In 1965, I boarded a plane to Japan with my wife Virginia, and our children, Renee and Tim. When we arrived, we were struck by the idolatry that was prevalent everywhere. Buddhist or Shinto altars were on every street corner. Idolatry permeated Japanese culture.

There’s not a committed Christian in America who wouldn’t like revival. But I’m afraid there are few who are desperate for revival. We stand in dire need of revival, but we don’t always carry a personal urgency for revival. Much of the book of Lamentations is the cry of a prophet who sensed the immediacy of his nation’s need for revival. Yet his cry was one of anguish because the people to whom he ministered were content to live without it.

Over the years, it has become a common practice among certain Christians to treat others as if they are wearing either black or white hats, like the main characters in the old cowboy shows. Some will remember that the ones with the white hats were “the good guys” and the ones wearing the black hats were “the bad guys.”

Maybe you have heard about the wife who said, “My husband and I have fussed for fifty years. I’m praying that God will take one of us to Heaven. And when God answers my prayer, I’m going to move in with my sister!” There is no such thing as a perfect marriage, but God’s Word does command husbands and wives to love one another—in spite of our faults!

On July 11, 1982, my wife Josselyn and our four-year-old son Peter drove the last few kilometers of the Trans-Canada Highway into the vast metropolitan area known as Vancouver, British Columbia. We arrived rather naive, certainly ill prepared, lacking in training, and vastly underfunded.

As we walk in humble sincerity before the Lord, we will insist on godly integrity. Our purpose in ministry is to exalt the name of Jesus Christ. He receives glory when people are saved and His Word is preached—unless we sabotage that glory with unethical or immoral ministry. The greatest motivator to serve with integrity is not protecting our “image,” but magnifying the testimony of Christ.

God is in the transforming business. Metamorphosis is the transformation seen as a caterpillar emerges as a butterfly. The pupa stage begins when hormones are secreted by the insect’s brain compelling it to attach itself to a leaf or twig and to shed its outer skin layer revealing hard skin, or its chrysalis, underneath.

Not too long ago, I was in Phoenix to watch the Suns play the Lakers. Of course, I wore a Lakers jersey. They are my team, and I came to enjoy the game and show my support. A lot of other fans were wearing jerseys to the game, but hardly any of them were the purple and gold of the Lakers. I stood out, I was in enemy territory, but I was not about to hide my identity as a Lakers fan.

Sharing the gospel is a very controversial topic to most churchgoers. Most Christians would agree that we are to share the love of Christ. The controversy comes from the very few who actually do it. Curtis Hutson once said, “The only alternative to soulwinning is disobedience.”

Being an independent Baptist in the 1970s was exciting. Elmer Towns published The Ten Largest Sunday Schools in America in 1969, and we occupied a majority of the spots. People were being saved, and churches were growing exponentially through aggressive soulwinning and outreach.