Observations and Warnings - Part II

While speaking to a pastor of a MEGA church the other day, he called his church's growth the product of God's new and ongoing 'Revival.'  They have over 10k people attending each week, they baptized 300 people last year, and they gave almost a million dollars to charity.  Impressive numbers by any stretch of the imagination, but does this qualify as a revival?

Consider the following:If 'revival' is only happening at one house of worship, then it is probably not God who is achieving the results but, rather, the church leadership and methodology.  As is evidenced by some of the success of recent non-profit 'challenges' and the rise of religious fanaticism, getting people to respond in droves to self-less causes is not always as difficult as we would imagine - you just have to make it interesting (self-rewarding) enough.

I believe in Revival and pray it happens, but when it does it will not be experienced by a single church, it will not lead to self-boasting, and it certainly will not be achieved through human effort.  Revival happens when humanity is brought low by the Spirit of God and His power and presence alone (through human vessels) is the means of achievement (miracles and super-natural demonstrations).

I'm not trying to knock the 'good' out of growing churches, but I do want us all to consider WHY we may be experiencing these results.  There are no shortcuts to the Kingdom or its salvation.