By Robert Stearns
After ministering at a Sunday service at a church in Florida, I was preparing to go to a restaurant with the pastor. He suggested that his 15-year-old son ride in my car so that if we were separated in traffic his son could direct me to the restaurant.
When we got in the car I glanced over at the teen-ager, who was dressed in baggy jeans, a T-shirt, several earrings and green hair. I wondered if he would be interested in conversation with a minister.
"So, do you have any hobbies?" I asked in an attempt to break the awkward silence.
His answer was clear and vulnerable in its simplicity. "Loving Jesus," he said. My perspective immediately changed. I had to realize that this young man--who didn't look like the typical church kid--represented the future of Christianity.
It's happening all around us. We are living in the midst of a spiritual awakening, and stale religion is being replaced by vibrant faith. Unfortunately, many church people haven't noticed the trend because it looks foreign to them.
If dead religion could attract the unchurched masses, then the United States would certainly be in much better shape today. Unfortunately, the world perceives the institutional church as irrelevant.
Researcher George Barna says "the Busters Generation"--those born between 1965 and 1983--have shown an inclination to reject church right from the start. "Millions of them have rejected churches because of the perceived lack of relevance and sensitivity of churches to human need," he says.
I realized this trend recently when I paid a visit to the small town where I spent my childhood. I remember going to a vacation Bible school at a small church there, playing with friends and learning Bible stories.
Recently I visited that same quaint neighborhood, and I drove by the small church that had given me so many wonderful memories. But when I reached it, I noticed that the cross was no longer on the top of the steeple. Then I noticed a new sign in front of the building: "Center for the Practice of Eastern Religion."
What has happened to small-town America? We can't reclaim our Judeo-Christian heritage if all we have to offer is the shallow religiosity of the past. We must have vibrant New Testament faith that offers relevant answers to the masses of people who are starved for reality.
If we expect our faith to make a difference, we must change our attitudes and restructure our priorities. But I'm not pessimistic about the future. In fact, I'm excited about what Christianity will be like in the 21st century because I see God already at work to transform us. Here's what I think the church will look like as we head into the next millennium:
One of the most difficult areas in the world today for evangelism is post-
Reformation Europe. Once home to reformers such as John Wycliffe, Martin Luther
and John Wesley, Europe has been so burned out on religion that Christianity is
regarded with indifference while paganism is on the rise.
I believe the next generation will not tolerate a Christianity that is not wholly authentic. There will simply not be time or effort invested in churches or institutions that sound and look shallow. A hunger for a real individual and corporate spiritual life will become the driving force of this generation.
The next generation will simply stop attending, and the church will be left with a docile, obedient, but shrinking older crowd with no generation to pass anything on to. But in the midst of this crisis, the next generation will discover what it truly means to know Jesus.
The late Francis Schaeffer was one of the most respected Christian leaders in this century. Early in his ministry, Schaeffer faced a minor crisis when he and his young family needed temporary housing during a transition time but had little money.
While Schaeffer was praying about this, he said to God: "Where can we live? Lord, please show us." Immediately, in response to his question he heard an audible voice. It wasn't a voice inside of his mind. It didn't come from another human. He was alone. The voice simply said, "Uncle Harrison's house."
The answer--which came in an audible voice--made no sense. Uncle Harrison had never given the Schaeffer family anything, and they thought it would be very unlikely he would offer his house for them to live in. Yet the voice that spoke to Schaeffer was so startling that he believed he had to obey it.
He wrote his uncle, asking him what he planned to do with his house next year. He was astonished when his uncle replied that he planned to live with his brother the next year and would like to offer his house free of rent to Schaeffer for a year. Schaeffer claims this was the second time God had spoken to him in an audible voice.
Sadly, many denominations in this century have actually taught that God does not speak anymore--except through the pages of the Bible. But I believe God's people in the coming days will once again learn to be sensitive to His voice--and it will transform the church as we know it.
We are in the midst of a technological revolution. Telephones, computers, cellular phones, microwaves, air conditioners, fax machines, televisions and VCRs have changed life dramatically.
