Jordan Chamblee

AFA Journal staff writer

September 2016 – We live in an era of change. As a society, we have left behind the ways and values of older generations and have embarked on a roller-coaster journey into morally uncharted territory.

Have Christians gradually loosened their grip on vital truths that their spiritual forefathers held close to their hearts? Books have been written denying God’s wrath against sin. Preachers in huge churches have used the Word of God as a means to gain wealth. Everywhere in culture, churches are mocked more for being ridiculous than for being redemptive.

What happened to the churches of our once godly nation?

One of the greatest preachers of the 20th century, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, had a lot to say about remembering the past in his book Revival: “It is very foolish to ignore the past. The man who does ignore it, and assumes that our problems are quite new, and that therefore the past has nothing at all to teach us, is a man who is not only grossly ignorant of the Scriptures; he is equally ignorant of some of the greatest lessons even in secular history.”

The amnesia infiltrating the church may be summarized by a look at the historical and scriptural concepts of three major doctrines of Christian faith.

Worship of God
It seems there is no accounting for taste when it comes to how worship is conducted in a church. One church may sing certain songs with a certain kind of musical accompaniment while another prefers a different style entirely. One pastor may preach for 45 minutes, and another may preach for 25. However, the heart of worship is not found directly in the external practices that vary from church to church. At its heart, worship is simply a gathering of believers approaching the throne of God.

A.W. Tozer was another great 20th century preacher and author. One of the great concerns of Tozer’s life was that all Christians should never be satisfied with the amount of fellowship with God they have in their lives, even on their best days. This concern rings through in his words on worship from his book The Pursuit of God:

How tragic that we in this dark day have had our seeking done for us by our teachers. Everything is made to center upon the initial act of ‘accepting’ Christ … and we are not expected thereafter to crave any further revelation of God to our souls. We have been snared in the coils of a spurious logic which insists that if we have found Him, we need no more seek Him… Thus the whole testimony of the worshiping, seeking, singing church on that subject is crisply set aside.

What a great contrast this mindset offers to the subject of true worship. Worship is the action of gathering together and clamoring around the throne of God like loving children and drawing nearer to Him in love as a family.

Revival in the church
For many, the thought of revival may conjure up images of weeklong potlucks, church members not seen since Christmas, and a visiting preacher from another church miles away. It’s a sentimental time of friendly faces, tear-jerking sermons, beloved hymns, and Mrs. So-and-so’s heavenly green beans at church dinner.

All of those things are wonderful gifts from God for our enjoyment. But a study of revival paints a different picture.

“Revivals begin with God's own people,” proclaimed 19th century Scottish preacher Andrew Bonar. “The Holy Spirit touches their heart anew, and gives them new fervor and compassion, and zeal, new light and life, and when He has thus come to you, He next goes forth to the valley of dry bones… Oh, what responsibility this lays on the church of God! If people grieve Him away, or hinder His visit, then the poor perishing world suffers sorely!”

The imagery of the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14) is an appropriate picture of what true revival accomplishes. A minister of God visits the spiritually dry believer, and out of his mouth flow the words of life, invigorating the dwindling sparks and weaving sinew to the brittle bone. If worship is the action of a Christian approaching God, revival is the action of God approaching the Christian.

Salvation of souls
Without a doubt, the doctrine of salvation is foundational to Christianity. While worship is the church approaching God, and revival is God approaching the church, salvation is that beautiful collision of a sinful soul and a holy God in the work of Christ. No one can call himself or herself a Christian and deny that God reconciles men to Himself. The church cannot be too careful when it comes to maintaining a firm grip on this doctrine. In a sermon titled “Being Religious Enough,” Charles Spurgeon highlights what salvation is not:

Do not think you are Christians; do not flatter yourselves with being righteous enough, and good enough, because you lead moral decent lives, do no one any harm, go to church, and attend upon the outward means of grace; no, my brethren, you may do this, and a great deal more, and yet be very far from having a saving, experimental knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Thankfully, God has given His Church a wealth of wisdom to draw on, which points back to the scriptural basis of salvation. Albert Martin, former elder of Trinity Baptist Church of Montville, New Jersey, delivered a powerful sermon on salvation – “Warning to Professing Christians” – that cuts deeply across the grain of what the American church is accustomed to hearing:

Listen to the words of Jesus, “Not everyone who says Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven” … True and saving faith is not tipping the hat to Jesus. It is not nodding the head that He did a few things that I couldn’t do to help me get to heaven, but I was pretty much on my way given what I am in myself. Saving faith is the desperate thrust of a helpless soul upon the arms of an almighty Savior. It is clinging to Christ crucified in a death grip saying, “Save me, Lord, or I perish.”

Moving forward
America’s foundation was solidly built on the eternal principles of Scripture. Yet over time, it has been replaced with a foundation of self-idolizing quicksand. The land appears to be ruled by the darkness and rot of sin, and when the pulpits of America’s churches refrain from dealing with the souls of the people in the pews, sin’s hold will only grow stronger.

Christ Jesus has told us, “You are the salt of the earth … You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-16). There has never been a better time for Christians to throw off the mellowing, smothering effect of comfortable religion, repent of watering down the blood of Christ, and allow the strength of God to fill them once again, not just so that America may be saved, but for the eternal glory of the Father.   

Reconnect with the great minds of Christianity’s past. Available at afastore.net or 877-927-4917.

Morning and Evening devotional book by Charles Spurgeon

The A.W. Tozer Bible