Perhaps we need more on Sunday mornings than religious education and/or personal motivation. We need the inner transformation that comes from following and obeying the living, resurrected Jesus Christ together in a meeting!

I read the Bible almost every day and recently I read this: “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.” (Romans 10:8)  Then I got excited because that confirms what we have seen at The Salvation Army Berry Street for the past 6 years: that ordinary believers have God’s word in their mouths and in their hearts. They just need the permission and the freedom to speak it out! And when everyday Christ-followers are allowed speak the word from their heart, God’s simple eloquence comes flowing out of them and His glory fills the room.

What if a soccer (international football as in the World Cup) team had just one person assigned to stand and cheer and all the other team followers had to just sit quietly and listen to the professional fan? I think there would be a soccer riot and all the fans would demand their right to participate in cheering on the team.  (Perhaps all the Christ-follows in a church meeting could be allowed to participate in verbally expressing their love for Christ and sharing the insights that Christ has given them.)

As the world enjoys the World Cup in Brazil, the church in the Western World needs life saving CPR.
C–Christ: We need to replace our religious programs and protocol with following and obeying the living, resurrected Jesus Christ.
P–Prayer: We all need to continually engage in passionate, Spirit-led, prayer, seeking God with all our heart.
R–Repentance: We need to turn away from and stop doing every known sin in actions, words, and thoughts.

If you are in the Nashville, Tennessee, USA area, come visit The Salvation Army Berry Street, where ordinary people show and tell what God has done–Sunday mornings @ 10:45, 225 Berry St., 37207.