Revival Coin Story

 

The story begins with the vision of www.OneMillionPraying.org to invite Christians to regularly breathe a prayer for the Persecuted Church.

Something was not okay when research indicated that less than 1% of U.S. believers prays for the Persecuted Church and most Churches at best only mention our persecuted family once a year.  These persecuted Believers are our brothers and sisters in Christ bought with the same blood and experiencing the same grace as we do through our Savior, Jesus Christ.

So what causes such a disparity?

Over the last few years, OneMillionPraying.org had great success by letting people know how valuable their prayers were and keeping the invitation simple. “We are inviting you to “breathe” a word of prayer for our Persecuted Family on a regular basis.”

Although we had great responses at Christian Music Festivals and at a few Churches signing up people to pray, it seemed there were greater “issues.”  Even with reaching a level of over 10,000 praying and seeing unbelievable answers to our prayers, very few were supporting the ministry.

That led to the discovery or recognition of the first “Big” issue, a lack of prayer.  Looking around, we realized very few Churches have a weekly prayer service anymore and even the ones who do only a few people show up.  Also, when mentioning prayer, many would respond by telling us to talk with “so and so” because they were a “prayer warrior.”  Prayer has been delegated to a select few who have the “gift” to pray.  So that leaves the average Christian to pray mostly for things that they need or emergencies in their lives.

Peeling the onion a little deeper, we began to realize some deep problems within the body of Christ.  We knew much of this before but the gravity of the situation really hadn’t hit.

First, when there is a lack of prayer for something as important as the Persecuted Church, that probably means there is a lack of prayer for many other important issues.

Two, where is the love for one another? I Corinthians 12:26 and Hebrews 13:3 tell us we should hurt for those members of the body of Christ who are suffering affliction.  If there is a lack of love for part of the body of Christ that probably means there is a lack of love for other parts of the body of Christ.

We have joked for years about it being a “sheep eat sheep world out there” but it is true all too often.  The hallmark of being a part of the body of Christ is summed up when Jesus said in John 13:35,”By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  Echoing in my ears are the words of a resurrected Jesus on the seashore of Galilee speaking to Peter. “Peter, do you love me more than these?…Feed My sheep…Tend My lambs.”  He didn’t tell Peter to feed ALL the sheep or take care of ALL the lambs…the command focused on His body, the saints of God.  Jesus loves His Church and commands us to love one another as well.

And then it struck us how much of today’s Christianity focuses on helping others but neglects the Body of Christ.  And then the last layers of the onion peeled back and we began to recognize how broken the body of Christ is today in the U.S..

Just a few facts to illustrate the point…

1. According to research 60-70% of young people growing up in Evangelical Churches will abandon their faith once they leave  High School.  If you are a business person and you’re losing 60% of your most important demographic, you won’t be in business very long.
2. The divorce rate inside the Church is nearly as great as the rate outside of the Church
3. All the moral issues of our day are affecting God’s Church – adultery, pornography, sex outside of marriage, homosexuality, drugs, etc…
4. Some 50% of pastors don’t want to be pastors anymore but don’t know anything else to do.  Some 70% of their spouses say the worst day of their life was when their spouse made the decision to go into ministry.
5. The average giving rate in Churches (in the richest country in the world and maybe in all of history) is only 2.5%…and we expect God to bless us?
6. Sunday morning is still the most segregated moment of the week in the United States.
7. Less than 1% of Believers are praying for the Persecuted Church and many other important issues.
8. The lack of love for one another in the body of Christ.
9. This list could literally go on for pages.

When Jesus said, “I will build My Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail” was this what He envisioned?   I think our Savior must be shedding tears for His Body.  Does our heart break for what breaks His?  We cannot be a light to the world or a city on a hill when we are this broken.  I believe we are in the same state as the Church of Ephesus found in Revelation.  They had head knowledge so that they were able to define who they hated but they couldn’t define those they loved.  They had lost their FIRST LOVE for all the saints as they were commended for by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:15.  God warns them that unless they renew their love for ALL THE SAINTS, He would remove their candlestick, thereby removing their ability to affect their culture.  Isn’t that what we see happening today?

