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The Role of the City in Spiritual Renewal
By Jeremy | September 21, 2007
Pastor Tim Keller
Tonight @ Fulton Street Revival opening plenary
I. What is Spiritual Renewal?
How can we identify a spiritual renewal? Every revival is a sovereign work of the Holy Spirit operating through three instruments that have three components and produce 3-4 results.-
A. Three instruments
1) The recovery of the gospel
+ The human default is to revert to works-based righteousness ... save selves.
+ Renewal happens after we rediscover the gospel of grace ... salvation not by works.
2) Creativity
+ No two revivals are totally alike. They always happen when there's a new adaptation to the cultural context.
+ For example, Fulton was lay-led prayer revival. Contrast with great awakening which was itinerants preaching outdoors.
3) Prayer
+ United, interdenominational, inter-racial, corporate, prevailing prayer
B. Three components
1) Nominal church goers become converted
2) Sleepy christians become awakened.
+ Son is no more a son when in dad's arms than when not. But he's experiencing sonship.
3) When those two things happen, the church becomes beautified. Becomes an attractive community that draws the outsiders in droves.
C. 3-4 results
1) Must be honest about the challenges. There's always an intemperate fringe. Some people get full of themselves. Condemn others. Arrogance. People become leaders before they are ready. Divisive, intemperate excessive fringe
2) Secular mainliners pick on the fringe and attack revival
3) Many conservative churches threatened. Pick on doctrine
4) Nevertheless the gospel goes forward and leads to social impact. For example, child labor laws, abolition, and more were social fruit of Fulton Street. Wholesomeness pervades society. Good stuff comes along with weird stuff.
TK: Experienced revival two times in his life. 18 months during the early days of Redeemer and on college campuses in 1970s. TK's belief about NY: We're in the midst of a slow-moving beginning to revival. Two of the three instrumental means are in full effect.
1 -- Entrepreneurial risk takers. Creative energy. Immigrants outreach.
2 -- United prayer is happening. It's strong. It's cross cultural, racial, denominational, etc. Concerts of prayer.
3 -- BUT: Recovery of gospel ... Not quite there yet. Churches need to shake off works righteousness within our particular traditions. Grace is there, but not quite at the surface. It's like the coke machine where you've paid, but the can hasn't fallen yet. "You have to hit the coke machine."
II. What's the role of the city in revival?
+ Initial spread of Gospel after Jesus (Acts) was city centric. Cities were the epicenter of Greco-Roman culture. + Cities not as crucial in intervening centuries. In US, for example, during the First and Second Great Awakening revival was concentrated more in countryside. + By Fulton Street revival, cities were crucial again, and the Fulton revival was centered in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Chicago, and other big cities. What happens in cities is magnified everywhere else. + Caution: Fulton Street impact far reaching, but in the early stages revival leaders, who were businessmen, were very hesitant to denounce slavery because of business interests in the South. + In 21st century, there's no plausibility that Christianity is going to change the world until it changes cities first. The influence of NYC (and others) is too great. "But we need to be saved from the arrogance and hubris of this place." I'm Christian first, NYer second.How then should we pray for revival?
+ Prayer that brings revival: "Sue Him for it." Pester him with his own promise. He delights to have us do it, as a father delights to see a child remind him of his love. + Alexander the Great's general asked him to finance his daughter's wedding. Alexander agreed. Paid the full bill. His reason: "By making such an enormous request he does me a great honor. He thinks I am both rich and generous." + This is the way we should seek God. Ask so big that we do him a great honor.Topics: copgny, evangelism, faith, fulton street revival, revival, tim keller | 1 Comment »
September 25th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
This is vintage Keller…Conscise & gospel centered…Awesome stuff