America is a nation imprisoned, but God wants to bring revival, said John Avant, pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Ga.
Speaking at the Alabama Baptist State Convention Evangelism Conference Jan. 24-25 in Dothan, Avant said the Bible is the key to setting our nation free.
Those attending the conference also heard Don Wilton, pastor of First Baptist Church, Spartanburg, S.C., outline the essential parts of God’s invitation.
“In this nation, in our culture, we are imprisoned,” Avant said during the first of two sermons. “We have in our hands the keys to unlock the prison gates,” he said. Yet, in many churches and in the lives of Christians, the Bible is taken for granted, he said.
Using Jeremiah 33 as a Scripture reference, he pointed out that people in Jeremiah’s time were worse than those in America today.
Saying God spoke to Jeremiah while he was in prison, Avant added that God is calling our nation out of prison.
“But He’s not just calling us out of prison, He’s calling us into His presence.”
Avant said the responsibility rests with churches.
“Our churches have got to see a tremendous movement of His spirit in our worship times,” he said.
“We need to show the world that the power of the living Christ is alive in us,” he said. “He is calling us to see His power. He is calling us to change lives.”
The lost are drawn to powerful worship, Avant said, because it is what is missing in their lives. He said revival in America’s churches is not something they should want to have, but must have.
Speaking again Tuesday night, Avant asked: Why does God not send a revival across this nation?
Sin in churches and waiting on God’s timing were two reasons he identified for a lack of revival.
But Avant said a third reason is that too many churches are content to be safe churches. “I don’t see much in most of our churches that’s very risky,” he said.
Asking pastors if they are leading their congregations somewhere dangerous, Avant also questioned whether congregations are willing to follow their pastor into dangerous territory for the gospel. He said Christians have to be willing to abandon their comfort zone and get out on the edge for God.
“It’s scary for us as churches and as Christians to get out on the edge,” he said.
“It’s lonely on the edge,” he warned, “many will not go with you.”
But he said the gamble is well worth the risk for Christian, cautioning that the world is dying.
“Take the risk, go for the Godly gamble,” Avant told those present.
But Avant said the edge is where the power of God can be found.
“(If) you chose to follow Jesus to the edge, it is unimaginable the difference you can make in your church,” Avant said.
Based on 2 Timothy 1:6, Wilton listed three elements of God’s invitation — the Word of God, the man of God and the spirit of God.
There are four presuppositions of the Word of God. First, “God’s Word never returns void,” Wilton said.
The second presupposition is that “there’s a time for sowing and a time for reaping.” Third, Wilton said, “The Holy Spirit does not need me, and he does not need you.”
Wilton listed ingredients he thought were missing from many Southern Baptist churches. These include people willing to stir up others, stand up for what they believe and step out for Christ.
Based on New Testament evangelism components and in regard to stirring up people, churches should be winning souls, doing discipleship evangelism and doing disciple-making evangelism. The final element Wilton said is “all but oblivious in today’s churches.”
When standing up, “We need to completely identify with what Jesus Christ has done,” Wilton said.
To step out, Wilton encouraged people to kneel at the altar. Those who did “step out” prayed for each other out loud. The service closed with the congregation singing “Amazing Grace” and “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow.”
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