Having researched the Persecuted Church over the last several years has also made us sensitive to the many forces in this world that seek to rob people of their freedom and enslave them.  We see many shadows of these forces eagerly waiting to rob us in the United States of our liberty.  It also highlights the critical need to ACT NOW!  A broken and rotting Body of Christ is incapable of fighting the Spiritual Battles we are facing.

There is no doubt that we need Spiritual Revival.  We have heard many people talk about the need for revival but all too often, the discussion turns to the ills of our country or the politics or that we need to “take back” that which theoretically has been taken from us.  Revival focuses directly and completely on restoring the body of Christ.

We believe Spiritual Revival is possible if we are willing to make the commitment and place a high value to seeing it happen.  But we need to understand that revival will come with a cost (time, money & resources).

The process for Spiritual Revival is spelled out in II Chronicles 7:14. “If My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sins and heal their land.”

Please notice, it doesn’t say, “If my Pastors, Spiritual Leaders, Prayer Warriors, Intercessors, Super Saints (whoever that is…I know I’m not one) will pray.”  It says, “My People.” For those who don’t believe Christians are the people of God please read I Peter 2:9.

There seems to be a subtle disdain for the Believer sitting in the congregation on Sunday morning which is another sign of our lack of love for one another.  The Bible actually tells us in I Corinthians 12:22-23 to give more honor to the weakest members of the Body of Christ. We believe our very survival depends on inviting them to engage in the spiritual battle!

In order to see Spiritual Revival, we need to unite together and pray for the Body of Christ.  That which we pray for, we begin to love. So we pray that God’s people would take that first step toward revival and turn to Him.  The Spirit of God is able to do a great work in people’s lives if we ask.  Our BLU prayer for the Body of Christ includes a few other points that are vital for Revival to happen…but it begins with a love for one another and turning our hearts to Him. It is also Biblical to pray for one another. See James 5:16 and Ephesians 6:18.

Our plan is simple…invite Believers to breathe a prayer for the Body of Christ on a regular basis.  Every Believer who prays puts us one step closer to seeing revival.  But it will be a Spiritual Battle due to the walls and barriers that Satan has been able to build over many years.

We’re not exactly sure what revival will look like.  It may look a little different depending on your viewpoint and background and denomination.  What we do believe is that it will be a Spirit led Revival (the only kind) and there will be a tremendous growth in the body of Christ as Believers have a renewed zeal for the things which are important to Jesus Christ, the head of the Body.

There’s no doubt that any problem in the U.S. is not too big for God to solve including a $17 trillion dollar debt or a culture that has turned its back on God.  Nor do we know for certain if God will spare our country.  But if there is a chance of these things happening, it will only be if the Body of Christ returns to its FIRST LOVE and prays for one another.

So let’s get started.  Acquire a coin and join us with your prayers (even if the Spirit of God leads you to pray differently).  Invite your friends to acquire a coin and begin praying for the Body of Christ as well!  The more who pray, the more we will watch our amazing God do great things through His Body.  He is the Great Physician who knows how and can heal the Body of Christ!

As we pray and as our love grows for one another, I also hope we add many Believers praying for the Persecuted part of the Body of Christ at www.OneMillionPraying.org.  Because as Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17, we are to be “One” as He and the Father are One.  We also ask you to pray to bless Israel.  One of the greatest promises of blessing in the Bible goes to those who bless Israel (Gen 12:3). We need all the blessing that God would grant us.

We hope by God’s grace and your help that we can have millions praying within the next few years. And with our hearts turning to Him, we will watch the Spirit of God do a work in this country greater than anything we have seen in our lifetime!

Thank you for joining with us!

May God richly bless you as you pray!

Revival Coin

 

Revival Coin Doctrinal Statement

• We believe the Bible to be the only inspired, infallible, authoritative Word of God.
• We believe that there is only one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
• We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful man, a personal faith in Jesus Christ (and regeneration by the Holy Spirit) is absolutely essential.
• We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
• We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost: the saved unto the resurrection of life and the lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
• We believe in the spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
• We believe that Satan is a defeated foe but is still alive and active today and is the enemy of the gospel of Jesus Christ.