in many of the latest revolutions designed to bring church to the unchurched, my war, the worship war, was a fight to establish a new way of doing things.

Let me be clear; the church often suffers from tradition for the sake of tradition. The church has paid the price for creating doctrine out of habits and theology out of life experience. That being said it is just as easy to create new doctrine out of new habits and new theology out of new experiences.

 

Have we created a doctrine of change driven by a theology of proven success?

Do we seek a new way of doing things rather than a renewed connection with God?

 

Revolution

• Replaces the old authority structure with a new one.
• Requires critical mass to make things change.
• Puts power in the hands of those seeking change.

 

Revival

• Submits to the true authority – God.
• Requires only one person to humble themselves to see real change.
• Takes power out of the hands of those seeking change and lets God be God.

 

Revolution will never bring revival.

Revival can bring revolution.

 

Revival based Revolution

• Replaces all authority structures by submitting to the only true authority – God.
• Reaches critical mass because individuals allow God to change them.
• Empowers those who desire to let God be God.