Christians Call For Repentance With Hopes Of Revival

2020 was definitely a year for the record books. From COVID-19 to violence and civil unrest, it appears to the natural eye that 2020 was not the year that most had in mind.

Many Christians held tight to the hope that 2020 was going to be the year of 20/20 vision. And while the non-believer may want to challenge that philosophy, as Christians, I’d have to say that we are, in fact, finally seeing clearly.

In Luke 8:17, Jesus states,

“For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.”

Exposing the Darkness

Like Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), we’re having a season where the scales are being removed from our eyes. We are awakening to the spiritual darkness that has invaded our land. We’re recognizing that the seeds that were sown in the past did not bear good fruit. Instead, they produced a crop of destruction and chaos.

As a nation, we’ve been drifting further away from God’s plan for sexuality. We’ve become a nation that pursues the fulfillment of our fleshly desires, regardless of the long-term implications to ourselves or others.

Our hearts no longer break for what we see. In fact, we provide a platform for celebration. Various forms of sexual sin are being welcomed into our homes through streaming platforms, apps, movies, and music.

Various forms of sexual sin are being welcomed into our homes through streaming platforms, apps, movies, and music.

The secular world talks about sex. But sadly, the Church does not. Upon occasion, a pastor may briefly mention sexual sin and pornography in a sermon. However, few are putting programs in place to help rescue those who are in bondage. As a result, pornography usage within the church is on the rise.

Related Article: Why Revival May Not Be Possible

According to a study conducted by Pure Desire Ministries, 68% of church-going men regularly seek out pornography. Before you ask, no, men are not the only ones who struggle. The Barna Group reports that 15% of self-identified Christian women view pornography at least once per month.

Jan Mozingo, the women’s ministry leader at Revive Church in Stuart, Florida, commented on the crippling effects of sexual sin.

“The issue of sexual sin (that has been buried and swept under the rug for decades), is bubbling up in our society and cannot be swept under the rug any longer.”

Christians Take Action

Other Christian leaders agree that we must take action. In fact, many Christians are calling for repentance on a personal, corporate, and national level.

This is an opportunity to recommit our lives, our families, and our country back to God. It’s a time to search the depths of our souls in order to identify the sinful things that we’ve allowed to infiltrate our lives. Is it pornography, greed, wealth, jealousy, hatred, or pride? Do we lack empathy, compassion, grace, mercy, and Christ-like love?

As people around the world repent and turn back to God, it will be vital for churches to quickly become a rehabilitation center. Individuals will be coming with years worth of pain, suffering, trauma, and poor choices. They will need the chance to discover that they are not the sum of their past mistakes or the things done to them. In their pursuit of transformation, they are going to need a place of refuge.

These men and women are going to need a loving, nurturing, no-nonsense environment where they can begin to unravel the lies they’ve operated from for years. They will need an outlet to heal, to forgive, and to receive God’s grace. And, they’re going to need people who mirror the genuine love of Jesus. They will need people who will not condemn them but will walk beside them through the discipleship and sanctification process.

Related Article: 6 Lies Men Believe When They Struggle With Porn

Where Does the Church Begin?

With the groundswell of people that could burst through the church doors, it’s important to know where to begin.

Is it through a sermon series? Sure, that might help. Is it through an altar call? That’s definitely a great place to start as nothing trumps the power of prayer and apart from saving faith in Christ and the infilling of the Holy Spirit, someone doesn’t stand a chance of breaking free from unwanted sexual behaviors. But, how does a believer walk out salvation? Didn’t Christ call us to community and discipleship?

So, how about small group studies that will help each person deal with the current issues in their life while connecting them with other believers? Bingo.

Related Article: How to Disciple Men Into Leaders

Small group studies are intimate settings where each person can deal with current issues, while connecting with other believers.

Small groups foster a sense of connection. Intimacy and vulnerability can be established as you learn and grow together. Plus, small groups will often take people to a deeper level of healing than that found by simply attending a Sunday morning service.

Thanks to a new digital streaming platform, SoulRefiner.com, it’s easier than ever to facilitate small groups that address some of life’s biggest problems – including the porn epidemic.

Revival Without Repentance

We must be willing to tackle these issues now. No longer can we allow them to spread like wildfire throughout the church, our future generations, and the community. As Jan Mozingo shared,

“God is GIVING us this opportunity to expose the problem, and expose the enemy, and we must take advantage of this time! What will we do with this opportunity? Rise up (become knowledgeable and powerful) and DO something or stick our heads in the sand as past generations have done?”

God doesn’t allow you to have 20/20 vision if there’s not something that He wants you to see. And He doesn’t just want you to see in the physical but wants you to engage in the spiritual as well. It’s time for the Church to become the Church once again.

As Dr. Ted Roberts, host of the Conquer Series, shares, revival may not be possible based on the current condition of the Church.

“In the church’s present condition of sexual bondage, there is no way real revival could ever take place. God would have to repent for it to take place, and he is not about to change his moral standard. He asks us to instead repent, which simply means to turn around or turn 180 degrees from the direction we are headed.”

He continued, “Now, real revival is not just where the church gets happy, but the culture is impacted and changed. Our culture today is overdosing on destructive sexuality and is desperately looking for answers.”

Confronting Sexual Sin – Even Among Christians

It’s likely that you have men or women in your church who are struggling with pornography or sexual addiction. Now is the time to offer the Conquer Series. This powerful 10-week introductory course will help them understand why their previous attempts to quit so often failed.

They will learn how the brain is changed through the viewing of pornography or sexually acting out. Weekly assignments will encourage them to evaluate their past, identifying any wounds, trauma, abuse, feelings of worthlessness, rejection, and more that may have been present.

As they take inventory of these things, they will begin to recognize the lies that have been hiding in their belief system. They will begin to recognize destructive coping mechanisms, such as pornography, masturbation, or sexually acting out, that have been used to numb the pain they’ve been feeling. And, they’ll begin to recognize their identity in Christ.

Related Article: Who You Say I Am

Healing Broken Marriages

It’s also possible that you have marriages within your church that are struggling to survive. These couples may be struggling with emotional, physical, or spiritual disconnection.

Without a proper understanding of what is going on, they may feel that any attempt at saving their marriage is hopeless. Offering Stronger Together in your church has the power to revitalize not only marriages but the Church itself as couples begin to rekindle their commitment to our true mission.

Stronger Together is a five-week course that clearly identifies what is happening in these disconnected marriages. Couples will learn the characteristics and causes of the withholding that is taking place within their relationship. Each week, they will be assigned creative activities that can help bring them closer together.

The Time is Now

There has never been a better time to consider revitalizing small groups within your church. It’s time to purpose yourself to come alongside the hurting and broken in your church and your community.

Now is the time to raise your voice, raise your standard, and become the voice of hope that this world needs. Learn more at SoulRefiner.com.