Our shared vision for revival in our nation must also involve a keen awareness of the spiritual battle we wage as we pray and work for a spiritual awakening.  This spiritual battle is unseen and very consequential.  The Bible reminds us that “we are not unaware” of Satan’s devices (2 Corinthians 2:11).  So as we partner to see a mighty work of renewal in our hearts, homes, churches, and nation we must also remind ourselves of the devices the enemy will use to derail our lives and undermine our spiritual efforts.

I am convinced that a primary strategy of the enemy is to destroy Christian relationships and specifically encourage a spirit of unforgiveness.  Twice the New Testament speaks of this as the primary area where our spiritual enemy gains advantage over Christians.  In speaking of the dangers of unresolved anger and coddled bitterness, Paul warns us not to give a foothold to the devil in our lives (Ephesians 4:16-31).  In speaking of the need for forgiveness, Paul also warns that we cannot let the devil take advantage of us (2 Corinthians 2:11).

The Importance of Forgiveness

We know how important forgiveness is because we realize how many people truly need to experience forgiveness in this life.  Ernest Hemingway writes about a Spanish father who decided to reconcile with his son who had run away to Madrid.  In an attempt to locate his son, the father took out an ad in the El Liberal newspaper: "PACO, MEET ME AT HOTEL MONTANA NOON TUESDAY. ALL IS FORGIVEN, PAPA."  Paco is a common name in Spain, and when the father went to the square he found 800 young men named Paco waiting for their fathers.

We know that forgiveness is commanded, even “seventy times seven” times (Matthew 18:21-11).  Forgiveness is essential to our commitment to be like Christ (Luke 23:24; 1 Peter 2:21-23).  We are required to extend forgiveness if we are to enjoy the full experience of forgiveness with our Heavenly Father (Mark 11:26).

The Sensibility of Forgiveness

Of course, because God is wise and His ways are always good, forgiveness also makes sense.  It leads to a sensible freedom, a sensible fellowship, and a sensible future.

A Sensible Freedom – When we forgive, we enjoy a practical freedom.  It’s been said that, “Forgiveness doesn’t make the other person right, it makes you free.”  Unforgiveness is a "control mechanism" whereby we try to exercise some kind of emotional jurisdiction and power over the situation and the other person.  When we forgive we become free of all the exhausting attempts to manage the situation in our flesh.  We are free to trust God for the outcome.

As author Phil Ryken has written, “Forgiveness brings great joy, not only to the forgiven, but especially to the forgiver. The Greek term for ‘forgiveness’ (aphiemi) comes from a word that means ‘to let go.’” Forgiveness is a release, a letting go of self-destructive feelings such as anger, bitterness, and revenge.

All of us experience pain in life.  We can be deeply hurt by abandonment, criticism, lies, slander, abusive words, and disappointed expectations.  Pain is inevitable.  Bitter misery is optional.  When we know that God gives us the grace to forgive and be forgiven, but refuse to make that choice, we live in unnecessary, self-inflicted pain.    That makes no sense.

A Sensible Fellowship – God created us with a deep need for intimacy with Himself and others.  Forgiveness opens up the supply line of indescribable blessing both in our relationships with God and with other people.

Often, the very person toward whom we are angry or bitter is one from whom we need to receive love, affirmation, and grace.  Unforgiveness keeps us from enjoying the benefits of this relationship.  It is like a person who intentionally starves himself to death while a table full of delicious and nutritious food is within reach.

A failure to forgive soon turns into bitterness, which in time also defiles and wounds many other people (Hebrews 12:15).  No rational, loving person would detonate a hand grenade at a gathering of friends and family.  Yet an unforgiving spirit has that very effect spiritually, emotionally, and relationally on anyone close to an embittered person.

I’ve heard it said that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.  Not only does anger and bitterness eventually kill us emotionally, it negatively impacts our very ability to relate to others in a healthy way.  In a world where we all need the support, grace, counsel, and love of other believers, forgiveness makes a lot of sense.

A Sensible Future – God’s forgiveness has unleashed a real and abiding hope in our lives.  Forgiveness always brings hope to troubled relationships.  Conversely, unforgiveness kills hope.  An embittered heart sees only the worst in others, in themselves, in situations, and in the future.  This pessimism is in opposition to the truth about God and His plan for our lives.

A life that chooses forgiveness, extends blessing, and pursues peace is a life that will be richly rewarded by Christ.  The person living this kind of life has been a careful and thoughtful steward of God’s grace.  It just makes sense to live this way.

Forgiven Much to Forgive Much

In Luke 7:47, Jesus explained that when we are forgiven much, we love much.  The great English preacher Martin Lloyd-Jones said, “Whenever I see myself before God and realize something of what my blessed Lord has done for me at Calvary, I am ready to forgive anybody anything.  I cannot withhold it.  I do not even want to withhold it.”

