This is link to a sermon by David Platt delivered at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary chapel. My friend heard it in person, then called me and told me to download and listen to it.

In it I hear a real wake-up call to the Church today to not just ‘phone it in’, and “do” church as if it were just under our own power.

Excerpt:

“When I was praying about going to Brook Hills Church to pastor there, I remember thinking,

‘This church, with all of its people, skills, gifts and financial resources, if this church can get behind a global mission, they could shake the nations for His glory.’

And I was wrong.  I was dead wrong.
Here’s why:

It really doesn’t matter how many people are in this church. And it doesn’t matter how many gifts or skills or passions are in this church, and it doesn’t matter how much money this church has; apart from the power of the Holy Spirit of God this church will do NOTHING to the nations for the glory of God.”

To often we rely on our own resourcefulness, marketing efforts, cleverness, skills, etc to run our churches and try to impact people.  If we are not relying on and expecting God to do in our churches things we could never do ourselves, then it is merely a human institution, and people will not encounter the glory of God there.

If you have time today, I hope you will download and listen to it.

mp3 download link