Despite any negative feelings we may have toward the concept of a "global village" or a "world community," the unalterable truth is that humanity is connected in a way like never before. As we ponder the opportunities created by television and the Internet, discerning believers will see an incredible opportunity for the gospel.
There are some interesting similarities between the first-century Roman world, in which the apostle Paul lived, and the 21st century. God ordained for the most effective launching pad and birthing place of Christianity to occur in the setting of the first-century Roman Empire. So, too, God is preparing us today for an even greater releasing of His message for a final end-time release to the nations of the world.
Not only are the pieces in place for this to occur through technological channels, but we--the messengers--are being prepared by having an international mind-set and global lifestyle. Are you prepared for these mind-boggling opportunities?
How did Jesus say the world would know we were His disciples? Was it through our well-financed ministries? Through supernatural signs? Through influence on secular governments?
All of these things are necessary. But Jesus said the world would know we were His disciples by the quality of life evidenced in the community of the redeemed.
The world, including the church, is full of hurting people, many of whom have never had a healthy context for personal growth and healing. The natural tendency of hurting people is to keep walls of self-defense in place. Unfortunately, most of our church structures accommodate those walls.
Don't be fooled! All of hell rages against the body of Christ coming into the health of unity. Demonic assignments focus on stirring up strife, creating accusation and generating offense among Christians. The level of spiritual warfare designed to prevent authentic Christian unity is vast.
The world is a desert wasteland, void of the water of relationships. The modern American church has been mostly a mirage that has created hope but yielded disappointment. May we dig deeply into the bedrock of His love until the water of community gushes forth and releases streams in the desert.
In the past, rather than equipping and releasing Christian filmmakers, dancers, musicians and artists, we created a subculture called Christian art. We forced talented believers to squeeze into that subculture rather than allow them to be salt and light to the kingdoms of this world.
But I believe this generation will rise up with new anointing and authority in the creative domain. It will bring forth anointed sounds and sights that will glorify God and draw men to Jesus. Casting off the restraints of the spirit of religion, a torrent of creative power will break through the dam of fear and brittle dryness.
Let the dancers dance! Let the singers sing! Let the writers write! Let the artisans create! Be released! We must allow the yearning of our hearts to express love and adoration for Him. We cannot be restrained any longer.
In the midst of worship at a conference in Honduras a few years ago, I was deeply convicted that much of what the American church had exported was more involved with American mind-sets than it was with the pure gospel.
So many problems--division, competition and a performance mentality--were the result of Central American pastors copying what had been modeled for them by North Americans. I suddenly recognized how this had grieved the Holy Spirit.
I shared this with the host pastor and asked other Central American pastors to join us on the stage. I repented before them for the poor example America had set in so many areas, asked their forgiveness and asked the Lord to break off of them any false mind-sets that our example had encouraged.
As this unfolded, there was an amazing change in the atmosphere. Everyone began to sing in his native tongue, and we had a taste of the tremendous diversity and blessing God has given us in the nations of the world.
I expect to see more of this kind of repentance in the days to come. This generation will kneel in humility, asking the Father to "forgive our sin and heal our land." Compassion will well up in our souls as we ask the Lord to bring healing to the wounds caused by racism, classism and social injustice.
Frank Peretti's 1989 book This Present Darkness launched a new emphasis on spiritual warfare in the American church. Since then there has been an enormous increase of teaching on this subject--some of it good, some of it sensational and distracting.
But I believe this next generation will sift through all that has been taught, and then we will plunge into mature warfare strategies that are necessary to fight the Lamb's war at the end of the age.
We must understand that the goal of our warfare is not the battle but the lordship of Christ we seek to bring to every domain. And as we fight the demonic forces that hold our society in bondage, we must remember that He deeply loves those who are imprisoned by the devil.
All of a sudden our crusade to clean up Hollywood is broadened by an understanding that the people we may be tempted to demonize are broken people who need the gospel. Our stance against the homosexual agenda will move to a more compassionate understanding of the pain in the gay community.
