What Will It Take? (part 2)

As we mentioned in Part 1, in 1747 Jonathan Edwards wrote an amazing booklet that captured the heart of what God was saying to the churches in his day. It was a theological statement about what is necessary to join with God in His reviving work, and the title of the treatise said it all:An Humble Attempt to PromoteExplicit Agreement and Visible Union of God’s Peoplein Extraordinary Prayer for the Revival of Religionand the Advancement of Christ’s Kingdom on EarthEdwards’ observations and call were not just for his generation. The principles he related are biblical and timeless. And it is amazing how they are exactly what we need to hear right now. We need …

Explicit Agreement

(which we explained in the previous article). But we also need …

Visible Union

Of all the things Christ could have prayed in His last (lengthy) recorded prayer, why is it that He prayed that we might be “one”? He knows that His bride’s union with Him and with the other members of the body is essential “so that the world may believe that You [God] sent Me” (John 17:21 nasb).Why is oneness so essential?Oneness with the FatherUnless the church is repentant and willing to surrender to Christ’s lordship, we find ourselves at odds with God. If we are not hearing Him, abiding in Him, and walking by His Spirit, we are totally incapable of accomplishing His heart’s desires. We are not one with Him.Every believer, in this desperate hour, must take every step necessary to be walking in union with the Father. And this union with Him must be visible.Oneness with Each OtherIf we are one with Him, we will be in union with each other, for there will be just one Head. Every part will be accomplishing what they are uniquely created to do to express the life of God within us.This is our greatest witness. The world will see God through us. Barriers to this oneness will be broken down, and God will manifest Himself fully and clearly among us.What would this look like in a city? Would we close the doors of each separate church and all meet together? Would we demand that there be not one shred of difference in our theology?I believe it would express itself differently in our day. There are many expressions of the life of God through multiple churches in your city. But what if every church in your city was united regarding several things? United in …

• The need for revival in the church and spiritual awakening among the lost—for our city and nation.

• Our willingness to not do away with our peripheral doctrinal issues, but to prioritize them for the sake of the larger movement of God. There are central truths of Scripture on which we cannot compromise, but some areas are not so clear. I can cooperate with a brother from another stream, even while I do not embrace every single doctrine or practice he holds.

• Our prayers. What if pastors met regularly across denominational lines to fervently cry out to God? What if all the churches in a city met once a quarter to worship and pray for a mighty visitation from heaven? What would be the world’s reaction if they saw tens of thousands of believers in your city all uniting in prayer?

• Our encouragement for each other. What if we laid aside all comparison, competing, and criticizing and became cheerleaders for each Bible-believing church in our area?

• Our giving. What if there was such a love between churches that we were meeting each other’s needs? What if, when one church had an abundance, she gave to a church who had need? Surely this would be similar to what happened in the Jerusalem church when, among over 50,000 believers, it was recorded that there was “not a needy person among them” (Acts 4:32-34).

What would such “visible union” bring? A joy among our people ... a powerful, undeniable witness to the lost ... the applause of heaven.And, it might be the foyer of revival.