Come Alive

Marilyn and I were walking in Mount Pleasant in 2015 and happened upon a clearing with a large sign. It was a plaque commemorating the existence of a congregation that had been there for about 80 years. The building was gone, although you could still just make out the foundation on the ground. At the bottom of the sign were the names of the final members of that congregation. In the clearing I noticed some headstones, so I walked up to look at them. Some of them were quite old, but quite a few were fairly recent. The remaining members of this congregation were being buried there as they died because of the connection they had there.

Imagine the people that planted that church. They came together in Mount Pleasant in the early 1900’s with a desire to be the light of Christ in that community. Imagine the excitement and desire for expanding the Kingdom of God. Do you think that those planters imagined that less than 100 years later, the congregation would be completely gone and their light extinguished? How tragic!

Today’s song is “Come Alive.” It is a favorite of mine and Marilyn’s. It references the passage from Ezekiel 37 (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2037%3A1-14&version=NLT) about the dry bones. I encourage you to go read it. This passage is a specific prophecy in a series of prophecies about the restoration of Israel. It is not about the Church directly, but is often referenced to discuss revival. Those themes are certainly present and that is what the song uses.

Often, we think of revival and we look at those living in darkness. “Those people should be better. They need Jesus. I can’t believe they think/talk/act that way. They need revival.” But here’s the thing…they have always been dead. This passage speaks of bodies who were once living and are now dead, a MIGHTY ARMY that was defeated and is being called back to life. It is not speaking of the lost…it is speaking of us.

In America today, about 200 congregations close their doors EVERY WEEK. We are not planting nearly enough congregations to replace them. We need to call the dry bones back to life. WE NEED REVIVAL…

…but it doesn’t start “out there.” It starts among the people of God in the Kingdom of God. It starts in our hearts. We are seeing it happening right now in places around the world, but that is just the beginning. God is raising up a great army, but an army that only sits in garrison and never goes to war isn’t an army at all. For generations, much of the Church has become a social club where people come to feel good about themselves. If all we do is gather, sing some songs, hear a good message, eat some food, and go home, then we are worthless as an army. An army exists to defeat the enemy, take ground, and set captives free. That is why we exist! Jesus calls us to go into all the world and make disciples. He calls us to be His witnesses everywhere. We cannot stay where we are, and go.

We call out to dry bones come alive.

We call out to dead hearts come alive.

Up out of the ashes let us see an army rise.

We call out to dry bones, come alive.

Amen, Lord…let it begin in me.

In His bonds,

Josh+

This week, we will sing this one together for the first time. Please listen!

Come Alive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P4YdXz3LAI

Also…

What A Friend We Have In Jesus