give us words to speak

As we re-adjust to life back here in the states with one concert every other day and the open spaces, it's as if our bodies and minds are catching up with all of us on the team. The experience in Hong Kong was truly a supernatural experience. Back here in state-side tour the battle seems subtle, different. Where in Hong Kong the approach was a direct evengelistic method, which proved effective with lives changed, here in the states generally with a basic knowledge of Jesus or "growing up in church mentality," how do we encourage others? How do we awaken people from this slumber and indifference? It's not the lack of response or the "cool" attitude of the self that is predominate in America that is the only issue, but how can hearts that are cold from the wickedness of the world be changed? I've come to realize that it is truly only God and the Holy Spirit that can transform and redeem this apathy, this age of Laodicea that has become the norm in these tumultuous times. We can only be the vessels, the instruments, the carpenters tools. In the book Revolution by Barna, stressed how in this technological age, we must become the church, the body. The blame is not the institutionalized church (the building) or even moral rights issues, instead the trend and way to reach people will be relational. It won't be credentials, degrees, titles, money and even a traditional, cultural, structured services that make the difference. I was reminded that if it was the local church that was so important, why are so many falling away? The author Barna, reminded me that what will save the world is Jesus, and Jesus alone. The spiritual state we are in is a choice, one that we are responsible for. It's humbling to go to these schools, prisons, not having a doctorate, or a seminary degree etc., which are not bads things in of itself, but truly God is glorified when he uses the weak to shame the strong, the fool to shame the wise. It is not easy to be on a team, but I realized that instead of a "Sunday Pharisetic non-compromised" stance I held, I realized that the Christian, church, is 24-7, anywhere with anyone. It's not the music that was the most important, but our fellowship, our love, our passion for Christ, the aroma we give to a dying world. Sometimes it's hard to speak the truth in love, a time where honesty or brutal truth is something we fear to do, to not offend, not hurt anyone, but if the Christian faith and bible is absolutely true in the end, the awful part is that we will one day stand face to face with our Maker, accountable for all we did in this life, what words will we say, what excuses can we make?