Pandemic Chronicles #15 A Training Exercise

Shiloh church has called for a 21 Day Fast from August 3-23, 2020. 

I've seen other churches also call their members for Prayer and Fasting during this time.

Normally the fast happens in September and it's only 10 Days but our leaders moved it up to August and I'm glad they did because I believe we all know something is up and that we better be ready for it and we should be spending our time interceding, contending, and binding these demonic forces that want to unleash themselves.

Through the book of Jeremiah

During this Fast, I was drawn to study the book of Jeremiah. 

I feel bad for poor Jeremiah. He kept trying to tell the people of Judah to put away the idols, repent, and turn back to Yahweh or else devastating judgment would come upon them.

Nobody cared and Nobody listened.

Really a terrible shame because sadly the people of Judah were ransacked by Babylon and carried off to exile.  That all could have been avoided if the people had put away the idols, repented, and turned back to the Lord.

I've been thinking about modern parallels  We're not worshiping wood or participating in Baal worship and all that, but like the Judeans and Israelites many of us are worshiping the same things as the culture: politics, money, and sex.  

I have to believe that this Pandemic and subsequent Economic fallout is a wake-up call to the church. Yes God is shaking us up but is he also calling us to put away the smoke-filled sanctuaries that we've started worshiping, church programs, conferences, politics and politicians, and all this other stuff and focus on Him and His word.  

Are we listening or are we like the Judeans thinking God's judgment won't come upon us because we're from the United States or because we have fancy church buildings and church programs?

It's something worth thinking about

We're in Training

In the military, they don't just put elite soldiers on the battlefield.  Not only do you have to pass the strict tests to get INTO groups like the Navy SEALS but once you're in the group you have to do well in the training exercises and simulations in order to get into the real combat.

From what I've read, the training simulations are complex and quite intense.  The military wants to make sure they have the BEST people out in the field.  They want to make sure they have people who are not going to be a threat to the safety of the others in combat and who know what they are doing.

I've been thinking that the church is in training.  God took away all of our comforts.  He took away our services, our conferences, our razzle-dazzle and he said: Now GO make disciples of all nations.  Teach them.  Do it without relying on the pastor and an awesome worship team. You GO  OUT INTO THE WORLD and do it.

We've all been yammering on and on about revival.  Well, where do we think the revival is going to come from?  The people weren't going to come to the churches the way they were so we need to blow that up and rethink things.

I think we're supposed to go out to the people.  I am reading a Biography of Aimee Semple McPherson and yes she had thousands at her revival meetings but she also went out to the least of these to minister to them and that was one of the ways she was able to get people to show up to her meetings.

Our nation is a rough time and it's only going to get rougher as we hit September and companies reconcile the financial toll that this pandemic has taken and they make painful adjustments for the Fourth Quarter and beyond.

Oh Lord and don't even get me started on the mess of an election we have coming in November. Either way, it goes, it will be a mess.  

Then of course I'm sure there will be some sort of national Fall Surprise to get people all riled up and cause chaos before the previously mentioned mess of an election.

The church has their work cut out for her but I know that we can do it by the power of the Holy Spirit and with good training.  Sadly I think good training and discipline is one thing that has been lacking in the church.

The Church has to step it up

I have to say that I've been shocked at the lack of discipline and lack of follow-through I've seen from Christians during this pandemic.  Relating this to my job as a fitness trainer, when the gyms closed down regular exercises pivoted and turned to Home Exercise equipment, went outside to workout, or found solutions.

The majority of my clients are back working with me. We go outside, we train over zoom, and I even train someone over the phone.  

Regular exercisers didn't just stop exercising because the gyms closed because they know the effect exercising has on their health and long-term quality of life and they built the discipline of a regular exercise routine.

However according to Barna said that 1 in 3 Christians have not engaged in any kind of service since this all started.  That is ONE THIRD of the people.

This should worry local churches.  Why did people stop engaging?  

Now of course some people do not have the technology or don't know how to use the technology to watch online service, so I am not talking about those folks.  I'm talking about the folks that are completely disengaged.  Why is this happening?  

One reason may be the way we've trained the people and they don't see any real purpose of corporate gatherings.

In Fitness people who generally like to go from one Quick Fix to the next (aka Yo-Yo Dieters) don't ever adopt a Healthy Lifestyle routine because they just go from one thing to the other.  Since they're so focused on results (which usually means hitting a particular number on the scale) they don't see the real purpose of eating well, drinking water, getting enough sleep, and exercising. 

I wonder if the church has trained a bunch of Yo-Yo Churchgoers.  People go from one worship experience to the next and the real purpose of corporate meetings is lost.  

Another reason is that church services have become shallow,  dumbed down, and so focused on flashing lights that for many they're over it and just stopped attending altogether.  Some churches are also boring and nothing supernatural ever happens so people are thankful for the break

I can't say that I blame either group for that.

I do believe the church needs to step it up and perhaps in this training exercise we're being taught to go back to the drawing board on how we're doing things.  We need to be able to execute the fundamentals and have some discipline.

We cannot have a real revival if we cannot even execute the basics when times get hard.  

Otherwise, we will have a superficial revival like they had during Jeremiah's time.  King Josiah found the book of the law and forbade the worship of idols and called people back to the word of the Lord but after he was killed, the people went right back to idolatry.

We want a true and sustainable revival in Jesus' name.

One thing is for sure, we better pay attention during this training because this is the decade of the Great Harvest!