Here are snatches of a piece I wrote April 6, 2005. It’s probably overstated (that’s an understatement!).
Canada, revival and history..
The conversation at the table turned to the local hockey team and how well attended the games were. . . better attended than at any time in their history. With the professionals stuck in naval-gazing, worried about larger salaries and generally lacking any concern for the game itself. . . the amateurs were finding their place in the sun. And hockey (the real game) and ordinary people, were the beneficiaries.
The NHL season was finally cancelled in February of this year.
But who cared? We were tired of the wrangling, tired of the overgrown sports egos who cared only for the almighty dollar. This is the way institutions go – in the end, they forget the purpose for which they were founded, the passion for the game. They become focused on their own survival.
Sound familiar? Large churches all over the country require huge incomes to maintain their buildings and programs, while Lazarus lies at the door. We have always been quick to spend money on ourselves, slow to spend it on those Jesus cares about. Ministry has been about success, large budgets, well trained ministers and an impressive theatre.
But these paradigms aren’t playing so well anymore.
To follow the analogy – it’s all about the game (read “church”). What are we willing to give for the survival of the game? What are we really passionate about?
The game won’t survive because the professionals want it to survive.. it will survive when ordinary people grasp a vision for something larger and more transcendent. And the game will survive even when the coliseums are empty – in fact, the game will be stronger than ever.
If the church is to experience a true revival in Canada, it won’t happen because church leaders want it to happen. It won’t be generated by revival crusades and big name preachers. It won’t be helped by more books and seminars. It won’t have anything to do with large buildings.
Revival won’t come from the top down this time around, because then it will only last as long as charismatic leaders continue to hype it along. And then it wouldn’t be real revival anyway.
No, if Canada is going to experience revival it will come because we rediscover our love for God and His kingdom. It will come because we start to spend our money on the needs we see around us in real time. It will come because we cry out to the Lord with His compassion for His mercy on the world. It will come because we care more about His glory than our own success. It will come in spite of the professionals and the fallen institution because the Lord of History invests His authority in amateurs.
