The Answer to Revival Lies in This

I’ll admit it: I’ve succumbed to some of the world’s way of thinking regarding Christians. In recent weeks, we’ve been beaten down, and our reaction has been a struggle between trying to show love and trying to sound an alarm.

Right now, I’d argue that Christians are more known for their semantics and reactions to current events than for the heart of the gospel.

But when we turn our hearts back toward God and allow the Holy Spirit to flow through us, we’re reminded of just how small this storm is in comparison to His holiness.

Darren Wilson dropped by the Charisma offices this week to share his film, Holy Ghost Reborn. In the sequel to Holy Ghost, Wilson shows God in action, which is difficult to do, given His whole invisibility thing. That being said, Wilson did a magnificent job of capturing why we follow and love the God we do; he reveals to viewers exactly what it means to be a Christian and allow the Holy Spirit to take control. The DVD will be available Oct. 20.

In America, we say we want revival, we say we want awakening, but how often do we take a day, heck, an hour, to say, “Hey God, I’m giving you this right now. I’m going to do exactly what you tell me to do, pray for the people in my path and bless them all in the name of Jesus!”?

With our country in a moral decline, it’s hands-down a necessity that we sound the alarm on persecution, on immorality. The issue lies in how we sound the alarm.

In Wilson’s film, he follows Todd White, who jumps right into a Roman protest because “my Jesus would be in the middle of this protest.” White proceeds to physically touch everyone he can, laying hands on them and proclaiming godly blessings over all of them. At one point, he gets a hold of a bullhorn and starts chanting “Jesus, Jesus.”

And the crowd is overwhelmed by the power of the Holy Spirit. White just says he’s there to plant seeds and water them, opening discussions with people about the true heart of Jesus, which is the far end of the religion these people grew up with. As someone who has personally been hurt by religion and wanted to leave the church many a time, I was catapulted back to the place of grace, the place where it’s just me and Jesus and He leads me to show others His power and love.

Revival and awakening cannot happen until we proclaim Jesus—not that specific standards of our particular brand of Christianity—over our country. We must appeal to Heaven and cry out for our country by blessing those who persecute us. If all we do is stand on any given topic and not the Truth, we cheapen the gospel to be words and a platform, not a living, breathing relationship in which He guides us to administer His love.

While most of us may want to sit on the sidelines, to hide in the basement while immorality runs rampant, to be Christ in the world demands that we break out of our shells and proclaim peace and blessings over our enemies.

I’m fully aware that Christianity is under an attack physically and legally, but the answer to bringing God back into our lives in the reality of preaching action and not reaction, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us to proclaim His words.

Personally, I’m challenged to take Christ’s love into my hands, to plant and water as many seeds as I can by looking beyond appearances and at the heart, like God instructs us to do. Loving God isn’t about aligning ourselves with a political party or denomination, it’s about touching the souls of the broken. If God wants to use me, I want to let Him. I refuse to be categorized by a label any longer, and will break out of a traditional mold for the sake of radical salvation.

Jessilyn Justice is the assistant news editor for Charisma. Born and raised in a pastor’s family in Alabama, she went to Lee University and the Washington Journalism Center. Tell her what you think of this story on Twitter @jessilynjustice.