Ken Sande, in his book The Peacemaker, writes, “We take God’s forgiveness for granted when we stubbornly withhold our forgiveness from others.  In effect, we behave as though others’ sins against us are more serious than our sins against God.”

When the power of the Gospel has made sense to us – forgiveness makes sense.  It is the good and right thing to do. 

Henry Ward Beecher stated that, “Every man should keep a fair-sized cemetery in which to bury the faults of his friends.“ It is God’s will that our cemetery of forgetfulness grows as our commitment to truly and completely forgive increases.  The devil hates it when we truly understand these things.  But, it just makes sense.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel Henderson. All rights reserved. 

Many times over the years I’ve read and heard church experts describe the American Church as a “frog in a kettle.”  The illustration tells us that if you drop a frog in a kettle of boiling water it will jump out immediately in reaction to the pain.  On the other hand, if you put the frog in water that is room temperature, slowly heating it, the frog will remain in the kettle and eventually cook to death.  Frankly, I do not know if this is actually true, but this is a good time to revisit the idea in light of the recent headlines about the decline of Christianity in our nation.

What the News Tells us About the Frog

This week, Newsweek Magazine’s cover story highlights current research about the decline of Christianity in America.  In the article titled, “The End of Christian America”, Jon Meacham commented extensively on the implications of the recent results of the American Religious Identification Survey. Two core facts that have arrested everyone’s attention are the findings that the percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 percentage points since 1990 and the number of people willing to describe themselves as atheist or agnostic has increased about fourfold from 1990 to 2009.

Also in the news we found a riveting article in the Christian Science Monitor by Michael Spencer titled “The Coming Evangelical Collapse.”  This thoughtful article predicts that within 10 years there will be an accelerated collapse of Evangelical influence coupled with an open hostility toward Christians by our securely and religiously antagonistic culture.  (You can read the article at http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0310/p09s01-coop.html.)

In a recent speech in Turkey, our president boldly described the United States as a secular nation and not a Christian nation.  Clearly this signals a firm definition of our nation as a people no longer identified by strong Christian roots or values.

While people of faith are certainly not disappearing from the landscape of America, the trends certainly tell us that the water is getting hotter around the frog.

An Understanding of the Water

It is important that we understand that the water in which the frog is cooking is not the culture.  The danger to the frog is not secularism, liberalism, or atheism.  To believe this is to conclude that these worldviews are more powerful than the message of the cross. 

I believe the water in which we are boiling is our own spiritual apathy, missional indifference, and prayerless irrelevance.  In essence, the frog stands in danger of boiling in its own water.  Just as Jesus warned some of the churches in Revelation chapters 2 & 3 about their precarious spiritual condition, we too must recognize our own need to take responsibility for the situation.

What the Frog Must Do

As I read, pray, and consider our present situation in this nation, I am moved by the relevance of the mission of Strategic Renewal.  The incredible risk God led me to take in leaving the security of the Sr. Pastor role to follow this passion makes sense in light of all we are now seeing in our nation.  Personally, I am convinced that I must do all I can to encourage the church in vital renewal in these days. 

Further, I believe the American Church must seriously “hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22).  Just as Christ’s words to the seven churches of Revelation brought a stern wake-up call and, in some cases, words of comfort – so we need to try to understand His heart for our present condition in our nation.

Recognition – As we reflect on the objective findings of these recent studies we should carefully consider our response.  What is more, we should see the data as merely symptomatic of even deeper concerns about our spiritual substance in the American church.  Many of us have observed over many years the growing conformity to the world’s practices and a business-oriented approach to ministry.  We’ve had concerns that we are depending more on methods, technology, and human skill than on the power of the Spirit and the Word of God.  We’ve observed our prayer-deprived congregations, knowing that at some point it would catch up to us.  The water of our apathy has slowly come to a boil and it is imperative that we recognize it and act in obedience to the Spirit. 

Repentance – I often say that the problem in our nation is not the pervasiveness of the darkness but the failure of the light.  If darkness is advancing it is because the light is failing.  Speaking to the churches in Revelation, Jesus repeatedly gave the command, “Repent or else” (Revelation 2:5, 16, 21, 21; 3:3, 19).  My prayer is that the current state of affairs will motivate us all to turn from our self-reliance and self-satisfaction.  My prayer is that God will allow us to turn from everything that might encourage our faith to rest on the wisdom of man rather than the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:5).   

Resurgence – Jesus called the church at Ephesus that had left their first love to return to their first works (Revelation 2:5).  He urged the church at Sardis to wake up from their dead state and to strengthen what remained (Revelation 3:3).  He appealed to the lukewarm church at Laodicea to open the door of their lives to the presence of Christ and exchange their self-sufficiency for His best gifts (Revelation 3:17-20).  At all costs, we too must sense His call to spiritual resurgence and genuine renewal during these crucial days.  Of course, this is the mission and vision of Strategic Renewal.

