Church Revival

I attended a fund-raiser for the Philippine Council of Christian Churches (this will be part of the International Council of Christian Churches). The music was wonderful, and it was a blessing to see so many local Christian churches together in one place, trying to work together for the glory of God. Certainly, the local Christian churches are in need for unity.

However, I am not sure that there is a problem. The Universal Christian Church, that is, the Church of born-again believers, is united. It has only one head: our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is just that this Church is invisible, as only God knows who is really saved. Of course, we can make an educated guess on who is saved or not based on a person’s lifestyle, but that is just a guess at best, as the sanctification of the believer does follow a rather meandering course (two steps forward, one step back, three steps forward, five steps back, … does not look promising, but then… ten steps forward…, then one step back…).

The motto of the conference is “Redeeming the Time; Uniting the Brethren”. This is a very worthwhile goal. We should make the best of the time given to us to spread the Good News: the Gospel of Jesus the Christ. We should fellowship with other Christian churches. We have differences in a few doctrines, but most of our beliefs are the same. Unity of local churches and the fellowship of Christians glorifies God.

I heard the phrase: “United we stand, divided we fall.” a few times during the event. However, do not think that God has a problem. God is always in control, and the Universal Church is united, and will be raptured soon.

As for church growth, this is something that can only be done by God. Can unity among local Christian churches result in revival? What is the key to revival? I will leave you with a lecture from Ian Paisley on this subject. Before I was saved I heard him speak and I thought he was such a wind-bag. Nowadays, I am surprised I never saw what a great orator he was. Definitely one step forward. .