Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Pastor Jim Cymbala

[n david]

I'm in the middle of reading this book. Has anyone else read it? It's not a new book, written in 1997, but the message is what's needed yet today.

I love the chapter where he writes about new church ideas and how there's always someone pushing something new to churches.

A couple of things he writes about I remember my church and others doing when I was younger.

1) The evangelists who would have you pray to the N, S, E, W and bind the enemy and also the demonic power of the city. Yet, as Pastor Cymbala wrote, where is it that the early church ever did this?

2) The "victory marches" around the city. Praying, singing at the top of our lungs ... I remember it. Had people staring, but no results.

So many things the current churches of today are involved in aren't relevant to the Gospel, don't work and are mainly done for our benefit.

When Pastor Cymbala writes how churches talk so much about the National Day of Prayer, yet have trouble with having any prayer, much less a day of it ... it reminds me of the recent furor with President Obama not publicly observing the NDoP and how it rankled so many feathers. Why? Why is one day more important than the other 364? Is it to satisfy our conscience?

"Bless God, we had a NDoP event at our church and prayed the fire down."

Awesome! ... but what did you do the rest of the year?

I heard a message by Pastor Cymbala in which he sadly stated that people will pay $20 for a christian concert, but Jesus can't draw a crowd.

I've visited several churches in my metro within the past 3 years and it's sad to see how much of a lack of prayer there is today.

Beautiful buildings ... incredible worship bands ... a charasmatic (dictionary def of the word, not the other) pastor ... state of the art sound and lighting

... but where, oh where did the prayer room go?

People can now go to church and munch on donuts or bagels and coffee before the service, while the sanctuary is empty and quiet from lack of prayer.

Modern churches have become a social club or event.

There's a quote from Leonard Ravenhill in the book ... "People say the church today is 'growing and expanding.' Yes, it's ten miles wide now - and about a quarter-inch deep."

How true.