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The Revival Preacher Circular No.6 The Moral Crunch "The United Kingdom is in great trouble, not only through the financial crisis in our banks but also because the foundations of society are being shaken. The economic problems have exposed the moral and spiritual bankruptcy of the nation through which we have allowed the powers of greed and corruption to be released into the nation. We have a generation of children and young people who hardly know right from wrong. Our great spiritual heritage has been squandered so that Britain, which was once a missionary powerhouse of the world, is now almost morally bankrupt." The above is a quotation from a statement issued in connection with a meeting held on December 11th 2008, when eighty Christian Leaders from most branches of the church, from both Hoses of Parliament, from business and education, met in the House of Lords to consider the moral and spiritual implications of the present financial crisis. They agreed that "the current financial situation is primarily the result of the pursuit of moral choices and values that do not accord with the word of God." In other words, the Credit Crunch has come about because of a Moral Crunch. Moral Standards have been squeezed and minimized and rejected by the people of Britain and America, and we are paying, or starting to pay, the price. Twenty years ago, Leonard Ravenhill warned America and Britain that they were on the edge of disaster, while in 2007, Greg Gordon said, "We need to realize how close we are to the judgment of God in America and Britain..….There is no escaping that awful and dreadful day, Church! God is crying out to you: ‘I know your works. Be zealous therefore and repent.’ Many will say that we are ready to be judged because of the wicked heathen and unbelievers who are blaspheming the name of God. No! Judgment is coming to America and Britain because of a back-slidden, lukewarm, professing Church. Preaching is needed that will confront a church that is comfortable in her sins. I would quote to you the saintly Finney: "Away with your milk and water preaching of the love of Christ that has no holiness or moral discrimination in it. Away with the preaching of Christ not crucified for sin." On this very truth a Highland minister stated once: ‘Bring me a God of all mercy but no justice; bring me a God of all love but not righteousness; and I will have no scruples in calling Him an idiot of your imagination.’ Alas, today’s Church has embraced such an ‘idiot’ conception of God," continues Gordon. "Is that hard to hear? It will sound much harder to hear the words from the judgment bar of God: ‘Depart from me, I never knew you.’ We are afraid to disturb people these days. We are afraid to preach against sin."
The media has been making a great fuss about the inauguration of a new president in the USA, but he is only a politician and a sinner like everyone else. Neither he nor anyone else can deal with the basic problems of society in America or any other country. We know from the Bible that these basic problems are caused by sins such as pride, selfishness, laziness, lust, greed, disobedience, rebellion and wickedness. For the world still lies under the power of the evil one, (1Jn.5; 19), people’s hearts are still evil, and God says He will punish the world for its evil (Gen.5:21, Gen. 8:210, Mt.12:39, Is.13: 11). The world is looking for answers and for hope, and that is why they clutch at any straw, such as a new president in America, to solve their problems, but they will be disappointed, for the only answer lies in the One who made them and who came as a man to destroy the works of the devil, and to warn people of the consequences of their sins. (1 Jn.3: 8) This is why the only hope for America and for Britain lies with those who will preach the whole truth of God. So I call the Revival Preachers and any other preachers who read this message to preach the righteousness, the majesty, the holiness, the law, the wrath, the judgment of God, to this country that is increasingly plagued by greed, selfishness, idolatry, lawlessness, wickedness and false religions. God and His truth never change, and He is still looking for those who, like John the Baptist, will make the path straight for the Lord by preaching His truth and the need of repentance; and who will go on doing so until people are truly convicted of their sin, and are brought to the feet of the Son of God. Tell people that the Credit Crunch is due to the Moral Crunch. Tell them that in this country, we have minimized or even rejected moral considerations, for we have sought to push God away, thinking that we know better than God how to run our lives and how to run Britain; so now we are beginning to pay the price, and the price will get higher and higher the longer we take no notice of Him and His standards. God has told us to put Him first, but we haven’t. God has told us to make nothing which we think more important than Him, but we have. God has told us not to misuse His name, nor treat it lightly without respect, but we have. God