There's just something about a kick drum and a lead singer with a moderately priced haircut that really opens hearts to the work of the Holy Spirit.
At least that's how it always feels. In that moment, those who gathered to worship become aware of their desperate need for grace and hearts change. Yet they then return home. Some might read the Bible the next day. Others may be able to keep it up for several months, but eventually most people fall away. As it turns out, hearts weren't really impacted- only eardrums and tear ducts.
I use the word they because it's not really considered proper writing technique to speak in first or second person. Forgive me for breaking that rule, but I would be lying if I said I hadn't experienced the Kick Drum Complex myself. So, what went wrong? Obviously we know change is necessary because we felt convicted, and we know that the end result of this change is Christ-likeness. We know where we finish, but we don't know where to start.
It's always possible because we serve an omnipotent God;
nevertheless, it's highly unlikely that anyone can go from a spiritual
drought to daily sincere time spent with God. The reason for this is not that God cannot or does not work in us quickly, but generally that we tried and expected to do it ourselves. To put it simply, if we set out to grow in our faith alone, we set ourselves up for failure. A flower does not grow because of its willpower. It requires sunlight and water, and it grow faster if fertilized. Plants may be considered autotrophic, but they don't provide their own water or fertilizer. The caretaker of the plant must provide for basic needs in order for the plant to become something as opposed to shriveling up in death. Ephesians 2:1-9 describes Christ in a similar fashion. He provides for our spiritual needs not so that our lives can be sustained, but so that we can be given life in the first place.
As Ephesians 2:9 says salvation is not a result of our own works. Sanctification works the same way. The motto of my youth group is "Gospel, Community, Mission." The first
of those is always the starting point. Have you been changed by the
gospel? That's something only you and God truly know. If the answer
to that is no, you physically cannot go further until God makes you alive. In spite of what AMC says, dead people don't walk anywhere. Those who are spiritually dead cannot start down the path of sanctification. The good news is that in spite of what you did, what you do, and
what you will do, God does make you alive by grace through faith in Christ.
That's where transformation has to start; you can't skip it.
Once you are alive, however, you begin to transform beginning with the next word in the motto: community.
Genesis 1:26-28 briefly describes the creation of man. In this description, God makes two very important things known: first, God is in three persons, hence the use of the pronoun "us." Secondly, God created man in his image. In essence, humanity was created to
desire and to need community, obviously with God, but also with other believers. That's why God designed the church. We need accountability. So if we want our faith to
grow, we cannot settle for just a daily quiet time. It is important to be
actively involved in a church and to dig into the word not
just alone, but also with fellow believers. Pray for each other
and hold each other accountable. Find someone more spiritually mature and ask them to be your accountability
partner. Be at church and don't just go out of obligation. Go joyfully,
and pray for God to use his word and his people to work in
you. Ask God for wisdom. Ask Him for
faith. Ask Him to change you.
Most importantly, don't just ask. Ask
in faith; in other words, expect God to work in you. Ask him and know
that he will. That's what faith is. Faith is not just abstractly or
intellectually believing something. It demands to be put into action. Certainty does not come instantly, but the phrase "leap of faith" doesn't generally refer to certainty. When we begin to leap, we begin to see God's faithfulness not to provide earthly reward, but to constantly change us and sanctify us. Once dead, we have been made alive, and day by day we become more beautiful. That's what faith looks like from the seemingly invisible starting point to the beautiful finish that is yet to come.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord." -James 1:5-7
