Five Roadblocks to Revival

Church Doctor Report
February 2025

PURPOSE: To connect with those who have an active relationship with Church Doctor Ministries as peers in ministry, clients, and partners in prayer and support.

The Church Doctor Report provides a quick read of strategic and influential information. This information is free to share as long as the source is respected: The Church Doctor Report, www.churchdoctor.org.

“Revival” is a word used by some Christians—but not all. Of course, every Christ-follower can consider their own church and ask these hard questions:

• Is my church a healthy and vibrant part of the Christian movement?
• Is my congregation’s affiliation, denomination, or network described as healthy and spiritually vibrant?
• Would I reflect on my church as effective, growing, and reaching new people for Christ?
• Are my unchurched and dechurched neighbors influenced through my congregation to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”?
• Do many of those in my church reflect a contagious growth process of discipleship?

Transformational Movement

A healthy church is a spiritual movement that transforms individuals, cities, people groups, and nations. It is not a program or activity but a supernatural move of the Holy Spirit. It is a holy infection that touches God’s people one person at a time. Then it multiplies as spiritually infectious Christ-followers impact those in their social networks. Contagious spirituality is driven by the Holy Spirit. It is permeated by spiritual receptivity—a deep hunger to know God more and to make Him known to those in our communities—and beyond.

In Romans 12:2, Paul writes, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind….” Transformation is not a “four-step program” launched by a pastor. Nor is it academic spirituality. It is a holy infection. God’s people don’t simply—and academically—learn about spiritual transformation. They catch it—not like you catch a ball, but the way you catch the flu. The difference is that, unlike the flu, this movement empowers God’s people to be spiritually healthy. The movement becomes contagious. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. You don’t join it. You catch it. Once caught, it touches others with a holy, infectious relationship with the King of the universe. You become a member of Christ’s body on mission.

A Revival

When revival occurs, Christians become contagious. Faith spreads from one person to another. It is not a program but a movement that spreads much like a pandemic. Those who get up close and personal with contagious Christians catch it. Then they spread it. It becomes an explosive pandemic—in a good, spiritual sense.

You can’t manufacture revival. Yet, you can identify contagious Christians and encourage them to get spiritually up close and personal with those who are not yet believers. When that occurs, it is a powerful version of a spiritual pandemic.

The “stage is set,” the conditions are ripe, and the Holy Spirit is on the move. If you feel this movement is “out of human control,” it may be a “certifiable” revival movement. Don’t overorganize it or work hard to control it. A supernatural move of God’s Spirit is not another program of the church. Let go and let God. If it makes some traditional Christians nervous, that may be a confirmation. Love them and nurture them.

In Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome, he says in Romans 8:9, “If the spirit of him who raised Christ Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit, which dwells in you.”

To “revive” is to impact new life at a whole new level. In Psalm 85:6, the psalmist speaks to God: “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?”

Do you want God to “revive” you? Do you pray that God will revive your church? Can you pray for new life to infect the Christian movement? What stands in the way of revival?

Five Breakthroughs for Revival

You can’t manufacture a revival. It’s not about gimmicks and gadgets, nor is it a five-step program. You can’t order it from a religious supermarket.

Yet, you can—and should—pray and ask for it: for yourself, your family, and your church, the congregation down the road, and the nation—and our world. So, when was the last time you prayed for revival? How often do you pray for an undeniable, overwhelming move of God—for yourself, your family, your church, and your nation? You may have heard this partial truth: You get not because you ask not. What if everyone in your church committed to pray for a major move of God? What if they prayed every day for a month, a year, or for as long as it takes? How would that impact you? What if you—and others—would earnestly pray for spiritual breakthrough?

Breakthrough #1

Ask God to shape your delivery approach to become sensitively indigenous to those you can reach in your community.

Since Jesus is the Son of God, He could have showed up in any form, culture, dress code, haircut, and language. The context He chose essentially fit those He reached in the time and place of His time on Earth. He spoke to their “heart language.” That is the language you dream in. Every successful missionary gets that. Jesus is God who became flesh and moved into the neighborhood. Your mission is to present the living Jesus in the context of your unchurched, unbelieving, secular, and cultural relationships. You do this without compromising His truth. You are part of His mission to reach all people, whatever it takes. Even death.

Breakthrough #2

Move your pastoral training institution to the grassroots, indigenous culture of the people in your church, community, and culture. Train future pastors and church members within the missional context of your congregation.

