Sometimes, the biggest enemy that we will face on a particular day will not be a sudden tragedy or unexpected upheavals.  Sometimes the enemy comes dressed as comfort or routine. For me, I find it so easy to "relax for a moment" watching TV...and find that I have wasted the time during which God wanted me to reach out to someone, or which I had set aside for Him. It seems I am particularly vulnerable to the lure of comfort and routine when I am being tested in ways that bring out my insecurities and fear.

And yet--I have prayed over and over again to be "on the cutting edge", to make a significant difference for God's glory.  How the spirit desires to bless the Father, while the flesh just wants quiet and ease! Like Peter, I tend to boast, "Anything, Lord!  I will do anything for You!"  Yet, too often I won't even get out of the chair for His purpose.

If we want to make a significant impact upon our world, we must be willing to break out of our routine, stretch beyond our comfort ...

  Surveys reveal that massive numbers of Protestant pastors are leaving their pastorates because of burnout.  Many of those that remain behind are struggling with strongholds such as pornography, sexual immorality, or gambling.  The pervasive sexual sin among Roman Catholic leadership has threatened the very structure of the Catholic Church.  Among the so-called "laypeople", discontent and disillusionment are causing many people to drop out.   Many Millenials have dismissed the Christian message as irrelevant. Even among those that still faithfully attend and support their individual church bodies, it is a well-known statistic that 20% of the people are doing 80% of the work.

What is wrong with the Church?  Why are we modern believers falling so short of the early Church as reflected by the book of Acts?  Yes, the early Church had major problems, but boredom and burnout were not among them!

It is time for believers to take responsibility for the state of the Church.  We have decision...