Henry Blackaby

I just got off a conference call with Henry Blackaby arranged by Mission America. Glenn Barth and Jarvis Ward do a good job of telefonically convening leaders of city-reaching movements on a monthly basis for a one hour conversation with a leading practitioner and / or thougth leader. I try to join these calls to get a broader view of what God is doing in cities. Henry was very strong today. His commentary on what he sees today: 1) a lack of repentance among God's people. "There can be no revival without repentance." 2) People are hungering for something more. "Tragically most people have never been discipled and we can't be in the will of God without the Word of God."

Henry believes that much of what we see today is program. Pastors are getting their sermons from the Internet and not from the heart of God. Sermons are given, Sunday School lessons taught without ever mentioning the name of Jesus. Jesus "walks in our midst" but is asking for access to our hearts. We have moved from relationship with the living God to administrators of religious programs and God no longer has access to our hearts.

Henry says it all begins with leaders and God's people. If they are listening and responding to God, others will follow. A stong passage he referred to was Jeremiah 23. Having finished Jeremiah as part of "Book of the Month Club" I went back and re-read it.
Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. for what has straw to do with grain? Is not my word like fire, and a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? Therefore, I am against the prophetss who steal from one another words supposedly from me. Yes, I am against the prophets who wag their own toungues and yet declare, 'The Lord declares.'