Quick-Quick Christianity: Why Instant Answers Kill Conviction

"Tonight your problem will end." "You will not go home with your problem." "This is your night of miracles."

Professor Gary Maxey has heard these promises often enough to name the habit behind them. In his words, we live in a time that demands everything quick-quick. We want solutions to our problems as soon as possible, and hopefully now.

His verdict is blunt. He calls this kind of proclamation irresponsible, and he says it nearly always short-circuits the work of the Holy Spirit. It is a revival killer.

How a promise can block the Spirit

The reasoning is simple. If I come to church waiting for my instant solution, my mind is fixed on the solution. I am not listening for the Spirit's rebuke. Professor Maxey says we train ourselves to turn away from searching and conviction and to focus on the hoped-for quick answer.

Revival begins with conviction of sin. That is a primary work of the Holy Spirit. He writes that such conviction does not happen quickly. It requires sound and searching preaching of the Word, introspection, humbling, soberness and a settled determination. It takes significant time. Yet today we have little or no time. Everything must happen now.

The same speed in the way we call people to Christ

The habit reaches salvation itself. Professor Maxey observes that many treat coming to Jesus as a mental transaction. A sentence is prayed, assurance is given and life goes on. He says coming to Jesus is far more than a decision. A person must come face to face with his lostness or his backsliding, and must see and confess the sins weighing him down.

The call to wait

Professor Maxey also deals with seeking God's face. He says genuine revival requires persistence. He writes that the deeper needs of a lukewarm or backsliding church cannot be exposed quickly. The deeper dealings of the Holy Spirit need significant time, and we must take enough time to truly seek God's face.

He gives a personal picture. In Port Harcourt in 1983 and 1984, believers prayed together for more than three solid months. Mealtimes were often skipped. In his account, the prayer became laser-focused, and mighty revival blessings followed.

What to do with this

Consider your own prayer. Do you leave when the clock says you should? Do you pray for a result and stop when the result does not come?

Try one change. Set aside a block of time this week with no request in it. Do not ask for anything. Read a Psalm slowly, ask God to search you and wait. If the time feels long, notice that. The impatience is the very thing Professor Maxey is warning about.

Drawn from the teaching of Professor Gary S. Maxey.