Jesus had an amazing and profound approach to discipleship training. It was simple, but profound: “Come, follow me.” This apprentice-like approach worked quite well for 11 of the original 12 disciples. Future church leaders, evangelists, pastors, and church members “catch” what can’t be simply taught.

Christ-followers are best trained at the congregational level. They are helped to discover their spiritual gifts, given by the Holy Spirit. They grow in the context of their congregational family, rather than in an institution programmed to churn out one-size-fits-all “professionals.” They also learn that training for ministry is not simply a five-step program or a degreed academic exercise. Discipling is a spiritual and transformational adventure that lasts a lifetime.

Breakthrough #3

Training in a discipleship model is a “go” mentality. Focus on degrees, exams, and lectures is not necessarily part of the process. The essence of the calling to ministry—for every single Christian—is not a “you-all-come,” centrifugal spiral like a toilet flush. It is a dynamic posture. It is centripetal outreach.

Ministry isn’t restricted to a you-all-come approach to simply fill the church building. By God’s design, ministry is mission—a go mentality. The focus is not just on how many butts fill the seats, but on how much ministry occurs on the streets. This great reversal in mission perspective puts the energy beyond “you all come.” We “come to go.” Which means we don’t just “come to fellowship.” The commission of Jesus is clear: “Go, make disciples.” This is the dominant posture of the Christian movement.

Breakthrough #4

Your church is not an organization. It is an organism called “the body of Christ.” This body is not a couch potato hanging around the building. It is not a political entity. Jesus never said to the disciples, “All in favor….” The only time the disciples momentarily drifted into politics was to “draw straws” to replace Judas. The guy who “won” the position of disciple—to replace Judas—is never heard from again! So much for church government! In fact, Jesus replaced the 12th man. His name is “Paul,” so dramatically changed, he got a new name! His fingerprints are all over much of the New Testament. He was called without Robert’s Rules of Order.

Churches are torpedoed by votes, meetings, majority rule, and bylaws. None of it is remotely in sync with the tone of the New Testament. Your church is not an organization. It is a living organism, the body of Christ. Jesus is the head—not a board, council, consistory, or any other humanly manufactured subversion of spirituality.

Breakthrough #5

The living body of Christ, the church, has “windows” on the world. There are 10 supernatural portals that, together, shape the way we see the world and the way in which Christ-followers approach others.

Window #1: Your Purpose Determines Your Mission

Some Christians are surprised to discover that the purpose of what God calls “church” is not potlucks, card parties, bake sales, or 100 other distractions.

The church has one primary mission: to reach people for Jesus Christ and disciple them to reach others. Jesus died so His followers could experience heaven and end up there as well. The mission side of this is to take Jesus to people. It is the biblical priority.

Window #2: Your Comfort Determines Your Sacrifice

When Christians are asked to serve God through their church, share their faith, or become missionaries, the response is often: “I’m not comfortable with that.”

From the perspective of Jesus, who died on a cross, His response would be, “What’s your point?” As a priority, Jesus calls us to mission and ministry, not so much to potlucks and card parties.

Window #3: Your Image Determines Your Impact

What is your image of the Christian movement? Christians love fellowship with one another. No problem! However, many suffer from inflammation of the fellowship. They are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good. They are not helpful for the mission of Christ. They say, “That’s the pastor’s job.” However, the pastor doesn’t know your unchurched neighbor, coworker, or wayward adult children.

Imagine Jesus’ reaction to His Father’s plan that He die on a cross to open eternity to His followers. What if Jesus would have said, “I’m not comfortable with that”?

Window #4: Your Desires Determine Your Priorities

If your pastor asked you to visit your hospitalized neighbor and pray, how would you respond? Our priorities are based on biblical directives. Or are they? Have you ever heard someone say—or imply, “I don’t know what the Bible says, but I think our church should do more for the members?” Jesus—and Scripture—focuses on what could be called a “go mentality,” not a “you-all-come” approach. Are you uncomfortable talking to a stranger about your faith?

Window #5: Your Blessings Determine Your Giving

When the preacher concluded his message about having an abundance mentality, George privately responded, “I don’t think it’s anybody’s business what I give to the church.”

Generosity is not about money, wealth, or giving. First and foremost, it’s about an abundance attitude. No matter what your situation reflects, the approach begins with the goodness of God. Jesus gave it all on the cross. And the benefit for believers is beyond comprehension.

From a biblical perspective, the way you see your blessings determines the level of your generosity. This is not just about money. It includes your service for Kingdom purposes and the management of all your assets. It reflects your gratitude for every blessing.

