Revival Here: Now…Or Never?
Some Christians live in the hope that Revival is just around the corner and that all we have to do is wait. IAN R SMITH argues that the Revival is already here, but we have to latch on to it.
Living in Britain and looking at the state of organised Christianity, of whatever denomination, it is hard to equate the fact that today we are living through the biggest Revival that the Church of Jesus Christ has ever experienced in its 2,000 year history. According to statistics that are widely accepted as reliable there are 1,759 million Christians in the world today (of all different denominations) and that figure is said to be increasing by 70,000 per day.
Looking around the churches in York we can definitely say that the increase is certainly not happening here. Even well known ‘big’ churches are small when compared with the overall population of the city, and their growth can partly be attributed to the ‘hoover’ factor. In other words many of the people in the larger churches have moved from less ‘successful’ churches and cannot claim to be new converts to the faith.
So where is this phenomenal growth of the church occurring? The answer is simply in the two thirds of the world that the United Nations classifies as ‘poor’. In large parts of West and East Africa, in South East Asia, and in almost the entire sub-Continent of South America, there are significant areas where the numbers of people turning to Christ are higher than the birth rate.
I find as I meet groups of Christians in Britain that they see the future hope for this country in evangelistic campaigns. Now I have nothing against evangelism. Indeed I was Coordinator for the Billy Graham Livelink in York Minster in 1989 and am currently one of the Archbishop of York’s Advisers in Evangelism. But I do think that we must ascertain what the Holy Spirit is doing today and join Him in it!
Looking at the places where evangelism is really effective, the first thing that is obvious is that the Christians pray for and expect people to come to Christ. They have a confidence in the essentials of the faith and talk about it freely. I find that for many Christians in Britain it is acceptable to talk about Christian activity but not to talk about Jesus. The third world Christian is often living a relationship with Jesus rather than practising a faith.
The second, and perhaps more visible, reason why these Christians impact on society so effectively is because they translate their Christian commitment into the way they live their lives. The Church is perceived to be Good News, and that provides an excellent backcloth for evangelism.
For example, in Kenya, where there is no effective opposition to the Government, it is often the Christians who speak out at great personal cost on issues of social justice. The voice of the Church in South Africa has long been recognised as a major contributor to the wearing down of apartheid. In East Germany, Poland and Romania it was often the Christians who were in the midst of the fight to liberate the people.
When you have a viable track record like that, people will respect your opinions on other matters. No one in their right mind would denigrate Mother Teresa. Even those who disagree with Christianity will respect her integrity.
So where does it leave British Christians? Until we are prepared to let the rubber hit the road and demonstrate the life changing, transforming power of the Gospel in the way we live our lives publicly then it leaves us out in the cold.
We have so much to gain if we are prepared to listen to what God is doing through Christians overseas. The centre of Christendom has now shifted to Africa but we are still carrying on as if we are the guardians of all truth. Unless we wake up and understand what is happening we will experience our churches becoming merely leisure activities rather than rescue shops at the jaws of Hell. Or have they already done so?
Ian R Smith is Area Secretary of the Church Missionary Society. Any student wanting to know more about how they can visit Third World Christians during the Summer Vacation, or who would be interested in spending up to a year working in such a location is invited to contact him at 11 School Lane, Fulford, York, YO1 4LU
Ian Smith is still in the area and still very much involved with CMS. The best way to contact him is probably through St. Oswald’s church, Fulford. — Ed. (2006)