has told us to keep His day holy, but we haven’t. God has told us to honour our fathers and mothers, but we haven’t. We abuse them and put them in old people’s homes and hospitals, where they are not respected. We do not teach our children to respect and honour their parents and all older people. It is not surprising that respect in society, generally, has all but disappeared. Public servants are abused and threatened and attacked every minute of every day. God has told us not to commit murder, but every year we murder hundreds of thousands of children before they are born, and more and more children and young people and adults are killed, because we do not value life as a gift from God. God has told us not to commit adultery, but not only is adultery very common, as the marriage bond is considered of little importance, but couples live together who are not married, and people have casual sexual relationships outside marriage. It is not surprising that the U.K. has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe, and Sexually Transmitted Diseases are increasing at an alarming rate. The whole fabric of society is crumbling as families disintegrate. The majority of children now live without their own mother and father living with them as a married couple, while 100,000 children run away from broken ‘homes’ every year And all because we have gone right against what God intended and laid down for our good. God has told us not to steal, but millions of robberies are committed every year, millions of pounds of government money is stolen through false claims, pilfering and stealing has become a way of life to many, and millions of people are living in increasing debt. God has told us to tell the truth and not lie, but dishonesty, "white lies," deceit and "cutting corners" are everyday facts of life. God has said we are not to seek after what others have, but be satisfied with what we have; but we have created a society based on artificially making people want what they do not need; so it is not surprising that, like a pack of cards, it is beginning to crash down.
That is why you, the Revival Preachers, must proclaim the truth of God’s standards. I would say to you roughly what Mordecai said to Esther, "Who knows whether you have been raised up for such a time as this?" This, surely, is the time for you to proclaim the True God, the God of holiness and perfection, the awesome God of power and greatness, to whom we will all have to give an account.(Is.59:18-19, Is. 66:2 Js.4:8-10, etc.) This is the time to warn of the certain judgment of God, and the certain punishment of those who rebel against Him,(Acts.17:31, 2Thess.1:8-9, Rev.20:11-15, etc.); to declare the anger of God against sin and sinners, spelling out what those sins are, showing the necessity of repentance, and upholding the wonder of the grace of God in Christ, who took our sin upon himself on the Cross, so that we could be pardoned and made holy,(Rom.1:21-32, Gal.5:19-21, Acts 17:30, 2Cor.5:21) This is the time to speak with the authority of the living God, and pray with passion for Him to work in power.
Tell the churches that they have compromised with the world, like the seven churches in the book of Revelation, and therefore, need to repent. Get God’s people, as Greg Gordon says, to face the reality of their sins and waywardness, to humble themselves before a holy God, and seek Him in prayer on their knees.
Tell them their witness to the truth of God has been weak. Tell them or remind them of the Early Methodists who were not afraid to be different from their contemporaries, because they stood for far higher principles and standards. They emphasised holiness of life. They lived in the light of eternity. They prayed constantly. They denounced sin, and told people they would go to hell if they didn’t repent of their sins, turn to Jesus and be 100% for Him. Tell the world that it has rejected the God who made them for Himself, and they are beginning to pay the price. Tell them they need to repent before a holy and righteous God who is angry with their sin and rebellion. Proclaim His law and His judgment. Make sure you are one of those prophetic voices that Ron Lagerquist spoke about, who will be hated and despised by the world. For this country needs leaders and preachers like that, those who are not afraid to denounce sin in all its forms for what it is, as terrible and damning in the sight of God; who will tell this nation and its leaders and the media that they will never find the answers to this country’s problems unless they repent and get back to God. Only He can make Britain great again. And by God, we do not mean a false god of any other religion, but the one and only true God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who made them and the whole universe, and before whom we must all give account on the day of judgment.(Heb.9:27) This is the time for you to fulfil your mission and rise up to declare His word with power and authority; and with the backing of the Interceders, to raise this country up from the terrible state it is in. Nothing is impossible with God. |