Here, and there, and over there, there are many people, sensible Christians, sincere believers who are praying for a move of God that seems to be delayed -even actively hindered- by today’s world affairs. The question to ask is, can the world and its system actually hinder God?
Some of the most fervent prayers are two-pronged: Some are focused on governments and their perceived ability to hinder revival, and the policies that seem aimed to stop the extension of the church; some other prayers seem focused on governments that are seen as spiritually fit to usher some kind of revival.
So, do we pray for governments, as we are instructed in the Scriptures?
Yes. But. Although. Then.
I will contend today that -while there are well intentioned Christians, committed and really concerned about the state of the church at large, and nations in particular- that focus might be out of focus.
Because Jesus said: “I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against her”, we can safely say that there is no government, kingdom, power-that-be, whether in the visible or invisible realms- that can stop the church from advancing.
What can stop us from even trying to move forward, is not that the government can hinder the advancement of the kingdom -and the possibility of revival- with their policies, rules, positions, or whatnot, but the belief that they can do that.
What can really hinder us is the belief that the government has any say on how Christianity should advance.
In short, the root of the problem is not that governments can hinder the church, but the belief that they can.
Who Started?
Conversely, governments cannot start a move of God in revival! That is the task of the church, the body of Christ, moving together with the Holy Spirit, to lift up the name of Jesus over individuals, families, cities and nations. Governments of the world had never been tasked with what is the call -and the responsibility- of the Church.
If our focus as believers is out of focus, we will see a lot of failures and frustrations; even what many would say it’s a triumph, or a move of God, might actually not be so, for it could also be out of focus, because when our true enemy is out of focus, our victories might not be victories at all.
Someone said that sometimes “It seems as if the devil has been teaching the church how to do spiritual warfare” to render the efforts and influence of the church in the world null and void.
The Mix
At the very foundation of the issue, we can find what could be construed as a conflation.
The Church was never meant to be part of the world, and the world was never meant to be part of the church. Herein lies the problem: To think that church and world are some sort of mix in which Christians operate to bring betterment to the world itself. While yes, the church has an influence for good over the world, it was never intended for the church to turn the world into heaven. From the very foundational stages there was a very intentional, clear statement pointing to the separation. We are meant to be different from the world, and the church is meant to be different from the world system.
Also, because of the above -and most importantly- the influence of the church does not work by incorporating parts of the world and making them better. It is not that we can just take the works of the devil and somehow “Christianize” them. In line with this thought, that government officials may use Christian jargon, or promote events related to Christianity, does not make the system any more Christian, other than an appearance of good.
Influence
By now, you might be asking, brother, what are you trying to convey?
Simply put, look at the church in the book of Acts: They brought so much change to society, that it was said that they “put the world upside down”, which is no small feat. But the important part of that is how they did it.
They did not depart from the message of the Gospel which was aimed to the individual. They were conscious of the true effect of the message of Jesus Christ over individual first, who upon repentance and new birth in Christ, were radically changed, and in turn they exerted a radically godly influence over the surrounding world, that brought changes at all levels.
The starting point was not -and should not be- the world and its system, but heaven and its system.
I am not suggesting that we have forgotten the essence of the Gospel, but many times we become so -tunnel visioned- on side issues, that we might end up forgetting that the very issues that we desire to see changed, can be changed through the true power of the Holy Spirit when the message of the Cross in its fullness is preached.
Communism says, “Change societal issues and the individuals will change”. Christianity says, “Change the individual through Christ, and society will change”.
In the end, isolated issues are not the issue. A radical change in life through new birth in Christ is the real thing.
Conrad Lampan eMail: connect@conradlampan.com Facebook: Conrad Lampan Instagram: conradlampan TikTok: @conradlampan YouTube: @revivalhighway