| It is not the sinfulness, crime, immorality and pleasure-loving people
who are prohibiting a mighty revival in the world today. "The whole world ever did
lie in wickedness" (I John 5:19). The blackness of sin only affords the background to
display the power, love and beauty of the saving grace of God through our Lord Jesus
Christ. "But where sin abounds, grace did much more abound." (Romans 5:20). The Spirit of God came into the world to convict of sin, righteousness and judgement. Why then is His mighty power not working in the hearts of unbelieving men, women and children as we have seen Him work in the past? The trouble is not with the people of the world, who in their sinful, natural self cannot please God, but with the people of God who have experienced the regenerating power of the Spirit of God. When the children of Israel were doing the will of God and walking in obedience to His Word, He fought their battles. He went before them and drove out their enemies from the land of promise. He rained hail stones from Heaven and turned the swords of the enemies against his fellow. The blast of the rams’ horns was enough to cause the walls of Jericho to fall flat, thus bringing victory to Israel with the minimum of conquest. But when they sinned against Him, He left them to themselves and they went down miserably in battle. They fled before their enemies and fell by the edge of the sword. They were conquered instead of conquering! The history of the children of Israel, was it not written for our learning? Is it not true that the Church of God on earth is failing in its mission because of self-sufficiency, lack of love, divisions fault-finding and finding satisfaction in material things instead of having our affection set on things above? Have we not brandished our swords against each other instead of girding each one his sword upon his thigh and going forth together in the power of the Spirit of God to use it upon the enemy instead of upon God’s dear people? In the case of Israel, God raised up men, kings and prophets to call the hearts of His people back to Himself in order to bless them and be able to make His promises good to them, but to no avail. "They would none of His reproofs" (Proverbs 1:25), and last of all, God sent His Son and we see Him as He stands and weeps over Jerusalem crying out, "How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wing, and ye would not!" Finally, they killed the heir as they did the prophets nailing Him to the cross. Children of God, upon whom the end of the age has come, is it not high time to cry to God to raise up men whose hearts He has won and touched to stand fast together and sound the clarion call, to return unto the Lord, to walk in His ways, to preach the Gospel of His Grace, to stand fast for His Truth, to confess the sins and failings of His people as their very own as did some of the prophets of old, and then expect God to open the windows of Heaven and pour out the blessing we won’t be able to contain? Let us stand together for Christ and His Truth in this day of departure, declension and lukewarmness, or we may have to stand together with our arms uplifted and be pierced through the heart with bullets from the guns of the enemies of Christ who today seem to be getting the victory over us by closing doors throughout the world to the Gospel and denying the God Who purchased us with the blood of His own dear Son. May we do it for His dear Name’s sake and do it now! There is no time to lose. William G. McCartney |