Window #6: Your Abundance Determines Your Possibilities

Have you ever taken inventory of your assets? If you do, you may experience a new level of abundance mentality. Anyone can focus on what they owe, what they lost, or what their neighbor has. Have you ever taken a mental assessment of what God has allowed you to possess?

Perhaps even more important, do you ever consider what God can accomplish through the blessings He has provided for you? The story is told about the pastor who put forth the vision for the growth and expansion of the church. After the worship service, Hank cornered the preacher: “Before we get too excited about this project, I want to know: How much is it going to cost?”

Consider your first response from a biblical perspective. Is it God’s will? Someone once said, “If it’s God’s will, it’s God’s bill.” Scripture says, “God owns the cattle on a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10). The God you worship is a God of abundance!

Window #7: Your Past Determines Your Future

Learning from history is a good idea. Living there, however, puts you out of touch with present reality. Ever hear someone at church respond to a leader’s vision by saying, “I’m not comfortable with all the change”?

Someone once said, “The past is a great place to visit, but you should not live there.” Tradition reflects the nuggets of reality that help us plan for tomorrow. Traditionalism is promoting the past in a way that blocks creativity for today and tomorrow. It becomes the enemy of innovation. Cheerleaders for traditionalism use the mantra, “But we’ve always done it that way.”

The past contains nuggets of truth that form the foundation for innovation. They represent essentials. Christians share biblical truths that are bedrock for effective mission and ministry. However, the past also contains nonessentials: elements that, if made eternally sacred, rob the Christian movement of its divine power.

Window #8: The Window of Leadership

The Apostle Paul is a great model for Christian leadership. He birthed churches, trained leaders, and left town—to start more churches.

That is not an invitation to run off your pastor. It is a model for every pastor to train leaders to do ministry. This challenge is often revealed in the common perception that the pastor is the only one who can do real ministry. However, the model in Scripture is that God provides leaders to develop other leaders, not just followers. The number of equipped leaders determines the exponential potential of every ministry. Martin Luther called it “the priesthood of all believers.” All Christians are ministers—and should be equipped as such, according to their spiritual gifts.

In the Garden of Eden, God gave our first parents a vision: “be fruitful and multiply.” Multiplication is in the DNA of our Creator. Yet, most churches try to grow and impact their communities by addition, not multiplication. Too many pastors make too many hospital calls, lead too many Bible classes, and make too many outreach visits to those who are unchurched. This is growth by addition—not expansion by multiplication.

The key to the growth of Christianity—the way Jesus did it—is by multiplication of ministry. Every believer has a ministry. This is the plan Jesus has for every church.

Window #9: Your Gifts Determine Your Ministry

The Protestant Reformation reclaimed the biblical focus: Everyone is a minister. It is your unique set of spiritual gifts that direct you to God’s plan for your ministry.

Yet, in many congregations, the leaders ask for volunteers. The challenge is that many members have never discovered their spiritual gifts, the gifts God has uniquely given to each Christian. Many churches use people. God’s plan is to give unique supernatural gifts to every Christian. Those gifts determine your calling, your ministry. Jesus never said, “Can I get a volunteer?”

Most Christians think the only believers who are real ministers are those on the church staff. Yet, Scripture calls every Christian to ministry. You don’t discover your ministry based on the “need” discovered in your church. God doesn’t use people. He gifts people. Your “gift mix” is unique. When you know your gifts, you discover your divinely determined calling in the body of Christ. God doesn’t use you. He wants to bless you. Find your unique calling, and you will be spiritually fulfilled. Help everyone in your church discover, develop, and use their gifts. Your church will grow.

Window #10: God’s Power Determines Your Attitude

Have you ever met a person at church who has a negative attitude? There are many challenges in life that can sour your view of the world—and your church. Have you ever met Mr. Negative or Mrs. Glass-Half-Empty? They are in every church. They hurt the health of their congregation. They may not mean to be so negative. Yet, they do have a negative impact on others.

In Romans 8:28, the Bible says: “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.” Yet, negativity can creep into the lives of those who attend church.

Our God is a God of possibilities. There are pessimistic people in every congregation. Perhaps they have not yet learned that Jesus makes all things possible. He heals negative thinking if we ask Him for help.

This is called childlike faith. It’s not the same as childish faith, which comes from not knowing—or believing—the promises of Scripture. God makes everything become like new again. The power of God determines your attitude. Your attitude shapes who you are to everyone that you meet.

Kent R. Hunter is the author of numerous books, including Discover Your Windows: Lining Up With God’s Vision.