What is the most obvious need for a drunken man? He must sober up. But what is the greatest need for an alcoholic? He needs to get delivered from his addiction to alcohol. He doesn’t simply need to sober up, he needs to be fully delivered.

I’m convinced that one of the greatest needs for the Western Church is that we must not only sober up, we need to be delivered from our addiction to shallow and frivolous intoxications. Earlier this year, I wrote several blogs about coming out of superficiality. Those thoughts are resonating louder in my spirit today than when I first wrote them. I believe the need is exactly the same, but the context has dramatically changed. The truth is I believe we’re(the church) drunk and in some cases we’re addicted to what has intoxicated us.

I propose one of our main intoxications is using American success as a means to measure ministry effectiveness. Rather than measuring our ministries by how much money we bring in or how many people are in our ministry sphere, we must begin to soberly consider if the disciples we are making will stand through the trials and tribulations that are coming on the earth. Do our disciples meet the criteria that Jesus called us to in Matthew 28:20, “Teach them to obey everything that I have commanded you…”

Another concern I have right now is that the church is mostly interested in capitalizing on this quarantine (expanding her social media sphere or video platform) or simply getting past this momentary crisis without any real concern for permanent change. Should the church use social media and video? Sure. But I’m certain that’s not the main thing the Spirit is saying to us right now.

This quarantine is a pop-quiz. It’s a small test. It’s nothing compared to what’s coming. Many are interested in getting past this pop-quiz so that we can go back to normal. God is much more interested in causing our hearts to be strengthened through this trial and delivering us from everything that has our affections more than Him. 

I’ve heard the sentiment multiple times, “we can’t go back to church as usual when the quarantine is over.” One of the challenges of not going back to church as usual is that we actually have to identify things that we are not going back to. What are we going to dispense with? If everything we’ve been doing is so effective, why haven’t we seen revival and reformation? Why would the Lord allow everything, including our services, to be shut down right now? My dear friend and comrade, Caleb Andrews, wrote a lyric, “I’m building fences around the precious and breaking covenant with the worthless.” This captures the exact mentality we must engage right now.

CHALLENGE

I believe God wants to invite His people to a healthy sobriety in light of the hour we live. I’m concerned that shepherds are offering people a message of deliverance and victory that is only going to set them up for disillusionment when something more challenging than Covid-19 comes. Beloved please hear me, something more difficult is coming - in multiple ways and with multiplied difficulty. We need to sober up right now. 

Sobriety is not in opposition to joy or hope. Sobriety has to do with soundness of mind, discretion, and wise self-control. Sobriety is what Jesus called believers to in Mark 13:37, “And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"

I want to encourage you, don’t waste this pandemic! Don’t waste this moment to step aside and hear what the Spirit is saying to the church. Let’s be delivered from our addiction to frivolous pursuits and seek the Lord while He can be found, calling upon Him while He is near.

Here are some questions I encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit in this hour:

What is Your desire for me right now?

What are areas of change you are speaking to me right now?

What things do You need me to put down?

What things do You want me to pick up?

1 Thessalonians 5:6  Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.