Last Sunday I heard my pastor say, “If you’ve heard people say the church is dying, don’t buy into that lie. Every leader I talk to around the world is saying the Holy Spirit is moving like crazy.” This resonated with me. I believe we’re living in very exciting times.

I understand why people might think the church is dying. Whether it’s a Hillsong documentary, another big named leader falling into sin, or these random polls that come out and say “7% of Americans say they no longer believe in the Bible.” I get that these kinds of things are happening. But I don’t think that means the church is dying. It means the true church is rising.

What we’re seeing is Jesus judging his church. Cleansing her. The Bride is being refined. Everything that’s false is being burned away so that the gold of the true church can be revealed. So you better believe that leaders who are living in sin are being exposed. And there’s certainly countless more leaders being refined in the quiet place, behind closed doors. 

But there is a rumbling underground. Just like 2000 years ago, when the church grew seed by seed, this small offshoot religion of Judaism who believed in this Jesus who claimed to be God. This little message of forgiveness and the grace and righteousness of God grew into a wild jungle, taking over the Roman Empire after 300 years.

People love to point out how bad it was that the Roman Empire became “Christian” and how that was the downfall of Christianity. And they definitely have a point. But isn’t it remarkable that Christianity grew that big in the first place? From 12 disciples to millions and millions in a couple of centuries.

And the way it spreads is the best part. It’s genius the way God set it all up. It spreads through person to person contact, through the sharing of faith, love, and a few good words about the Lord. It almost always happens behind closed doors, far away from mainstream publicity. It happens under the night sky or the daytime sun, under the smile of God, who is the only witness that really counts anyway.

Be encouraged, y’all. The church is rising. Hold onto biblical truth. Love God and love your neighbor. Stay connected to other believers. We’re living in exciting times where a huge worldwide move of God is underway, even if the news doesn’t tell you about it.