Have you ever heard of FOMO? It is a pretty common condition, plaguing many in the world. I’m sure that you know a few people with the condition, or you might even have the condition yourself. FOMO refers to the Fear of Missing Out. A person with FOMO dreads any sense of being out of the loop, not being part of any event, or not “in the know” concerning any situation. In many ways, FOMO can be frowned upon for its self-centered outlook at life, but like many other social stances, FOMO can also have a positive side. This condition can drive a person to be involved with events and ministries that she should be involved in. It can propel one to be part of something bigger than oneself. There is a healthy side to FOMO.

I must admit: I have some FOMO. Being a natural introvert, I am usually unaffected by the condition, but within this past year, I have to admit that I have caught some of its symptoms, leaving me with a dose of “healthy” FOMO (or so I hope). My FOMO relates to what God seems to be doing in Western cultures, especially among the younger generations. I am not sure if you have heard. A “silent revival” seems to be taking place across college campuses and among high school students. Sarah Zylstra’s article “It’s Here: Gen-Z Revival Hits Campuses This Fall” and Stephen McAlpine’s two articles “Quelle Surprise: Le Quiet Revival!” and “Is A Big Fat Audacious Hairy Revival On Its Way” argue that God seems to be doing some work of revival among our young people. Of course, the notion of a silent revival has recently been challenged by Ryan Burge in his article, “Perspective: What The Data Really Says About Religious Revival And Gen Z.” Like most events, one can read too much into something or too little. Therefore, I appreciated the balanced article by Lifeway, “Is A Gen Z Religious Rebound Happening?”

Whether or not a full blown “silent revival”  is running amuck is tough to tell, but something is happening. I have received reports from college ministries concerning an uptick in attendance. Sure, we are talking about only 30 to 40 students, but when you consider that last year these ministries had only 5 or 10 students, a significant jump has taken place. Just recently, I was struck by the number of religious gear sported by younger generations at the three amusement parks I patronized. And then consider that there is a renewed interest in reading and understanding the Scriptures. YouVersion recently celebrated its 1 billionth download. Think about that! One billion devices around the world have the Bible on their interface. 

Something is happening, and I do not want to miss out. I don’t want to regret having missed what God is doing because I am focused on my kingdom and my agenda. I am still on this planet to fulfill His mission and be on board with His agenda; He saved me to live for Him: “And he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (2 Corinthians 5:15). Living for Him means prioritizing His program. 

What about you? Do you have a proper FOMO with respect to what God seems to be doing? If so, how do you act on this proper sense of FOMO? I don’t necessarily believe that I have the answers for anyone, but I do have a few suggestions.

 

Manage Your Calendar

If you want to line up your life with what God is doing, then you must take a proactive approach to your time. It will not happen as an afterthought. This requires you to consider God’s agenda in light of your calendar. I get it. If your calendar is like mine, it fills up quickly, making it seemingly impossible to make time for God’s work. But if we are going to follow Ephesians 5:16, “making the best use of the time,” then we must designate periods of time in purposely reaching the lost and discipling the Saints.

 

Take a Risk

I know for my own life, part of the reason I fail to get on board with God’s agenda is that I am scared to take a risk. “Risk” invokes images of selling all earthly possessions and becoming a full time missionary in Kyrgyzstan. That might be God’s call on your life, and I would ecstatically support you in that endeavor. But the risk I’m referring to involves the “little risks” of everyday life that we fail to take because we are immobilized by fear: informing your coworker that you are a committed Christian; inviting your friends or neighbors to church; asking a friend if she wants to read the Bible with you; etc. This type of risk requires that we move past the “pain line” (a term given by Rico Tice in Honest Evangelism) - the point of pain and fear that inhibits us from doing what we ought to do. Taking risk in everyday life means moving past the pain line in the fear of the Lord. 

 

Keep Christ in Your Speech

This morning I was reading through Daniel 2. This chapter narrates the account of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and his subsequent demand from the wise men to not only interpret the dream, but inform him of its content. It is a neat narrative, highlighting the main theme in Daniel: God’s sovereign hand over all of history. As I read through the narrative, I was struck by Daniel’s interaction with Nebuchadnezzar at the end of the chapter. After the Lord had made known the dream and its interpretation, Daniel made a point to attribute the whole work to the Lord’s wisdom and power (v. 28). Although Nebuchadnezzar did not become a believer in the Lord, he had an informed sense of who God is (v. 47). Daniel’s willingness to speak of God opened the door for others to see His glory. So it is with us. Keeping Christ on our lips will create Gospel opportunities even in the most unlikely of places (like Babylon).

 

Persevere in Your Witness

Too often our Gospel witness parallels our Christian life. We coast. We may feel especially convicted and excited to share the Gospel after a certain message or during a certain season of our Christian life, only to see that passion fizzle back to a coast in a few days or weeks. Like every area of the Christian life, we must persevere. One illustration that I have found particularly helpful in this regard compares our witness to a rubber band (or a gum band for you yinzers). When we share the Gospel, we are like a rubber band getting stretched. If we fail to keep stretching, we quickly retract to our normal state of coasting in the Christian life. Staying on board with God’s agenda requires stretching - sharing the Gospel of Christ’s love with others.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to miss out on the great movement taking place. Get a healthy dose of FOMO and jump into God’s agenda!

 

Your Servant in the Lord,