[Faith-talk] Lukewarm Believers: The Prodigal Church In a Prodigal World by Leonard Ravenhill
Paul Smith
paulsmith at samobile.net
Thu Sep 8 17:27:26 UTC 2016
(Leonard Ravenhill (1907-1994) was an evangelist and author who
challenged the modern church to compare itself with the early Christian
church as chronicled in the Book of Acts. The following is from his
book "Why Revival Tarries, copyright 1959 and published by Bethany
House Publishers).
To take an overall view of the church today leaves one wondering how
much longer a holy God can refrain from implementing His threat to spew
this Laodicean thing out of His mouth. For if there is one thing
preachers are agreed upon, it is that this is the Laodicean age in the church.
Yet while over our heads hangs the Damoclean sword of rejection, we
believers are lean, lazy, luxury-loving, loveless and lacking. Though
our merciful God will pardon our sins, purge our iniquity and pity our
ignorance, our lukewarm hearts are an abomination in His sight. We
must be cold or hot, flaming or freezing, burning out or cast out.
Lack of heat and lack of love God hates.
Christ is now "wounded in the house of His friends." The Holy Book of
teh Living God suffers more from its exponents today than from its opponents!
The church alone can "limit the Holy One of Israel," and today she has
consummate skill in doing it. If there are degrees in death, then the
deadest I know of is to preach about the Holy Ghost without the
anointing of the Holy Ghost.
I do not marvel so much at the patience of the Lord with the
stonyhearted sinners of the day. After all, would we not be patient
with a man both blind and deaf? And such are the sinners. But I do
marvel at the Lord's patience with the sleepy, sluggish, selfish
church! A prodigal church in a prodigal world is God's real problem.
Oh, we bankrupt, blind, boasting believers! We are naked and don't know
it. We are rich (never had we more equipment,) but we are poor (never
had we less enduement)! We have need of nothing (And yet we lack almost
everything the Apostolic Church had). Can He stand "in the midst"
while we sport unashamedly in our spiritual nakedness?
Brethren, in the light of the "Bema seat," we had better live six
months with a volcanic heart, denouncing sin in places high and low and
turning the nation from the power of Satan unto God (as John the
Baptist did) rather than die loaded with ecclesiastical honors and
theological degrees and being the laughing stock of hell and of
spiritual nonentities.
Preachers make pulpits famous; prophets make prisons famous. May the
Lord send us prophets!
Oh, in comparison with the New Testament church we are so
sub-apostolic, so substandard! Sound doctrine has put most believers
sound asleep, for the letter is not enough. It must be kindled! It is
the letter plus the Spirit that "Giveth life." A sound sermon in
flawless English and flawless interpretation can be as tasteless as a
mouthful of sand. A blazing bush drew Moses; a blazing church will
attract the world, so that from its midst they will hear the voice of
the living God.
Wow, but with what pathos Brother Ravenhill wrote the above words! I
wouldn't be surprised to learn that in parts of this book could be
found his impression of I Peter 4:17: "For the time has come for
judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first,
what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?" (NKJV).
And there you have it for today. Until tomorrow when, Lord willing
another timely article will be shared with you, may the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in
these last days in which we live. Your Christian friend and brother, Paul
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