Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 1 Peter 1:8
I had an English teacher who was about as exciting as a box of rocks. English was usually my best subject, not because I was a hard working student, but because it came easy to me. Yet my mind often drifted off while this teacher was speaking. But suddenly one day I heard excitement in her voice, so I perked up. She was talking about an author named J.R.R. Tolkien. This was long before any movies or anything else had put Tolkien or the Fantasy genre on the radar. Indeed, I knew nothing of the fantasy genre of books. But based upon Mr. Tolkien having sparked my teacher’s excitement, I searched out his books, then went on to discover other fantasy books, eventually becoming a lifelong fan of the genre.
Today the fantasy genre is awash with sub-genres and fantasy authors are as common as rain in April. You seldom find such excitement today as early fantasy fans who had been digging up old authors all the way back to the 1930s. They discovered just a few truly great authors in the genre. Today fans of the Fantasy genre have little new to get excited about. It seems like everybody has been there and done that.
I’m beginning to think Christianity for many has taken the same turn. When I was a teenager watching Pat Robertson on the 700 Club on my 19” black & white TV it was awesome to hear Jesus talked about on TV. When a friend told me about DeGarmo & Key, and Petra, I discovered Christian Rock in its infancy. It was an exciting time and it seemed Christianity was exploding across the scene. Only later did I learn I was reaping the blessings of the Jesus Movement that came out of the disillusioned Hippy Movement. Church buses were everywhere picking up kids when I was a boy and there was excitement about Jesus in the air. Today we have TV, Internet, Radio preachers that can hardly be counted. Christian Music is all over the radio and Christian artists are just a quick download away. We have perhaps a dozen or more different Bible translations today in so many styles and types it boggles the mind. Incredible compared to the King James Version I grew up with that came in either a “gift and award” cover or nice leather cover, perhaps some hardcover Bibles for the church pews for visitors.
My point is that too often today Jesus and the Gospel have become commonplace. Maybe you will go to church, but no big deal, if you miss it just catch the podcast or Youtube or Facebook recording later. Unlike myself as an eight year old boy holding the King James Bible in his hand like it was gold, you have Bible apps on your phone, iPad, perhaps half a dozen print Bibles that were given to you or that you picked up over the years collecting dust on your shelf. Many people no longer carry Bibles to Church because the scripture reading is put up on the big screen above the Preacher during the sermon.
I’m not judging anyone, I’m as guilty as anyone else of taking God’s blessings for granted. But it does mean a great deal to me when I can make it to church, and I still get excited finding something new in God’s Word that I had read a hundred times before but jumps out at me unexpectedly.
We are so blessed today we are almost bored with blessings. I think we see this time and again in the Bible when the Holy became commonplace to the Hebrew people. So what, we have manna from heaven to eat every day–where is the fried chicken? Water from a rock? Where is the wine? God thundering on the mountain? Soon they got bored and were making their own god, a golden calf.
Early America had several Great Awakenings. Revivals that reawakened the excitement for God in our early ancestors. I think we need another Great Awakening, or a series of Revivals. Sadly, Christianity today has become too easy, demanding too little of us. The gospel is so accessible today that you run into it without trying. Even some unbelievers can describe the essence of Christianity just from what they have heard and seen around them.
I expect Jesus is going to shake up and wake up, reignite and re-excite, His people soon. It may come through hardship or persecution. It may come through Evangelists who can cut through the dross in our commonplace Christianity and stir up the dying embers of the church today.
Exited Christians, like that boring English teacher who suddenly became animated in my class that day, will fire up the world for Christ. Fire spreads quickly, it just needs some fuel.
Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Psalm 85:6
Until Revival stirs up our nation and people get excited again about Jesus and the things of God, we need to do our part as believers to stir ourselves up in the Spirit of God. We must keep the gospel message fresh in our hearts and never take for granted blessings that could be taken away from us. Those “boring days” of eating manna in the desert ended, but how the generations later would have given anything to taste that heavenly bread. Even now Christians in many nations would give anything for one of our ragged worn out Bibles. And to hear Christian Music on the radio is only a dream they may never see fulfilled. Most of us have churches within walking distance or a short drive from our homes. Those people have no churches and if they hold a meeting in their homes are subject to arrest. We are drowning in blessings in this country and we take it all for granted. Just more of the same old manna.
I grew up in a county where Christianity became mainstream. Christianity became cool. You couldn’t swing a dead cat without hitting a Christian. All of our commonplace Christianity is just one generation away from disappearing either through neglect and disinterest, or some government authority sweeping it away.
We may not individually be able to start a Revival or another Great Awakening, but we can stir up our own excitement, renew our joy, stir up the Spiritual Gift God has placed within us. We can become excited Christians. Just look around you at the myriad of blessings God has given to us. We have every reason to be excited.
I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 1 Timothy 1:5-6
Stir up the joy of your salvation. Rekindle that excitement you had when you first became a believer. Excitement is contagious. And there is no telling how many people might come to know Jesus as their Savior if they could only hear the excitement in your voice as you describe and talk about Him.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help our wells not to become stagnant but to be filled with clean clear water. Help us to quit treating as common the incredible gifts and blessings You have poured out on us and our country. Forgive us our lack of joy and excitement. Set a fire in our hearts that burns passionately for You. Amen.
