Great Awakening
This week’s Baptist Standard featured an article suggesting that there is another Great Awakening occurring. Over 80,000 conversions occur daily. While only about 6,000 are in Europe and North America. There is spiritual fire sweeping through developing countries while a nation that has traditionally been viewed as a Christian nation is clueless.
If there is a great spiritual movement happening why isn’t it happening in the United States? Jim Denison, president of the Center for Informed Faith, suggests that we are not desperate yet. We have become complacent. We have not reached a point where we are desperate for God to work. True revival is preceded by a concentrated prayer and desperation for God to work.
I recommend reading the article.
I also think true revival requires a movement of the Holy Spirit. Apparently He’s not just ready to move in the US.
More likely we aren’t ready or willing
Guess it depends on if you’re Reformed or Arminian!
Not really. I think there are many times that as humans we do things to quench the Holy Spirit or just plain choice to ignore what God wishes. Yes, I’m Reformed.
I agree. But ultimately (from the Reformed perspective), God is sovereign (while not the author of sin). If He wanted a revival now – if it was part of His plan – it would happen. And can’t revivals happen when people aren’t looking for them? Isn’t that the nature of revival, to some extent: we are revived to want God more? God grabs hearts that aren’t otherwise turned to Him? I don’t know the history of revivals, but wonder if they haven’t come when folks least expected them. Of course, God may use circumstances to bring folks to the point of wanting a revival. I expect that such circumstances including the humbling, difficult kind.
You are assuming that all of those who are Reformed are also Calvinist.
God gives us the freedom to chose.
LOL
Yes, that was my assumption!!
Your assumption is wrong.
It may be easier to see the need elsewhere. We are complacent in our ways of relative ease in this country. However, that doesn’t make the need any less. We should remember Luke 6:42
“Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.”
I think we are blind to ours and anyone elses need as well.