Why the Church Must Recapture Its Prophetic Voice Now

In light of the current dynamics taking place in our nation today, I want to share some thoughts that I have been processing and praying through over the last few days as the horrors of rioting, looting, arson and more have been perpetrated across many of our major U.S. cities.

First of all, as with many of you, I have been horrified and heartbroken as the tragic scenes have been shared on our TV screens as well as through other multiple media outlets. I have prayed for this violence to stop, as I know that there is always collateral damage when chaos ensues, including many people losing their livelihoods, places to shop, housing and even their lives.

The situation has become grave.

Let me say loudly that I fully understand why so many people in our country are upset about the murder of George Floyd. When I watched the video detailing his death, I was grieved and deeply disturbed that a policeman acted out this horrible crime against this helpless man. Therefore, I applaud those who have peacefully protested his death, and I stand with them 100%. This type of behavior should not exist on any level of our society.

With that said, I also know that most of the people that are involved in law enforcement in our nation are decent people who put their lives on the line day in and day out to keep our cities safe. They are usually underpaid and underappreciated for the valiant work they do.

At the same time, I also recognize that there are some bad actors within law enforcement as well as in many other areas of our society. This is sad, and it reveals the depravity of humanity, especially when they are not in a relationship with their creator.

My following thoughts will most likely offend some, and I respect your freedom to disagree with me. However, I know that there are basic principles of life, law and liberty that cannot be ignored when a nation arrives at the challenging juncture that we find ourselves in at this time of history.

America has been on a downward moral spiral for decades now. We have come to a place as a nation where we now applaud and even promote activity that is immoral on every level. Things that once shocked us now entertain us. Elements that were once considered sinful and even shameful are now paraded under the titles of pride, love, tolerance, acceptance and so on.

Galatians 6:7-8 declares the following, “Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

I know that many will say, “There he goes again, quoting an outdated, antiquated book that no longer has any relevance in our modern society.” This might be the opinion of many in our modern culture, but I know with surety that America is experiencing the fallout of what happens when we promote perversion and even applaud the murder of innocent human babies under the guise of women’s health. We are reaping what we have sown!

There is historical proof that reveals the imploding of cultures and even kingdoms and nations that have glorified ungodliness while spitting in the face God in the name of enlightenment and progressivism. The truth is that there is always tragic fallout when a nation assumes a mindset of humanism, secularism and even postmodernism. When we hail intellectual ascent above the glory of God and in turn become our own moral compass, it is then that we begin to weaken, degrade and fall into chaos like we are currently seeing in our nation.

It is important for us to understand that all the blame does not lay at the feet of our culture. The sad fact is that much of the blame lays at the feet of the American church—a church that, on many levels, has become just like the world around it.

It is a church that has become ashamed of basic, biblical truth; a church that has embraced and even promoted perversion, even in its pulpits; a church that has lost its ability to pray and intercede due the fact that it is drunk on worldliness; a church that has lost its burden for a dying nation heading towards eternal destruction because it is in the same condition; a church that has lost its prophetic voice to even speak into the cultural challenges that face our nation and world due to its own sin and scandals.

I was reminded this past week while preaching in New Jersey of the fact that evangelist Billy Graham was considered a pastor to the presidents. He literally spoke into the lives and counseled multiple U.S. presidents. His godly influence played a role in our nation as well as in other nations around the world. However, the thing that stands out to me regarding Billy Graham is that he refused to compromise truth. His influence was based on solid, unchanging, biblical foundations.

Sadly, so much of the church and even her leaders have now embraced compromise under the name of love and tolerance, and the result is obvious weakness and a loss of influence that guides a nation into righteousness. This is why revival must start in the church! The church must have the fear of God restored and as a result experience deep repentance that aligns it with the heart of God once again.

Before I finish this article and in light of what I have already written, I want to say here that I am well aware of the fact that America has a checkered history and to ignore that, especially during this time of history, is foolishness. We are a nation that has witnessed slavery and the abolishment of this horrible practice. We are also a nation that witnessed the horrors of segregation and how this allowed human beings to be treated in terribly unfair ways. Before that, we also witnessed the fact that many Native Americans were abused, killed and even stripped of their lands. I am actually a direct descendant of the Poarch Creek Indians, and I am a registered Native American myself.

These facts create a challenging mosaic of passions and emotions that are very real and raw. However, I know that there is one place where hope and true freedom exists. This place is bloody, horrific, hard to look upon and considered foolish to those who have never been there. This place is also glorious and altogether life-changing. This place is the cross of Calvary.

You see my friend, there is really only one solution for the sickness of a nation, and that is the reality of Jesus Christ of Nazareth (a middle-Eastern Jewish man) and His willingness to lay His life down for every race, tribe and tongue. This might sound like a simple solution in the face of such complex problems, but I promise you as one who knows Jesus personally that He alone is our only hope, and we must have His influence restored first of all to the church. In turn, turn this will impact our nation.

We desperately need revival. {eoa}

Keith Collins is the founder and president of Generation Impact Ministries and Impact Global Fellowship (an international network of ministry leaders, churches, missionaries and business leaders). He is actively involved in itinerant ministry and writing and speaks in various settings nationally and internationally on a regular basis. In recent years, Keith served as the president of the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry and as the director of FIRE School of Ministry, which were both born out of the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola, Florida. His recent book, Samuel’s Arising: Waking Up to God’s Prophetic Call, is now available on Amazon. You can contact Keith via his websites at keith-collins.org or impactgf.org.