Why the Church is Powerless

"What aileth thee new, that thou art wholly gone up to the house-top?" (Isa. 22:1).

It is true, that the prophet in the text laments the invasion of Jewry by the Persians, but the last phrase of (verse 4) indicate that it is a prophetic vision of the church in decline. The interrogative clause "What aileth thee" reveals the fact that there was an invisible, unknown cause for this decline.

Today it is readily realized by saint and sinner, young and old, that there is something wrong with the church. The majority of people do not seem to know what it is and those who do, are afraid to say.

My object, therefore, in this little discourse shall be, to give some reasons why the church is going so rapidly into decline. I shall do so as briefly, and with as few words as possible, -- for "a word to the wise is sufficient."

I. As a whole, the church no longer has the ancient type of preachers.

a. Men through whose faces flashed divine lightning, through whose eyes beamed eternity, and whose voice and message struck more terror to the sinner than the tread of an earth quake.

b. Yes, clean ministers, unselfish ministers, sanctified, empowered ministers; ministers who are not afraid of the cross; not afraid to preach against sin in high and low places; not afraid to speak of an everlasting, burning hell; not afraid to cry out against false religion; not afraid to preach death to carnality; and not afraid of the poor-house.

c. Today, mentality has taken the place of spirituality. They do not preach the Christ of the Bible; neither do they preach with the power and unction of the Holy Ghost; it is all dry, dead words. It is no marvel that people can sit and sleep on the front seats, or joke and chew gum all during the sermon.

II. The next thing that ails the church is that she has no longer (as a whole) men and women who are true to their convictions, regardless of what people think or say. They are not ready, like Paul, to die for what they believe.

III. Her members have settled down and lost the three essentials, namely: the spirit of self-denial, the spirit of prayer and the passion for souls.

Hundreds of God-called and God-anointed workers have settled down and taken up with mercenary occupations -- store-keeping, farming, selling automobiles, etc. The ancient cry -- "Give me souls or I will die" -- has almost left the earth.

IV. The church has lost the apostolic brand of faith.

a. We do not half believe God's word. b. We do not look for results. c. We do not insist that they come. d. We do not urge our claim for all God has promised in His word.

V. The church is no longer radical in dealing with sin and hypocrisy. She does not make war with the Achaians, she no longer throws overboard the Jonahs, neither does she take her stand against Agaz [sic], the carnal mind, the Old Man.

VI. Her members become irreverent and worldly minded.

a. They can laugh and joke in the house of worship, buy and sell, also open her sacred doors for political meetings and worldly enterprise.

b. Instead of the prayer meeting, concerts are held; instead of the class meeting, literary contests; and instead of old fashioned, Holy Ghost singing, operational performances are given by a lot of unsaved, half-nude young ladies, whose faces are painted like clowns, and who squeal like pigs. How in the name of common sense can we ever expect to have a revival over such performances?

Reader, are you in any way responsible for these existing conditions? Will God find you guiltless on the Judgment Day?