Take care with silver bullets; you may shoot yourself in the foot!
Contemporary Christians have a fetish seeking a quick fix. After decades in ministry, I see a pattern. Recognizing that we live in a culture intrinsically indifferent to the gospel and increasingly immune to evangelistic efforts, we pin our hopes on new phenomena to finally convince society of the claims of Christ.
Christian Television regularly parades celebrities, sports stars, and figures of renown to share testimony of new-found faith in Christ. Hooray; however. These new believers often lack understanding, maturity, and seasoning in their experience with the Lord. Within a matter of months, at best years, their walk belies their witness and thus brings into question the veracity of their conversion. And with it, the reputation of Jesus.
When news breaks of an intriguing archeological discovery, we giggle with glee that just maybe this will persuade a skeptical world that God is real and we’re not nuts. If only, we could find Noah’s Ark once and for all, they would have to believe! No they wouldn’t.
On a more benign level, measure expectations when the latest Faith-themed movie premiers. Indeed, film offers a neutral setting and popular forum to expose secular society to wholesome spiritual content. However, I have a hard time trusting anything Hollywood dispenses to adequately, more so accurately, tell the story of God’s redemptive love in Christ. I confess, my opinion of Hollywood is jaded.
Revival is a sovereign move of God. It occurs when His people fervently pray, confess their sin, and seek His face. Not for the faint of heart or casual in commitment. Secondly, according to Jesus and confirmed by Paul, it is through the preaching of His Word that God has chosen to offer salvation. (Mt 24:14, Lk 9:2, Ac 1:8, Ro 1:16, Ro 10, I Cor 1:18, II Tim 4:2, et.al.) Granted, proclaiming the gospel can and should take a variety of contemporary and creative formats. However, nothing can substitute for the faithful and clear declaration of God’s Word coupled with convicting and convincing anointing from the Holy Spirit.
The hard fact is that genuine followers of Christ are the minority. In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus told us as much reminding of paucity on the “straight and narrow” contrasted with popularity on the “broad and winding”. Tough to hear, huh?
In closing, I proffer positive steps to effectively engage a lost and hurting world with the good news of Jesus. First, pray ‘till your heart breaks then ignites. Second, encourage true Preachers of Word. They are a beleaguered bunch. {I know.} Thirdly, feel free to celebrate the latest newsflash of faith in the public square. A celebrity endorsement of Christ, a Christian message in a movie, an amazing discovery of biblical proportion. Yet understand, ultimately people are saved by faith, sometimes small as a mustard seed.
The rusty nails of Calvary pierce the hard heart, not a silver bullet fired in a flash.
