The main reason the flame is gone is because most churches , home based or otherwise, preach agaisnt things and not for things...there is no discipleship and teaching people who they are in Christ and what they have available to them in Christ...
Eph 1.3-
[SUP]3 [/SUP]Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ
I think part of the issue that most in the church either
Do not feel worthy or called to preach Christ.
If that's the case that is what church leaders and evangeslists are meant to do.
Sometimes when I sit on our church a lot of theology can be taught. Not everyone is theologically minded and it goes over their head. When I led a midweek group it wasn't unusual to hear people say "I didn't get that"
At times the theology taught is then expanded as to how we can apply it in our lives.
I am not saying teaching theology is wrong, in fact I like it.
But I would say that maybe there should be classes so if people want to go to they can.
We have an affiliate evangelist who preaches at our church.
He hardly delves past the Gospels. He preaches Jesus. When I first heard him preach it was so refreshing.
As for me I am not a church leader, I am not an evangelist like our affiliate but I have been called to be a minister of the Gospel of Jesus, whether it be in my workplace or on holiday or wherever I am.
To be honest I am not the type of person who sidles up to someone and then say "Repent or burn, or are you washed in the blood of the lamb"
I have just returned from holiday. The same place we have been to for the last 8 years.
The family joke is "I wonder how many people dad will pray for this year" bets were made.
Now this may offend some but late afternoon I would go for a beer, sit outside with it and have a cigar.
Conversations would be struck up over a period of days. The amount of people that would open up was amazing.
Quite a few times I wouldn't even have to offer to pray I would be asked to pray. In fact I had one family seek me out for prayer.
We saw them 4 years on the trot and each time they sought me out.
Now the reason I am saying the above is because, I never felt worthy to be/show the gospel as such to others.
I was so centred trying to please God rather than realising who I am in Christ and then allowing people to see this.
One thing that really helped me was the 'Freedom in Christ course' I don't necessarily agree with all of it but it started to set me free.
All of us are called to be ministers of the Gospel.
We are worthy because God has called us to do it. Jesus commanded it.
In a sense to me he says "Now you no what it is, who you are in me get out there and show it"
Just my limited thoughts