Something Is In The Air

Something is in the air, and it smells like good news.

The conversation at the Southern Baptist Convention was steadfastly Gospel-oriented.  Speaker after speaker, including myself, advocated the primacy of the Gospel and the realization that it is the only commonality we need.   We’ll never look and act the same in everything.  We cannot hope, nor should we ever think of hoping for a return to those days of sameness.

The world is different. We have some incredible and amazing diversity in our churches.  Uniquely gifted leaders are leading their churches to be contextually relevant to the community they are in – all the while focusing on the one thing that matters – the Gospel!   And not just preaching the Gospel to those who’ve heard it over and over, but also equipping people to share the Gospel in the lost culture where people live and struggle and look for hope!  That’s where we must be active with this game-changer that we know as the Gospel.

We must become a single-silo convention, and we must do it now.  Other things matter, but not as much as the Gospel does.  From every corner, we have to rally to this point.  Every pastor and leader, every seminary, every SBC entity must find, in their own approach, a way to support the single-silo priority.  The Gospel must increase among us.

Or we lose it all.   I think we know this.

In recent days, I’ve heard some great messages and read some articles advocating this.  Today I read Alvin Reid’s call to this.  Paige Patterson and Malcolm Yarnell have both posted on their blogs to this end.  Hey, if seminary leaders and pastors can get on the same page, can’t we all?

All I know is this – we’re ripe for a revival that comes from obedience.  What if revival in this era consisted of the church becoming obedient to the Great Commission as never before?  What if it were an Acts-like, Pentecost-like revival?  What if a renewed passion and white-hot burning to share the Gospel in our communities was the game-changer?

I think it is.  I think it’s now or never.  I think we’re like so many ships passing near each other but going in so many directions.  What if we aligned under a banner that is sure to please the Lord – the banner of getting the Gospel to every person in our communities, nation, and across the world?
That’s a revival I want to be a part of.