E.A. Johnston passionately calls for a revival of bold, Spirit-empowered preaching to awaken the church and call the nation back to God.
In this prophetic sermon, E.A. Johnston challenges the modern church to awaken from spiritual lethargy by embracing bold, Spirit-empowered preaching. Drawing on historic examples of revival leaders, he contrasts the complacency of free societies' churches with the vibrant faith of persecuted believers in China. Johnston calls for a new generation of fearless men who will stand against sin and call the nation back to God through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Full Transcript
Today society spins out of control in moral chaos and the churches lie in a void of a big evangelist. We have no Billy Sunday or Sam Jones to fight the liquor crowd. We have no Whitfield or Finney to spearhead a great awakening.
We lack prophets in the land to call a nation back to God. We lack preachers who do not fear man but only fear God. Our pulpits are held in check by a politically correct society that is tolerant toward sin but intolerant toward a crucified Christ.
We're afraid to call sin black and hell hot and name sexual perversion for what it is in light of a thrice holy God. But I believe the decline of the American church is no different than the decline of the British church, the Australian church, or any of the churches that operate in a free society. It's the church of persecution that thrives with New Testament vitality like the underground church in China who have to meet in barns late at night, come by foot, or on a bicycle to avoid observation by the communist party.
The church in China doesn't operate on money and manpower but they operate on holy ghost power. The Chinese believers don't go by Dr. so-and-so or Reverend so-and-so. They're just brothers and sisters who call themselves followers of the Lord.
But the underground church in China operates on holy ghost power. They have the spirits anointing. But when can we say we felt the power of God in one of our meetings? When can we say we've seen heaven come down in the slain lamb standing in our midst? What we need today are men of faith who believe their Bibles and who don't fear man.
We need a John Wesley who cried over England, give me 100 men who fear nothing but God and hate nothing but sin and I will shake the gates of hell. And Wesley did just that. In Zechariah we read, not by might nor by power but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, empowered by the Spirit, emboldened by the Spirit, the greatest need in the land today. It's for a prophet to rise up to call a nation back to God. We need men like these.
We need the Apostle Paul, Luther, Wesley, Whitefield, Knox, Edwards, Finney, Spurgeon, Moody. Each shared a common denominator, a fire in their belly. They each were so eaten up with the gospel and thirsty for Christ and filled with the Holy Ghost.
They could not stand idly by while others perished. They saw nothing but eternity, worshipped a holy God and served a risen Christ, living not for earth nor its gains but living only for heaven and its rewards. When they preached they linked the devil with sin and the cross with salvation.
They preached hell and its fire and Christ in him crucified. Not one of them feared king, queen or pope and not one of them sought the compliments of men. This has been a message from Evangelism Awakening.
To support this ministry go to our homepage, press the give icon and then press donate. We value your support.
Sermon Outline
-
I
- Current moral chaos and church decline
- Lack of bold evangelists and prophets
- Fear of man over fear of God in pulpits
-
II
- Contrast with the underground church in China
- Reliance on Holy Ghost power over money and manpower
- Brotherhood and simple faith in Christ
-
III
- Need for men like Wesley, Whitefield, and Paul
- Call for fearlessness and hatred of sin
- Power of the Holy Spirit to shake the gates of hell
-
IV
- Legacy of historic revival preachers
- Preaching hell, sin, and Christ crucified boldly
- Living for heaven and eternal rewards
Key Quotes
“We lack preachers who do not fear man but only fear God.” — E.A. Johnston
“Not by might nor by power but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” — E.A. Johnston
“Give me 100 men who fear nothing but God and hate nothing but sin and I will shake the gates of hell.” — E.A. Johnston
Application Points
- Pray for and seek the infilling of the Holy Spirit to empower bold witness.
- Do not fear man but fear God alone when confronting sin in society.
- Emulate historic revival preachers by living with eternity in view and preaching Christ crucified.
