Living for Survival rather than Revival
There are many characteristics of a church that exist for survival rather than revival. Churches that are merely surviving, rather than thriving in revival, are not only missing out on experiencing the fullness of God's presence and power, but they're also doing a disservice to their members and those they reach out to. When churches focus solely on survival instead of spiritual growth and renewal, it can lead to stagnation and decline. Not only is this detrimental to the health of a church, but it can also be damaging to its members' faith journeys as well. By failing to invest in spiritual revival within a congregation, churches run the risk of losing sight of their missional purpose – something that should be at the heart of any church community. Through this lack of investment in revivalistic practices such as prayer meetings and bible study groups, churches may find themselves becoming increasingly irrelevant within society.
Survival churches are more concerned with maintaining the building and cutting the grass than they are with reaching people for Christ. They are content with just getting by. They feel that if they can keep the lights on and the air conditioner running to keep the church comfortable for another month, they have really done something. If your church is just surviving rather than thriving, then it's time for a change. It's time for a revival of our passion for God. It's time to infill the Holy Spirit and allow Him to lead us into all truth. It's time to go out into the world and share the gospel with everyone we meet. It's time to make disciples of all nations. Are you ready for revival?
Churches Living for Survival rather than in Revival are focused on themselves and not the community at large. They want to believe that they're doing everything right, but the truth is that they're not. They are inward-focused and not outward-focused. They have a church-centric mindset and not Kingdom-centric thoughts. If your church leadership meetings are dominated by discussing financial issues like paying utility bills and how to get more money in the offering plate instead of reaching more people for Christ, then this is church-centric thinking. Because of this closed-in thinking they are suffering the loss of focus that Jesus commanded the church to be, which is messengers of the good news to the world.
Because of the inward focus, they are in decline. They aren't seeing new people coming in and the ones that are there, aren't being disciplined. The other problem with an inward focus is that it can often lead to arrogance. When a church is focused on themselves, they can start to think that they are better than everyone else. They can start to look down on other churches and denominations. They can start to think that they have all the answers and that everyone else is wrong. This is a dangerous place to be because it leads to division within the body of Christ.
Survival churches can often perceive the success of other churches as a threat and build resentment toward them. This is due to their inward-looking focus which prevents them from seeing beyond their own walls. They lack the growth mindset that thriving churches have and instead become complacent in their current state. This may lead to envy, bitterness, or even hostility towards those churches that continue to grow and develop.
The good news is that it’s not too late for survival churches to turn things around. By focusing on spiritual growth and renewal, rather than simply maintaining the status quo, churches can begin to experience true revival. This means encouraging prayer meetings, bible study groups, and small groups within the church. It also means investing in outreach efforts to reach those who are outside of the church walls and introducing them to the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.
By transitioning from a survival-focused mindset to a revival-oriented one, churches can see tremendous growth and impact. They will be able to engage people with the gospel in new and meaningful ways, ultimately leading to a thriving church body where people are enabled to live a life of purpose and meaning in Christ. Ultimately, when churches move from just surviving to embrace revival, they become part of the Kingdom movement that is transforming lives all around the world.
Revival isn’t something we can force or expect overnight, but it’s something we can work towards and strive for. The church is made up of people who are called to bring transformation to their communities and the world. Through prayer and obedience to God’s calling, churches can experience a true revival that will bring hope and life change back into the body of Christ.
Revitalization is the intentional positioning of ourselves for the divine provision of revival from God.
