Back to the Future
of the Church!



RENEWAL (noun) \ri-ˈnü-əl,\

1) the act of renewing

2) 
to restore or replenish: to renew a stock of goods.

3) to make, say, or do again.

4) to revive; reestablish.

4) to recover (youth, strength, etc.).

6) to restore to a former state; make new or as if new again.

The mandate of Chuck Swindoll’s book, The Church Awakening is “Renewal”. He calls for an evaluation of the present state of the church and a reclaiming of the intention, mission, and heart of the church.

Swindoll asserts that the church is attempting to market Jesus while following a business paradigm rather than being the spiritual entity that God intended. While it is inevitable that healthy churches will grow...bigger churches don’t necessarily mean better churches. Swindoll points out that there must be a strong commitment to doing what the Bible says, and not doing what people want, not doing what other churches are doing (p. 9).

The book challenges modern believers to go back to the early church to discover vital truths about the mission and mandate of Christ.

Jesus told Peter that “I will build my church” and that the gates of Hades will prevail against it. His church will not be overcome, eroded or erased by the powers of darkness. Without question, Jesus is the Architect, the Originator and He alone is the Head of the church. Swindoll sternly warns us to remember that the church is not a business. Our activity should be centered on Christ Jesus, not calculations... on the savior, not our strategic plans!


Looking back to the early church helps us re-establish a connection with the original intent. We must begin with Jesus’ own declaration about the future of His church:

...I will build my church,
and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
~ MATTHEW 16:18

Phillip Jensen of Matthias Media writes about this passage saying, “This is a momentous statement, for it describes Jesus' program for the future.”

 At this point in Matthew's Gospel, the storm clouds are gathering. In the very next paragraph Jesus tells his disciples for the first time about the violent death that awaits him. But Jesus' vision for the future goes beyond his death. The big plan is to build his church—to gather his people from all over the world to himself.

In the rest of the New Testament, we see this grand purpose begin to be realized. As the disciples scatter throughout the Roman Empire, they take the gospel of Jesus with them. They preach it, and churches are planted.
Jesus is still building His church and we must submit to Him and His plan if our desire is to be part of the prevailing church!

Looking back to the early church gives us a glimpse into the future of the church!