Pastor Shane Idleman is very concerned that around 4,000 churches in America close every year and that over 3,500 people decide to leave the church every single day.
"Church is boring, and many churches are dying because the power of God has vanished from the pulpit as well as the pew. Like Samson, they 'know not that the Spirit of the Lord has departed.' (Judge 16:20). But there is hope if we once again seek God," he writes in an article for The Christian Post.
Idleman stresses the need for genuine revival preaching, which puts more focus on the church's outcome than its outline. "The revival preacher is more aware of his text than the time. He is bent on pleasing the Lord rather than pleasing men. His ear is tuned to hear and heed the voice of God," he explains.
The problem with most preachers is that they know about the Bible verse 2 Chronicles 7:14, but they fail to apply this in their service. "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land," the verse reads.
When people try to increase church attendance by applying "slick marketing and entertaining services," they ultimately miss sharing the true heart of God. "The church will be a mile wide but only an inch deep," warns Idleman.
The problem with today's culture, he says, is that many things entice people away from God. The only way people can resist temptation is if they truly seek a relationship with God.
"Very few of us ever experience this close relationship with God because it involves things such as humility, vibrant prayer, and heartfelt worship. This isn't meant to discourage, but to convict. Conviction is a wonderful gift from God used to turn the heart back to Him," says the pastor.
He explains that to seek in the context of 2 Chronicles 7:14 means to "find what is missing." He then compares the search for God to a parent's desperate search of a missing child in a crowded mall.
"Your entire heart would be engaged. How would you spend your time? Where would your energy be concentrated? Now parallel this with seeking God," he says.
