Goodbye Church Drama
Notes
Transcript
Bible Passage
Bible Passage
And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.
Song
Song
Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on me
Prayer
Prayer
Introduction
Introduction
Family, I want you to picture that first church in Acts 2—the upper room rattling, the Holy Ghost falling, tongues of fire and the anointing of God flowing through everyone in that room
Three thousand souls got baptized in one day
These men and women of God didn’t meet out of habit, they met out of hunger!
They were so on fire, the devil had to call for backup.
But if we look around today, we gotta admit—we’re not in that same place.
The COVID-19 pandemic came like a midnight thief—snatching away open doors, silencing the choirs, and scattering the sheep.
The world changed overnight: screens replaced sanctuaries, Zoom replaced hugs, and somewhere in the shuffle, we sat down and settled in.
We stopped being hot or cold, and we became lukewarm—like leftovers in the microwave, like water with no flavor, and like a church with no power.
Why is this happening?
Why so much drama, so much division, so much decline?
Why the empty pews, the faded fire, the next generation walking out the back door, starving for something real?
Let me break it down—this is a spiritual crisis that’s wearing the mask of convenience.
It’s a clarion call for each of us to wake up, shake off the dust, and turn up the flame till our community sees us burning again!
Now, let’s walk this road together
Our first stop is the drama of lukewarmness
1. The Drama of Lukewarmness: The Laodicean Trap
1. The Drama of Lukewarmness: The Laodicean Trap
Church, the Laodiceans had money, they had status, they had swag—but they didn’t have fire.
They said, “I’m rich, I got everything I need!” but Jesus looked at ‘em and said, “You’re wretched, pitiful, broke, blind, and naked!” (Revelation 3:17).
This is the drama we’re living right now
Prosperity without power
Programs without presence
Activity without anointing.
When the pandemic hit, it exposed us.
We got comfortable with virtual worship, and some of us got stuck there
Lazy in the spirit, just clicking and scrolling, no sweat, no tears, and no oil.
The church turned into a spectator sport
Watching, not working;
Sitting, not serving
Showing up, and not showing out.
We stopped provoking one another to love
We stopped urging each other to good works
We stopped meeting together with fire in our bones.
Lukewarmness is a silent killer—it’ll let you look alive while you’re dying on the inside.
It’s the devil’s favorite playground
“A place where nothing’s hot enough to scare him and nothing’s cold enough to freeze him out.”
But God is calling us out of this Laodicean pit and into Holy Ghost power!
As a church we have to band together to say “lukewarm ain’t good enough for me!”
Now let’s move from the drama of lukewarmness to the pandemic’s sedentary church.
2. The Pandemic’s Sedentary Church: From Movement to Monitor
2. The Pandemic’s Sedentary Church: From Movement to Monitor
When COVID-19 hit, it locked us down and shut us in.
The church got stuck on the couch, worshipping through screens, forgetting how good it felt to be in the house together.
We traded the sanctuary for screens
The altar for armchairs
The congregation for isolation.
The world started loving virtual life, and too many in the church said, “That’s good enough for me.”
But the early church wasn’t built on pixels and Wi-Fi
They met in homes
In the streets
In temple courts
& Dont miss this, wherever they gathered, power broke out!
A sedentary church is a sick church
It loses the power of touch
It loses the fire of fellowship
It loses the fervent prayers of the saints
& It loses the sweet sound of unity.
God didn’t design us to be avatars and usernames on
He made us to be firebrands in the flesh, saints side by side, warriors arm in arm!
Now let’s shift gears for a moment
3. The Shift in Worship: The Next Generation’s Cry for Power
3. The Shift in Worship: The Next Generation’s Cry for Power
Young people today are tired of checklist Christianity.
They don’t want a bless-me club, they want a breakthrough encounter!
They’re not looking for rituals, they’re looking for revival!
They want to see the heavens open
They want to see chains broken
They want to see miracles in real time—not just read about them.
But too often, the church answers with “We don’t do it like that,” “That’s not our tradition,” “Let’s stick to what we know.”
God said in Daniel 12:4, “Seal up the words ‘til the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”
Knowledge is exploding, my brothers and sisters!
The Spirit is moving in new ways, and if we keep resisting the wind of God just because it don’t fit our comfort zone, we’re gonna miss the next move of God!
4. The Early Church’s Power: What We’ve Lost and Must Recover
4. The Early Church’s Power: What We’ve Lost and Must Recover
The early church had power because they had presence—God’s presence and each other’s presence.
They met together, prayed together, ate together, and when they did, the Holy Ghost fell like rain on dry ground.
But now barriers stand tall
Fear of change
Love of comfort
Division in the ranks
The lure of “me, myself, and I.”
The pandemic built those walls even higher, making us more isolated, more passive, more content being alone.
But the Word says, “Don’t neglect to meet together, as some have gotten used to doing, but encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day coming!” (Hebrews 10:25).
The power is in the gathering!
The power is in the unity!
The power is in the fire of fellowship—where my praise meets your praise, and the whole atmosphere shifts!
Church We need to come back to the altar
Come back to the assembly
& Come back to the anointing!
So, let’s make it plain tonight—how do we apply this word in our daily lives?
Application
Application
First we need to Check ourselves
Church—are you lukewarm?
Just going through the motions?
Or are you burning up with holy fire?
Don’t just sit there—reach out!
We need to provoke one another to love and good works!
That means picking up the phone, checking in, lifting up, building up, showing up.
We need to learn not to fight the new thing God wants to do
We need to embrace it!
We need to allow the Spirit move in fresh ways, and don’t be scared just ‘cause it’s unfamiliar.
We need to get back in the house
Back in the fellowship
Back in our communities
There’s a blessing in being present
There’s a blessing in being together
& There is a blessing in being one in Christ Jesus
We need to remember that we cannot leave our young people hanging
We need to listen to their hunger!
We need to feed their fire
We need to equip them
We need to empower them
& If we purpose in our hearts to do as the Lord requires of us we will watch revival break out in a whole new way!
Closing
Closing
As I close,
Church, its not time for us to fall asleep now!
We’ve been rocked and rolled
Knocked and blocked
& Lulled into a dangerous spiritual nap that’s made us lukewarm, lazy, and lifeless.
But the same God who lit the fire at Pentecost is ready to do it again—right here, right now!
It’s time to shake off the dust of complacency!
It’s time to rise from the ashes of apathy!
It’s time to fan into flame the gift of God that’s inside of you!
No more benchwarmers
No more spectators
No more lukewarm water that makes God spit us out!
We are the church—the fiery, fearless, faithful church!
We are the ones who will provoke love, stir up good works, and gather together till the whole city feels the heat!
Its time for us to say Goodbye Church Drama
Time for us to go from lukewarm to lit!
From apathy to anointing!
From the pit of complacency to the palace of commitment!
The church is coming back on fire!”
Let’s be the generation that won’t settle
A generation that won’t be silent,
& A generation that won’t be satisfied with just enough!
Through every trial
Through every storm
Through every shutdown
We’ve learned to trust in Jesus
And now we’re burning brighter than ever before!
Tonight as we prepare our hearts to leave this place, search your heart
Where are you today?
Are you ready to step out of the shadows of complacency and into the blazing light of revival?
Will you commit to provoking love, stirring good works, and showing up with power?
We need to pray,
We need to worship
& We need to rise up
Because the fire of God is calling us higher!
