Let's Go Back To The Good Old Days In The Church

Introduction: What the man who we know the scriptures calls the smartest man in the Bible is saying here is this: “Let’s not talk about the good days.” People are always talking about the good old days. I heard people say countless times that they wish that they could go back to the good old days. Let me see here. Do you mean a clothes line instead of a dryer? Or do you mean an old pot bellied stove instead of a thermostat? Do you mean canning your vegetables you have grown instead of going to the supermarket? I like many of the modern conveniences. I like air conditioning. I like a computer over the old typewriters. (For one thing, spell check is a botton instead of digging out a dictionary) I like electric razors. I never learned to use a straight razor. What I am saying is this there are many things about living in this point and time that I really like.

You could say in some ways, I am a student of history. I enjoy reading books about history. One of my favorite channels on television is the History Channel. For the past 10 years, I have been a study of church history, especially in the area of revival. I read last year of the revival off the coast of Scotland in which a preacher by the name of Duncan Campbell came to that little island to preach a revival meeting. He arrived on Saturday night. When he got off the ferry, he was met by the pastor who asked him if he would go by the church to meet a few folks. When he got to the church, it was full and running over. He was asked to say a few words and pray. When he had finishing praying, one after another began to pray, begging God for forgiveness and revival. They left after 2 AM. The next day, people can from all over the island to get saved. Men were getting saved at the jail. Folks were stopping in the middle of the road and asking the Lord for salvation. (A part many people do not know about is this: there were two bedridden women who wanted revival for their island had been praying for years for this.) This happened in the late 1940s. A missionary went to island 50 years later. He asked the cab driver if he knew anyone who was saved during the revival. The cab driver told him that he and his whole family had been saved and still serving the Lord. In fact, he took him to scores of people who were saved that week. The island’s businesses are required by their laws to be closed on Sunday to observe the Lord’s day. (The younger generation wanted to change this law but have been unable to do so yet.) This is a classic example of what a true Holy Ghost, heaven sent revival truly is. This revival affect this entire island.

I like living in this present time. But I would like to see the church go back to the former days of her glory. I talking about she was doing her great work of winning souls to Christ and revival was seen on the national level.

If you want to study revival in the Bible, you will have to go the Old Testament. From the time of Christ’s birth until John penned the words in Rev. 22:21- “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”, you will find only 90 years. But there is almost 4,000 years of history in the Old Testament. You will find really a correct picture of revival there. You find Israel sinning against the Lord. God judges this nation by allowing countries to oppress her. The nation of Israel would repent of their sin and cry aloud to the One who could and would be able to deliver them. They would come back to Him. For a while, they would follow His commandments. To illustrate this point, I want you to turn to Psa. 107:8-15.

“Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High: Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!”