Unconventional—this was my first thought of this Baptist church in Montreal.
I noticed the ceiling of the packed auditorium was pretty much lower than I would expect for a big church, and the front row seats were placed uncomfortably close to the pulpit. I thought the congregation was overly enthusiastic and that the untimely yelling, laughing, and Amens were all unnecessary.
I was busy noticing the superficial until the first preacher began to open the Bible and deliver his message for the evening. I was struck. His sermon focused on revival as that was the whole point of the conference.
There were statements he said that caught my curiosity, and I began to wonder if he was right. My mind was questioning as I sat close to the back row, but I eagerly waited to let him finish so I could understand him better.
The guest speaker shouted with his preacher voice, “We don’t need revival every day!”
At the back of my head, I honestly thought we do. I thought that if the Lord’s mercy renews every day, then revival should also work in the same way. But he explained that if we’re living our Christian life the way it’s ought to be lived, then there is no need for revival.
I thought that made sense.
Later, he mentioned about the “biblical normalcy” of a Christian. I don’t think I have heard of this before. He explained that holiness and joy are a big part of a normal Christian life, and that revival means going back to biblical normalcy.
Then he looked to the mixed congregation and asked, “Are you normal tonight?”
During the invitation, the senior pastor added some stirring questions that pushed me to reexamine myself and how I perceive things.
I realize I have forgotten that Christianity ought to be joyful and that expressing genuine joy and yelling Amens especially in the church ought to be a natural thing to do. Sadly, it came off as unnatural to me.
The psalmist requested, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit… O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.” (Psalm 51:12, 15).
I was instantly reminded of my personal need for revival. I need to revive that joy of my salvation. I want to openly express how grateful and blessed I am to be saved by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
As a child of God, I need to get back to normal.
I have heard from people how they would call out a fellow believer for being “too holy” or “too faithful.” Isn’t that God’s call for all of us? Think about the example of Noah, Job, Daniel, or Joseph. Can we say they were being “too holy” or “too faithful?” These men of faith stood out to God for their unwavering faith. For Christians, that ought to be normal.
They seemed foolish and different to others, but really, there is nothing wrong with being normal.
Watchman Nee described in his book “The Normal Christian Life” how we must approach God not by our own attainment or abilities to worship him but through the natural power of the Holy Spirit that drives us to worship the Lord.
Nee wrote, “If we have to exert so much effort in our Christian living, it simply says that we are not really like that at all. We don’t need to force ourselves to speak our native language.”
Whatever is natural for all of us would soon come out naturally from us.
We may fool people by what we show on the outside, but God always pondereth the hearts. He knows our thoughts and our intentions. He knows exactly when we are normal, and when we are not.