Revival – Jesus challenged the churches in the book of Revelation to overcome, and offered them abundant promises if they did.  I am mindful of John the Apostle’s words in 1 John 5:4-5: “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.  And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.  Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” Of course, at this Easter season we are especially mindful of the fact that Jesus the Son of God reigns in resurrection power and is desirous to manifest that power through a dependent people.

The Hope of Overcoming, Prayerful Faith

I am hopeful that these present times will motivate the truly regenerate Christ followers to overcome in faith.  I am also persuaded that many who have attached themselves to the church in America in a spirit of convenience or entertainment will fall by the wayside. 

 Finally, I am reminded of Christ’s story of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8 who serves as an example of His command that we should always pray, and not lose heart (v. 1).  At the end of that passage He asks a penetrating and truly relevant question: “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"  In context, this faith is marked by a persevering prayerfulness.

These are the times that challenge us to consider the seriousness of that question and, by grace, to respond with a resounding “yes.”  May the Lord find us always praying, persevering, and trusting that the overcoming power of faith in His Gospel and His presence within us will make the difference in these defining moments for our lives, families, and nation.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel Henderson. All rights reserved.

As of last week, I now have a blog (short for “web log”).  My son and one of our interns set it up for me at www.danielhenderson.org. There is already a post on my blog with a cool video link.  They took something I recently wrote and posted it for me.  I’ve yet to personally post anything – but will likely give it a try soon enough.

Of course, I am already pretty overwhelmed with e-mail, a LinkedIn account, two Facebook accounts, and two Twitter accounts.  I am not sure where I will find the time to write blog posts – or even why I should do it.  But, I will probably get drawn in at some point.

Some non-technical readers may not even know what I am talking about.  “Blogs”, “LinkedIn”, “Twitter”, “Facebook”, “MySpace,” and “SocialVibe” all sound like a foreign language to many.  Other readers, probably younger, are busy using all of the above social networks – plus some.

So the other day, I asked my son some obvious questions.  I queried, “Do you think all these Christian leaders (who post blog entries several times a day, send and receive Twitter messages numerous times hourly, and check Facebook daily) spend more or less time with God as a result of all the social networking?” I also postulated, “Do you think they spend more or less time in substantive ministry to the real needs of people?”  Of course, the ultimate answers must be resolved one life and one day at a time.

Unless all these other believers are taking major portions of time away from eating, sleeping, or showering – I suspect their “devotional” habits and face-to-face ministry encounters have slipped.  Assuming this, how are we to think of it all?   

The Potential Value of Social Networking

Connecting – Some would argue that time spent using all these technical tools is actual ministry.  I suppose, in some sense, the “connecting” aspect encompasses real ministry.  People who have become disconnected over the years can easily reconnect using these tools.  This can be encouraging and even result in new ministry partnerships.  When people are in touch with people in any form, good things can happen.

Communicating – Certainly communicating ideas, scriptural truth, and even ministry opportunities is a positive thing.  Many ministries (such as Strategic Renewal) use these ministry networks to share devotional thoughts, ministry updates, and words of spiritual encouragement.

Prayer – Certainly these tools allow people to share prayer requests, answers to prayer, and assurances that one is praying for others.  As long as we still take time to actually pray, it is good to communicate around the themes of prayer.

The Danger of Social Networking

Multiplied Distraction – I’ve said many times over the years that the Devil does not have to destroy us, just distract us.  His tools are becoming more diverse and sophisticated.  Usually, his tactic is to use a good thing that becomes an obsession and keeps us from the best things.

Pseudo-community – I suppose we are redefining community these days.  It used to involve sitting in the same room with another person, looking into the eyes of a troubled soul, offering biblical encouragement, or praying together.  Today the definition envelops instant messaging, a perfunctory “tweet,” or a Facebook friendship.  Clearly, dilutions of biblical definitions of community are being unleashed on us all in unprecedented fashion.

Neglected Stewardship – We are stewards of our time, energy, money, and opportunities.  I am just not sure all of these high-tech toys are really the best use of our time.  Leaders spend hours writing redundant blogs that hardly anyone reads.  Why?  Maybe this self-expression is therapeutic.  Maybe it would be better spent in a Bible study or prayer time with real people in the same room.

Considering all of this, I guess we all need to be careful in the deepest sense of the word – a day at a time.  All things in moderation. 

These new gadgets and expressions are simply tools – they can be helpful or dangerous, depending on the motivation and volume of their use.  I often say, “There is nothing wrong with the tools – but there is a difference between simply using the tools, and actually depending on the tools.”  The acid test of which choice we are making is the prayer level of our lives – since prayer is the expression of our dependence on God, not the tools. 

In these critical days when we need to be desperate, seeking God and moving toward a much-needed revival – any distraction will do.  Regardless of the low or high-tech nature of the tools, we all need to guard our affections and attention – now more than ever.