Jesus Now! God Is Up To Something BigSample

Pinpoints of Light

It happened several years ago, while I was speaking about church revival. I launched into a carefully orchestrated outline of Scripture, complete with historical context, personal observations, and supportive media on how a new, emerging spiritual awakening in the United States was real and imminent.

After forty-five minutes, I finally took my first breath and offered to answer any questions. One woman raised her hand and then asked the question everyone was thinking, yet did not dare to ask.

“Tom, I appreciate what you’ve said so far about the need for spiritual renewal in our country. I believe God has poured out His Spirit in extraordinary ways on different people at different points in history. I just don’t buy the idea that we’re in one of those times. And I’ll tell you why.

“When I look around me, I see so much darkness. Families are divorcing. Young people are being ripped apart by drugs, sex, and drive-by shootings. The neighborhood, the city, the country I grew up in just doesn’t exist anymore. Face it, you don’t see people smile as much as they used to. Look at our world. It’s filled with angry drivers, ugly graffiti, and one major world disaster after another. That’s why, if you’re talking about the possibility of spiritual renewal, well, it’s just wishful thinking, if you ask me.

“How can spiritual awakening be anything more when the one thing Christians can’t wait to get home for after Sunday service isn’t to pray or study God’s Word but to worship the Dallas Cowboys?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see people nodding their heads. Perhaps, the same way you’re nodding “yes” right now. The early signs of a Jesus-Now Awakening in our country are mere pinpoints of light whose gleaming presence is a brilliant reminder that darkness has never been able to overcome light.

This is how I believe the coming spiritual awakening will occur, by defining the lines of darkness and light. The contrasts will be so sharp, the evidence of the Lord so clear, that no world leader, no movement, no organization, nor coalition will be able to take credit for such an obvious spiritual transformation. Like people lost in a cave surrounded by darkness, we will know that there can only be one explanation: God Himself.