(By John Burton) Revival is a serious threat to the prevailing church structure, as it will put at risk every comfort zone we know. The reformation that revival will facilitate will cause quite a resistance even from many of the most devoted believers due to some significant threats to their comfort zones. It’s important to understand that a religious spirit is the force behind anything that might resist a costly revival.
Religion is: man’s attempt to use God to get what he wants
Jesus threatened the church of the day—so the church killed him. They got what they wanted. Today, it’s normal for many to attempt to use God or to use the church to get what they want. They want life to be comfortable and convenient. They want the church experience to be a certain way. They might shop around until they find the spiritual experience that meets their desires and demands. If people aren’t careful, they can unwittingly embrace a spirit of religion while minimizing the cost, the cross and the mandate to surrender all for the sake of kingdom advance. As revival approaches, here are some of the issues we will have to wrestle through. CONTINUE
