Read Ephesians 3:20–21

Now all glory to God, who is able,
through his mighty power at work within us,
to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus
through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
(Ephesians 3:20–21)

Jesus is building the church—authentic believers in Him—to share His Word and to engage in good works, which God has prepared ahead of time for us to walk in (Ephesians 2:10). But even in healthy churches, we learned, the devil is alive and well, doing all he can through worship wars, moral pollution, and doctrinal erosion—to dismantle what Jesus is building.

In addition, human depravity is always present—even among Christians. We can prevent the slow, silent, and subtle erosion—the drift from Christ’s master plan—only by allowing clear, biblical thinking to override a secular, corporate mentality based on human opinion.

Even in a culture marked by postmodernism and addicted to consumerism, the church doesn’t need gimmicks to attract people. Instead, it needs biblical truth taught in an interesting manner and lived out in unguarded authenticity—in our relationship with our Lord and with one another. The Bible affirms that a ministry is contagious when it remains strong in grace, when the older mentor the young, when it pulls together in tough and desperate times, and when it endures regardless of the challenges.

We live in treacherous, savage times—dark times. It’s no wonder the world has lost its way. Poised on the edge of destruction, only the cross of Christ stands between billions of people and their plummet to destruction. And the appointed messenger of that cross?

The church.

In the midst of all the locusts and all the desolation and all the barrenness that has ravaged the times in which we live, the Lord is calling His church to stand in the gap.

In light of such perilous times, we must remain convinced of the long-standing truths of the Bible, without which we would never find our way. Furthermore, we must allow those truths to fulfill their purpose in our everyday lives through personal application, so that we will never lose our way.

The great hope of the church awakening begins when the ministers of God become aware of what it means to fulfill God’s calling and when the people of God genuinely hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness.

Taken from The Church Awakening by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2010 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Faith Words, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc.