By Fenter Northern
THE DAYS of the restoration movement of the Lord’s church in the latter part of the 19th and early part of the 20th century were exhilarating times when thousands of souls were baptized into Christ. Congregations dedicated to “speaking where the Bible speaks and remaining silent where the Bible is silent’ began to dot the countryside.
Then, just as a Pharaoh “rose up that knew not Joseph,” and enslaved Israel, so today a generation has risen that cares little for the restoration cause, or has much appreciation for its demands for a “thus sayeth the Lord,” or, its cry of “back to the Bible for it all.
Will a day come when a burst of great love for the truth will come again calling for Bible authority?—-it could happen, if there is a return from a lustful prostitution for denominationalism’s revved up religion evangelizing by having people centered services; and make its worship Christ centered and Bible based with every service a serious encounter with the word of God — not mere appealing entertainment to amuse the pew. Beware, the pulpit today can be a source of lucrative employment.
Worship in spirit should be a visit with Jesus at His table each Sunday where the worshiper senses that the eternal Almighty God of the universe is looking into one’s heart temple for Bible based faith. But whether a sweeping revival calling for a back to the Bible for the salvation of the Lord is near, or whether it is a long way down the road, one thing we must never lose sight: in less flashing, but in non-obvious ways God is still moving all the time. The Spirit of God is secretly leaping from its pages of holy writ where faithful pulpits are energizing souls here and there who yearn for the living water of the river of life that flows from the word of God.
This is the church in the wilderness where the wind of God blows upon hearts from its biblical source sending one out into a world intoxicated with itself to save it from death;
Make no mistake about it–this does, and is happening now in quiet unobtrusive ways. I pray that it is happening in more and more services, as well as Bible based journals, such as, The Voice of Truth International, where the wind of God still blows with the word of God sounding as clear as the trumpet of God will peal on the Day of Judgment–singing in spirit and truth:
Send the light, the precious gospel light, Let it shine from shore to shore,
My prayer is for the climate in the house of Cornelius to prevail where the saints assemble to worship. There, when Peter arrived to preach, the soldier’s words were: “we are present to hear all things that are commanded thee of God. This man had been waiting for the arrival of Peter–not to be entertained with the latest jokes or sophisticated oratory. He was not waiting to hear a noted man elaborate on personal views. He had not requested the presence of this preacher to give his household a good-mannered oral excursion into some comfortable philosophy about life. He wanted truth from God–the vital, authentic message of salvation for him and his household. This is the glorious task of every New Testament loving preacher that mounts the sacred ground of the pulpit. It was the task of Jeremiah centuries before Peter and Cornelius, who was summoned by Zedekiah, asking: “Tell me, is there any word from the Lord.” This must be the sole motivation for elders in seeking preachers to fill God’s pulpits today. Only then will the wind of the spirit of truth blow through the pews with the glory of salvation from the loving, Almighty God.