Seek The Old Paths

Seek the Old Paths

By

Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.

SCRIPTURE:- Jeremiah 6:16 says, “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein”.

MY PRAYER: - Psalms 119:130-135 says “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. I opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for thy commandments. Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name. Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes”.

OPENING: - The Bible says in Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord”. Often there is the desire in the church today to move forward to something so-called better. Some churches even now have the scent of fresh coffee drifting through the sanctuary while giant screens light the auditorium with the message #Jesusisthebomb and you could win a set of ear pods after service. They try to make church cool and lit as the world says trying to appeal to the younger generation. However, seeking something new doesn’t always lead to the right way. Having a better show is good entertainment but it does nothing in the way of salvation. We have so-called preachers talking a bunch of stuff but not saying a thing. Sure, they know how to tickle the ears and stir emotions but when it comes to giving the unadulterated word of God, they fall extremely short. Their churches have marketing strategies that rival a fortune 500 company. Although they seem to be prospering a recent study by the Barna Group has shown that 67% of young people prefer a classic church over a trendy one and 77% would choose a sanctuary over and auditorium. Sadly, many churches today are plagued by the stigma of not being authentic because their rebranding, their restructuring, their refocusing has back-fired and there is more emphasis on marketing Jesus instead of following Jesus.

People are looking and searching for truth and not a bunch of superfluous fluff. They don’t need hot air-filled propaganda; they don’t need a lightshow that rivals the 4th of July. People can be entertained anywhere but when it comes to church people need to be transformed, revived, regenerated, healed, delivered, set free. They don’t need to be pumped and prodded to clap if they are excited about Jesus but led into worship during their heartache, brokenness, disappointments, strife, stress, and uncertainty. They don’t need a repacking and restructuring of the proven old paths they just need for the church to practice and walk in them. Sometimes reaching backward is how we move forward in our spiritual walk and stay relevant and effective. Scripture tells us to seek for the old paths. It’s when we seek for the old paths we can reach forward with more power, authority, and unction in the Holy Ghost.

Jeremiah 6:16 says, “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein”.

This day and time that we are living in demands that we operate in the old paths. The same power noted in the Old and New Testaments is needed in our lives today. Society today has the audacity to try to tell us the Word of God is outdated and subject to interpretation. They say we don’t need your church or your Jesus. They believe that when they die it is all over and that is a lie straight from the depths of hell. We the church, the people of the living God need to get back to the mindset of our elders and do as Psalms 33:8 says, “Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him”. How does the world stand in awe of Him – they see Him in us.

WATCH THIS: - So many times we say there needs to be a great revival. Well let me tell you TRUTH nowhere in the Bible does it ever talk about a Great Revival before the Rapture of the church. Yes, there will be a great revival during the Tribulation Period but there will not be a great revival before the Rapture. The only Revival the world will truly see will start with each of us, sure souls will be saved but Revival means to bring back to wake up that which was dormant that which was sleep so revival is the reviving of the church and the old paths. When we seek the old ways and desire for great moves of God, we’ll see revival happen in our midst and that is how the world will come to stand in awe of Him, but we need to seek the old paths.