You

probably don't know Ed Silvosa. Yet, he's one of the

hottest tickets in many church circles. Why? Because he's

making sense out of three factors: God's heart, our

failure to reach the masses for Christ, and the church's

barrenness.

If you

lived in Argentina, you would know Ed Silvosa. There he

has been part of the most significant revival in human

history. For more than 15 years, the church in Argentina

has embraced soaring levels of changed lives, changed

cities, and a changed church. In fact, the phenomenal

revival taking place at Pensacola's Brownsville Church

represents a U.S. surfacing of the revival from Argentina

(The Brownsville Church has been in revival since 1995;

more than 100,000 people have come to know Jesus Christ;

plus, churches all over America and the world have been

touched in some way).

Now, you

may ask, what does Ed Silvosa have to do with me living

in south metro Atlanta? He was in town last week! And,

more than 500 religious leaders heard him and I believe

got a hold of what's a hold of him. Know what I mean?

Let me give

you a taste of what they are experiencing in Argentina.

Protestant leaders have gone to the Catholic Archbishop

to ask him to forgive them for their negative words

against the Catholic Church; churches across the

denominational spectrum are filling soccer stadiums with

all night prayer meetings; crime rate has tumbled; the

economy is growing. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is

bringing "abundant life" just as Jesus

promised.

Believe it

or not, Ripley, one town in Latin American closed its

three jails because no was being arrested anymore (while

we in Fayette/Clayton are building bigger jails).

Drinking holes are drying up as the washing of the Word

of God cleans up town after town.

Back to Ed

Silvosa. He is showing us American clergy that God's

heart for the homosexual, drunkard, prostitute is one of

compassion and love. Not judgment and punishment. God is

not quick draw McGod. He's a long suffering, everlasting

love God. What if church after church used their church

signs to tell the truth once rather than puffing their

own agendas: imagine a sign that read: "God loves

homosexuals and we do too." How long would it take

your resident puritan to call a meeting?

Silvosa

also shows that our failure to reach the masses in the

age of communication and information has to do with our

failure to raise the spiritual climate over the cities.

Jesus looked over Jerusalem and cried. The church often

looks over the city and says "naughty" with a

haughty voice.

The

church's barrenness, in view of the masses and with the

ability to access God's power, may have something to do

with priorities in the church. Silvosa says the priority

should be God's grace, compassion, and love. Not God's

truth, judgment, and discipline.

So, you've

read my thoughts this week, Rick, but I indeed hope these

thoughts will linger for a decade or two. Bless all you!

May the Lord God pour out his richest for everyone

-churchgoing or otherwise!

The Rev. Dr. John

Hatcher is pastor of River's Edge Community Church in

Fayetteville.

<!--##############