The Revival The Church Doesn't See

"That turned out to be true for me. In my days of waiting for something incredible that would infuse our congregation with a fresh dose of passion and power, I only grew increasingly frustrated. Our endless prayer meetings seemed to make no difference. I begged him and he seemed silent. It wasn’t until years later that I discovered he hadn’t been silent after all. He’d been nudging me down a road I couldn’t see because I was so focused on him doing what I thought best. But I only discovered that after I found myself excluded from the congregation I had helped to plant, due to a contest of power I didn’t have the heart to engage. Though I was offered numerous pastoral jobs elsewhere, I was not interested. I figured I would find my way back into another congregation at some point, but I wasn’t in a hurry to do so. I wanted to decompress. During that time, my wife and I began to discover that the renewal we had hoped for was already happening beyond the walls of our traditional congregation. We saw God at work in people around us, and began to taste of the worldwide phenomenon of people who were all spontaneously and simultaneously moving beyond the traditional congregational to learn to live in the Father’s affection and freely share it with others. It captured our hearts and allowed us to embrace a depth of community with others that wasn’t distracted by structures and programs. It’s made me wonder that we don’t see it encased in a building or a conference anywhere because the moment it is, it begins to wither under human control. Honestly, I couldn’t have seen it as long as I was focused on the religious system we had built and prayed so hard for God to revitalize. I know that’s threatening to those who think the only place God can move is in a sanctioned institution, but that is only because they haven’t looked elsewhere. I was shocked by the people I met outside those structures who were passionate about following Jesus, loving others, and sharing his life with the world around them. I often tell people who are so condemning of people outside that they have no idea what they would see of God’s reality if they set aside all their institutional engagements for two years. It takes some time for the fog to clear, but many discover that God was at work in many ways they just couldn’t see when they were focused on the endless activities, political wrangling, and corporate needs of an institution. Even people leaving may be part of the very revival those who condemn them are praying for. Some have tagged them the “Dones,” but what many of them are craving is a simpler, more authentic faith that becomes part of the fabric of their daily lives. It’s the routine and obligations of an institution that lull many to spiritual slumber. The reason I no longer pray for revival is because I’m already living in the reality I hoped it would bring. The reason I don’t seek a new church model is because I discovered that it wasn’t important. God moves among people, not systems, and while he can move in and around any system we devise, it is not his priority to revive systems, but to renew people."

- Wayne Jacobsen. Beyond Sundays