Positioning the Church for an Awakening

Positioning the Church for an Awakening

 Acts 4:31-35

The American church is losing its influence not because of the darkness around it, but because it has turned out its own light. Acts 4 describes a church that was genuinely positioned to transform its culture, and four characteristics made that early church unstoppable. Those characteristics are a spiritually close fellowship, a commitment to God's commission, a compassionate generosity toward others, and a commitment to moral purity. Unity among believers is not optional; it is essential to the church's testimony before a watching world. Every believer has been empowered by the Holy Spirit to share the gospel, and that responsibility is a mandate, not a suggestion. Generosity is a fruit of Spirit-filled living, and nothing reveals the condition of a heart more quickly than a person's giving. A church that tolerates unrepentant sin loses the fear of God that draws people to genuine transformation. The church does not need a new strategy. It needs a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit, beginning with prayer, repentance, and full surrender to the lordship of Christ.