Pastors, evangelists, and any earnest Christian serving in his church will certainly face some measure of wrath and mistreatment from human, flesh-and-blood enemies. The Bible does not gloss over this fact. It says plainly that good servants of the Lord will have enemies in the world of men (see Ps. 23:5, Matt. 5:44, and Rom. 12:20). But human adversaries are not the real adversaries. As a matter of fact, Paul was inspired by God to tell Timothy to view his human adversaries as captives of his real enemy. (more…)

In the 1960s and 70s, independent Baptists experienced a real movement of God. There were certainly flaws (the human side of any revival can be flawed), but there was also a significant seeking after God for His power to go out and win the multitudes to Christ. As a result, many souls were saved, many congregations experienced phenomenal growth, and many new churches were formed. By the election year 1976, Baptist leaders realized the newfound political power they could wield because of the large numbers that now attended their churches.

Many American Christians believed that the great evil in the land at that time was the proliferation of abortions caused by the Roe vs. Wade decision made by the Supreme Court (1973). By forming this born-again voting bloc into a “moral majority,” pastors were convinced that they could swing the political tide against legalized abortions. (more…)

A year ago, my father-in-law gave me a gift certificate to buy some books at www.cbd.com. (Perhaps you will agree with me that this is the ultimate gift.) My wife had just given birth to our first child, a boy, so I decided to order some resources that address the subject of raising sons and being a good father. It didn’t take me long to learn that finding books about this was easy. I eventually narrowed my search to four titles and ordered them together.

Looking back a year later, I will confess that never read one of the books. By reading the cover I learned that it was coauthored by a Christian psychologist and a Christian psychotheraphist (what’s the difference?), each of them men close to my own age. I’m sure there are good things in the book, but it wasn’t compelling. (more…)

Throughout American history, great national revivals have been stifled by Christians who turned their attention from spiritual battles to moral and political crusades. Though other factors contributed to the demise of the powerful revivals, “wrestling with flesh and blood” seems to be the main contradictory factor.

Controversy with England cooled the Great Awakening of the middle eighteenth century. The anti-slavery crusade and the abolition movement ended the Second Great Awakening. And the prohibition movement ended the era of mass evangelism, which began in the decade after the Civil war. There is no doubt that merit existed in these moral and political causes. But they turned the attention of believers to political activism, rather than evangelism, prayer meetings, church planting, and personal holiness. (more…)

Fundamentalism is dying.  Young pastors and seminary students in droves are growing disheartened with the movement, moving into conservative evangelicalism instead.  Churches are following their leaders and tagging right along.  Many of those that remain are withering.  I heard a well-known Christian college president say that, based upon his own observation, most fundamental churches are either barely holding their own or are in a state of decline.  There are few exceptions.

This exodus is being blamed on many things – abrasive leaders, rigid standards, anti-intellectualism, unprofessionalism, lack of love, etc.  But I would suggest that these are mere symptoms of a deeper root cause.

What is killing fundamentalism?

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There is no question that Paul encountered “flesh and blood” enemies at Ephesus. Demetrius the silversmith called together an assembly of idol-makers to protest his preaching (Acts 19:23-41). Jewish antagonists caused him “many tears” through the difficulties they brought on him there (Acts 20:18-19). Paul later warned Timothy about Alexander the coppersmith (“who did me much evil”, 2 Timothy 4:14). These adversaries to Paul became adversaries to the Ephesian Christians. Nevertheless, Paul wrote to the church there to explain that their human persecutors were not the real enemy. The same is true for us today. The real war is in the invisible world, and the real enemies are spirit beings. (more…)

A week ago, I read this story about a man who threw away an old Bible. I did some research but couldn’t verify the original source. Without being certain whether it is real or fictional, I would like to share the story here.

A collector of rare books crossed paths with an old acquaintance, who told him that he had just thrown away a Bible which he found in a dusty old box.  The book collector asked him what he knew about the book. His friend replied, “It was printed by Guten-somebody-or-other.” (more…)

Could it be that Christians are not humbly praying, asking God to send revival, because they don’t really believe God?  They go on in sinful worldliness, pursuing fleshly behavior and grieving the heart of God.  They certainly are not seeking His face, delighting in His presence.  Why, then, would God send revival to such people?  Isaiah 44:3  says that God pours water upon those who are thirsty.  Are you thirsty?  If so, you can claim the promise, the promise of the Father, the promise of the Holy Spirit.  If you do, the result will be blessed.  God promises in verse 3 that your seed will be blessed.  In other words, you will bear fruit; you will thrive like lush green plants and trees along a riverbed.  You will win souls.  Notice verses 4 and 5:

And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses. One shall say, I am the LORD’s; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel.

Are these promises for revival truly for our era?  The answer to that question is found in Acts 2, the passage about Pentecost.   (more…)

Our generation believes that minimum effort should produce maximum results. Our motto is “more for less.” But where does this fit into the lifestyle of God’s children? Reading in the book of Numbers this morning, my attention was drawn to a peculiar phrase.

This is the law of the Nazarite who hath vowed, and of his offering unto the LORD for his separation, beside that that his hand shall get: according to the vow which he vowed, so he must do after the law of his separation (Numbers 6:21).

My attention was drawn to the phrase “beside that that his hand shall get.” This is an awkward statement in terms of modern English expression. If I understand correctly, here is what it means. (more…)

Are you thirsting for revival?  God pours water on those who are thirsty.  Our land is parched.  We need another great awakening.  We need for the Spirit to be poured out again and again and again.  It has been approximately one hundred fifty years since the great prayer awakening.  When is the next one coming?  We are truly grateful to the Lord for the revival raindrops which we have experienced, but for the showers we plead.  We need not only a drizzle but a downpour.  We need to see deserts come back to life.  That’s what water does for deserts, you know.  Oh Lord, we ask you today, when will we see the next great awakening?  When will we have the next great downpour?

Perhaps we already know the answer to that question.  It is when God’s people meet the conditions.  Jonathan Goforth said, “If God the Holy Spirit is not glorifying Jesus Christ in the world today as at Pentecost, it is we who are to blame!”[i] (more…)