We cannot see people as the "enemy." They are no different than we would be without the grace of God. Compassion, prayer and evangelism will introduce them to Jesus.
Most pastors have some denominational context that they relate to. Their affiliations are based on denominational background, educational institution or doctrine. Leaders travel great distances for national conferences or councils.
All too often, however, they don't even know the pastors and leaders within a 10-mile radius of their churches. But this is changing. God is now breathing on this nation with a fresh wind from heaven, and local pastors are finding one another.
Several years ago, a handful of pastors began to get together for prayer in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Their number grew until dozens of pastors from across denominational and racial lines were meeting regularly.
A day came when they had an opportunity for a dramatic declaration of the unity of the church in their city. Harrisburg is divided by the river that flows through its center, but the geographic division marked a racial and socioeconomic one as well.
But this group of city leaders brought their churches together and, in a demonstration of unity, joined thousands of believers who clasped hands across a bridge that spanned the river. Then the Christians went down to the river and baptized more than 200 believers.
Why is this so crucial? Because God is after our cities! And if we are going to reverse the curse and take our cities for God, it is not going to be our denominational acquaintance 40 miles away who is going to take it with us.
God will not deliver a city to a local church or local pastor. It will take the whole body to win the whole city.
Imagine a church in your city where members intentionally simplified their lifestyles in order to give to the poor. Imagine a church where everyone gave freely of their possessions, recognizing stewardship rather than striving for ownership. Could it be that one of the keys to the radical signs and wonders regularly seen by the New Testament church was their lack of attachment to earthly things?
Blood 'N' Fire, an inner-city ministry based in Atlanta, is a great example of a church impacting the poor around them. This wellspring of hope feeds the homeless every day, shelters many and pursues ongoing relationships while ministering in the inner-city projects.
A key part of Blood 'N' Fire's ministry is serving a meal as part of its Sunday service. Having a meal together is something Jesus emphasized throughout His ministry. There is a tremendous amount of love and care exchanged when we offer food to someone.
Jesus did not give the 12 disciples going-away presents. He joined them in the Last Supper. It is important to recognize that we need to bring the poor, sick and lost into our lives instead of isolating them as well as their problems.
Let's be honest: We have been stifled in the expression of our worship because we have allowed our culture to dictate to us what is appropriate. But that will change in the coming days.
Specifically, I believe the American church has been disobedient to the Lord in its belief about worshiping Him in dance. American culture is one of the few that does not have a strong tradition of folk dance. Most other cultures view folk dancing as a wholesome activity that helps celebrate and strengthen the bond between family and friends.
In the United States, dancing is almost exclusively associated with nightclubs and has strong sexual connotations. This cultural entrapment has kept the church from being released into the power and anointing that comes from abandoning oneself to the Lord in dance.
Do we refuse to dance because we will look foolish? That could be evidence of pride. Are we afraid to dance because of what others might think? That could be evidence of fear of man. God wants us free. And while dancing in worship is certainly not a guarantee of inner freedom, there is a deliverance that comes when we give our inhibitions and fears to God and worship Him in this way.
Are You Willing to Change?
Someone has said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. It is time to rethink much of what we have been doing in the church if we are hoping for different results. This change will begin personally with the deepening of your personal walk with God, but it must affect every area of your life.
You cannot say: "I'm only one person. I just teach a Sunday school class," or "I just sing in the choir." Each of us is being summoned to fearless and wholehearted abandonment to Christ.
The first step in this process is to admit the bankruptcy of what we currently have. That may be hard to do, especially if you are in a church that is outwardly successful. But we are on a collision course with the Holy Spirit, who is orchestrating a great shaking that will trigger worldwide revival.
God has privileged us to live in this time. Let us lift our voices in the desert of human emptiness. There is a voice crying out in this wilderness, "Prepare the way of the Lord!" Let this voice be yours as we enter a new millennium. *
Robert Stearns is the director of Eagles Wings, a network of believers involved in global outreach. He is based in New York City and often ministers in Israel.