Renovation

 "For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and My blessing on your descendants." Isaiah 44:3

I recently saw an ad for a church leadership conference on Facebook. It was about innovation. About how innovative church leaders could share their innovative ideas with other church leaders. Now, let me say I am not against innovation or innovative ideas in the church, so long as they are innovations that come from the heart of God and are fueled by His Holy Spirit. But my first thought, which I think was actually a thought from Him, was that the church is far more in need of renovation than innovation these days.

We're always looking for new and innovative ways of doing ministry. We go to conferences and seminars to learn them. We do so almost in desperation. We sincerely want to reach unchurched people, especially young people. We want to be effective, and we want to hear how those who have been effective came to be so. We seek with a deep desire for this knowledge. I get it, but I fear we have become so attuned to the voice of men that we've become dulled to the voice of God. 

When I think upon renovation as compared to innovation, I get the picture of an older home in need of a total makeover. A complete renovation. That has to start with the foundation. If you don't attend to that, it doesn't matter what you do to dress up what shows above ground. It's a temporary fix that doesn't address the real problem. A problem that will eventually bring about its fall. In the church, all the innovative ideas and fresh way of doing things will come to nothing if we do not allow Him to attend to the desperately needed renovation of first our foundation in Him, and then His building upon that foundation. Indeed, oftentimes, what is most needed is for a strong wind to come along to blow down the rickety structure we've built so that a new one, constructed by Him, may be raised up. I believe that we, the church, are in desperate need of the strong winds of His Holy Spirit to "blow down" all the rickety structures we have been building, no matter how "innovative," so that He may renovate His church according to the purpose and image He has for us.

Someone said that when God begins a renovation project upon a life or a church, the great difference between that and what one would experience if it were a home, is that you don't get to move out while it is going on. That means His Holy Spirit will "blow down" that which needs to be discarded and then build upon a renovated foundation that will result in a fully renovated life and church. Renovations are not easy and indeed are greatly challenging. They stretch us in every way. Yet here's the wonder of it all. As He renovates, He innovates through His Spirit. Innovation becomes the natural outgrowth of His renovation. We don't have to hold countless meetings and conferences to discuss what we can do, too often in our own strength. His Spirit leads us into new ways we could never have come up with apart from Him.

I have been in ministry for almost 40 years now. I sincerely appreciate all the seminars and conferences I've been a part of, as well as those who led them. But I've grown weary of them. What I long for is the fresh wind, the outpouring of His Holy Spirit. May all the chaff of what I've been doing, what we've been doing, be blown away. May whatever cracks in our foundations be repaired, made right. May He raise up a church, a people, that fully displays His glory. Let the renovation begin.

Blessings,
Pastor O