The Great Commission is not happening in America the way God has planned and desired and the problem is one of the heart: few Christians have a vibrant daily time to connect with God, fewer pray for the lost or that God would use them to reach the lost and even fewer are empowered and truly led by His Spirit in lives of obedience. This is where preaching and teaching must become focused on connecting with God, loving Him actively and not just on knowledge and content (1 Cor.8:1). Conviction #7 - We must focus on their hearts, encouraging the congregation that we can’t meet their spiritual needs Sunday morning and instead challenging them to connect daily with God, learning to walk in His Spirit’s power. When Church leaders say things like, “are you glad to be back in the house of God this morning,” they are training people to see Church as the place where they can connect with God instead of connecting personally with God daily and then meeting Sunday morning in an outflow of that fellowship (God specifically says he doesn’t live in buildings made by human hands for that very reason). Another huge problem is weekly telling people Sunday morning is the time and place to, “be touched by God and leave a different person.” Again, Sunday morning should be what flows out of that. Pastors have far too long trained their congregations to have all their needs met Sunday morning, creating a sort of Christian welfare state where congregants go to the pastor, staff and church meetings for what only He personally can provide. God doesn’t work that way – that is religion. God intends to personally engage each of us individually, daily. We must train people to connect daily with Him in His Word and prayer and out of that be touched, changed and renewed from the inside out.
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