“Yet one does not have to look long at the prevailing Christianity of the 1850’s to observe some signs that are hardly akin to what we find in the New Testament- it was too fashionable, too respectable, too much at peace with the world. It was as though such texts as ‘the whole world lieth in wickedness’ were no longer correct.
The church was not lacking in wealth, nor in men, nor in dignity, but it was sadly lacking in unction and power. There was a general tendency to forget the difference between human learning and truth revealed by the Spirit of God. There was no scarcity of eloquence and culture in the pulpits, but there was a marked absence of the kind of preaching that broke men’s hearts. Perhaps the worst sign was that few were awake to these things.”
Amazon.com: Forgotten Spurgeon-out of print: Iain H. Murray: Books
Perhaps the only difference with then and now is that the church of today is certainly lacking in men. It is less ‘culturally acceptable’ despite the churches desperate attempts to make itself more culturally acceptable. However if this is the only difference the following (and more) is certainly true of a large section of the church world today.
”too much at peace with the world.”
“It was as though such texts as ‘the whole world lieth in wickedness’ were no longer correct.”
“There was a general tendency to forget the difference between human learning and truth revealed by the Spirit of God.”
“There was no scarcity of eloquence and culture in the pulpits, but there was a marked absence of the kind of preaching that broke men’s hearts.”
“Perhaps the worst sign was that few were awake to these things.”
Are we ‘awake to these things’ today? If so pray. We need a genuine spiritual awakening to sweep our churches. It is a time for weeping in the house of the Lord.
The church was not lacking in wealth, nor in men, nor in dignity, but it was sadly lacking in unction and power. There was a general tendency to forget the difference between human learning and truth revealed by the Spirit of God. There was no scarcity of eloquence and culture in the pulpits, but there was a marked absence of the kind of preaching that broke men’s hearts. Perhaps the worst sign was that few were awake to these things.”
Amazon.com: Forgotten Spurgeon-out of print: Iain H. Murray: Books
Perhaps the only difference with then and now is that the church of today is certainly lacking in men. It is less ‘culturally acceptable’ despite the churches desperate attempts to make itself more culturally acceptable. However if this is the only difference the following (and more) is certainly true of a large section of the church world today.
”too much at peace with the world.”
“It was as though such texts as ‘the whole world lieth in wickedness’ were no longer correct.”
“There was a general tendency to forget the difference between human learning and truth revealed by the Spirit of God.”
“There was no scarcity of eloquence and culture in the pulpits, but there was a marked absence of the kind of preaching that broke men’s hearts.”
“Perhaps the worst sign was that few were awake to these things.”
Are we ‘awake to these things’ today? If so pray. We need a genuine spiritual awakening to sweep our churches. It is a time for weeping in the house of the Lord.
