Pastor Mark Driscoll is encouraging Christians to evangelize in these days when “the church is dying.”
In a letter addressed to “Christian,” Driscoll says believers must focus more on evangelizing.
“Four years ago, Newsweek magazine proclaimed ‘The Decline and Fall of Christian America,’” he writes. “Their words, written on the cover in the shape of a cross, ring disturbingly true today.”
“Christians are being ostracized, gay marriage is being legalized, the bandwagon has stopped carrying us and has started running over us,” he continues. “The church is dying, and no one is noticing because we’re wasting time criticizing rather than evangelizing.
Driscoll, the lead pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, says we must strengthen our resolve.
“The days are darker, which means our resolve must be stronger and our convictions clearer,” he says. “This is not the hour to trade in work boots for flip-flops. You didn’t think you were here to kill time listening to Christian music until Jesus returned, did you?”
“Stand firm in God’s grace,” he encourages. “Hold fast to the Word. Jesus is alive. Quit licking your wounds—stand up, dust yourself off and get to work.”
Driscoll is a leader with several other pastors for the Resurgence movement, a resource for Christian leaders. Resurgence will hold its second annual conference Nov. 5-6.
According to the conference website, attendees can expect to “learn a lifetime of lessons from ministry leaders who have seen God’s faithfulness as they responded to His call.”
Speakers include Driscoll, Rick Warren, Matt Chandler, Greg Laurie, James MacDonald and Crawford Loritts.
The main event will be in downtown Seattle, with smaller satellite locations in Bellevue, Wash.; Reno, Nev.; Orlando, Fla.; and Albuquerque, N.M.
On the website for his upcoming book, A Call to Resurgence: Will Christianity Have a Funeral or a Future? Driscoll says the time for Christians to step out is now.
“This isn’t the time to wait or debate,” he writes. “Hell is hot, and forever is a long time. Lost people need to be reached, churches need to be planted, and nations need to be evangelized. Let’s have some amazing, Jesus-empowered stories to tell our grandkids.”
A Call to Resurgence, which is described as a “clarion call for Christians,” comes out Nov. 5.
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