"I have no business doing this,” were my thoughts as I volunteered to coach my son’s YMCA football team. I had never played football. Sure, I had watched plenty of it. And yes, I have played a lot of football on the Xbox. But how could I coach real football when I was still a student myself?
Maybe my coaching experience is how you feel about something like sharing your faith. Not all of us are called to help with youth sports, but each of us is called to everyday outreach. And, if you’re like most people, you probably feel unqualified to disciple someone. I mean, you’re a work in progress yourself, right? That’s true.
Discipleship and outreach are for the professionals, right? Wrong. Every one of us is saved on purpose and for a purpose. That purpose is to make disciples who make disciples—develop “spiritual children” as Paul described Titus (his student and protégé).
Though a top-tier pharisee, Paul wasn’t a church-planter by education. He was a religious zealot who persecuted the churches. But God saved him and called him to lead while he grew in his faith. He led the new churches while learning the process and depending on God. This resulted in revival of the world.
Today, you may be feeling inadequate for the call of everyday outreach. That’s okay. God’s not asking you to save anyone. He’s asking you to live life on purpose. Paul wrote in 1
Corinthians 3:6, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” You take part. God saves.
So if you want to see a revival in your church, neighborhood, city, university, state, country or world, it takes 3 things: prayer, dependence and action.
R.A. Torrey said, “Our greatest need today is a deep, thoroughgoing, Spirit-wrought, God-sent revival. Such revivals as far as man’s agency is concerned always come in one way—
by prayer.” Today, we discount prayer. We use it as a last-ditch effort to fix a situation or get what we want. Acts 1:14 says, “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.” The apostle witnessed hearts melt and lives transform by the grace of God. And it was preceded and sustained by prayer. We must pray.
Prayer reveals our dependence upon God. As Paul reminds us, we don’t save anyone. We scatter seeds of the Gospel and water with our lives. God does the work. So, we must be
dependent upon God. This is what God communicated to Solomon. “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). God is on the move to reform the hearts of people. Will we pray? Will we depend on Him?
And, God gives us the opportunity to take action. What should you do? As Elisabeth Elliot said, “Do the next thing.” What is that for you? Do what’s natural. Do what’s before you. For me, it was coaching for the Y. Another time it was gardening in a public space. For a grandma I know, it was baking blueberry muffins for the teenagers who were “up to no
good.” What was the result for her? Over time, they became friends, became “adopted” grand-children, and eventually, followers of Christ. She baked muffins and spread the hope of Jesus through them.
What will God do with you? God has you right where He wants you for revival. It doesn’t come through the pastor or the Bible teacher alone. It comes through everyday people in
everyday ways. People who will pray, depend on God and take action. Are you ready for revival? Let’s keep asking God to stir us up to seek Him.