Are we grasping the opportunities God is providing? … I
don't know about you, but whenever any group does a SWOT (Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis, it feels like naming
‘opportunities’ is the most difficult for Christians to articulate. Please,
please prove me wrong – believe me this is not something I want to be happy
about.
I’ve just returned from our time away at our WEBA Conference
in Saunton Sands and as a result, I have even more confidence now God is indeed
presenting the Church, across the UK with a terrific opportunity. ‘The harvest
is plentiful’. Obviously, there is an application for Jesus’ words in every
generation, but right here (in the UK), right now it’s not so difficult to see,
as even ten years ago.
Two things, in particular, are highlighting this reality for
me:
i.
The ‘Talking Jesus’ research, which among other
things tells us people are far more favourable towards Christians and much more
importantly, hearing more about Jesus, than most of us have dared to believe,
or accept. That’s akin to sitting in my living room, looking out of the window
and seeing the harvest is ready, waiting.
ii.
The response to The Turning. There are some
remarkable (and I confess surprising to me) numbers, representing people open
to hear more about Jesus and how they might respond to Him being witnessed.
That’s akin to sitting in my living room listening to all my friends popping
round and telling me their stories.
My question now is not is there a harvest waiting to be
reaped, but is the church able to act and grasp this opportunity?
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