From what I have experienced over the past few years. I would say that revival in America is all but impossible. To many Pastors encourage people to do God's will then do not support those actions financially when an individual is lead into full time Ministry. I have for over thirty years attempted to follow the Lord in obedience to His will and have met with nothing but condemnation, ridicule, judgment and out right hostility from those who go to church on a regular basis. This hostility was so great that it nearly cost me my life two years ago. This event did not occur in some obscure third world country, this event occurred here in the good ole US of A. While so many pastors and preachers will cry out for revival in their pulpits every Sunday, they won't do the one thing that is necessary for America to have revival: Pay for it.

I feel I must change my verbage on my last post. It's not fair to say that the message changes more often than not because it's not true that churches change the message of the gospel. I feel there is just a lure to change it's presentation to make it convenient or sensitive to us. This is really what seems to change the most. I thank God for those serving Him in the church but just regret that the methods tend to sway how we portray Christ so often.

I agree that methods should change because our culture needs new methods. The problem is that most often the message changes with the method. In our area it seems that everyone is going to the big screens, big lights, big stage props and high tech presentations. My critical side says that the majority of people leave saying wow, that was cool but aren't deeply affected by it. They'll invite someone next time mainly because the band was great. Granted many people come to Christ because of it so thank God for that - He's still in the business of drawing people by His Holy Spirit. I have seen a church where the message remained while the methods changed but my guess is that the reverse it true in churches more often than not.

I think so many people in today's culture believe that change is what the church needs. Change doesn't always make worship better. We went from a traditional church to a charismatic one. Change was important to this new church. We found that hymns were out and praise songs were in and sung three times in a row. There was always a guitar, woodwinds, a portable piano,etc. The ritual was the same and was very monotonous. The organ was put down, hymns were put down, everything was about Jesus or the Holy Spirit. God the Father was never mentioned. People wore casual clothes which was part of the dictate of the changed church. Needless to say, we are back at the traditional church, growing in Biblical Christianity, enjoying our worship, and enjoying others as well. Our church does have a contemporary service and I have attended that one as well. Change is not always better when it is under man's direction. Change under God always works.

A link to this article has been posted on the website GoodNewsNow.com.

How refreshing to read this article. Far too many churches are seeking to be like the world in a bid to attract the world. Yet God tells us that friendship with the world is hatred towards God. We simply cannot serve two masters! As we seek to take the gospel out to the world lets use the culture we find ourselves in (as indeed Paul and Peter did) as a base to present the unchanging message of God's grace and forgiveness to all who would believe in Christ Jesus. Church services, though, that are seeking to attract the world tend to run counter to the biblical pattern of the incarnation in which Jesus went out to save us, rather than inviting us into his 'building'. Let's go out into world, (incarnational missiology) to make disciples and keep church as a place of fellowship, 'worship' and growing in Christ.