The Ohio Independent Baptist, April 1969

in America at thi hour. There is no doubt about it A111erica has forgotten God! Thi great country, founded upon faith in God, i now looking to her military might her vast naval fleet her powerful a11d wift air-force her A-bombs. H-bombs and cobalt bomb . She is tru ting in might rather than in the Almighty! Over 100 years ago, during the thick of the bitterest battles of the Civil War, Pre ident Abraham Lin– coln said in a message to the nation: ''We have grolvn in number, wealth and polver as no other nation has ever grown . But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious /1and 1-vhich preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly i111agined, in tl1e deceitfulness of our J1earts, that all these blessings were prodi1ced by so,ne superior wisdon1. a,zd virtue of our own. Intoxicated with z.tnbroken success, we have be– ro111e too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redee111ing and preserv– ing graces, too proud to pray to the God who made us." These words are 1,000 time more de criptive and fitting of our day than Lincoln's! Yet that great man felt the need of announcing, by Presi– dential proclamation, "a day of na– tional humilitation," hoping "that the united cry of the nation will be heard on high and answered with blessing no less than the pardon of our na– tional sins and the restoration of our . . . uffering country to its former happy condition of unity and peace." America today is following fast in the sins of a Brance of a half– century ago. France, once uch a mighty world power, fell! And the editor of the first paper to appear on its streets following her fall dur– ing World V-/ar II confe~sed, in a page one editorial: h 1t1zen of ~ranee, v.'e arc going to pay for our i ~ty )'Car of de- hris tian1Lation. . . e l1a,,e wor11 out the patience f I ro 1 id~ncc ! W1,; have disgu Led the ti d d Hin1 If!" Apanl r~on1 na– tion 1 r pe11la11ce, Ar11erica11 editor- \ ill be \'filing i111il r v.1 rd acr tl1e fro11t 1>ag f our d, ili» 11! h fi 'c n1ribL1tir1g 1cctor" ~l1icl1 1b 11 Ii t in l1i fran1 us ' J~ i and II f 11 J<. 111 n J1111>ir ' ' ar t r,tgic- 11 ~ true 111 tJ,i 11 ur: " ll,1pid di or ii1J1 tJ1 u 11d r11 in.. 11 n1 - tl 111ad J z f 1 tl bui!dmng gig, ntic n t11 r l 11 lll) i f t l }lie -and the decay of religion.' ' America cannot continue world leader hip and power when uch condition are true any more than could Rome! It i high time our mini ter woke out of sleep and began once more thundering out again t in in both high and low place . The perilou ne of our po ition is evident when a non– Chri tian new paper columi t feels con trained to write as one did not long ago: "We seem to have grown accusto,ned to all sorts of social hor– ror.,;, and, lvhat is tnore, even the clerg; 1 , whose business is faith and morals, say nothing these days in con– de,nnation of the lack of fa,nily re– sponsibility. They condone 111isconduct b)' tact acquiescence. They are too busy t11aking speeches about politics and international relations to have time for the less popular job of fight– ing downright sin!" Yes, we desperately need a Holy Spirit-directed revival in our nation! But notice al o from our text A COM11A D THAT PREPARES REVIVAL! Look again at Ho ea 10: 12: "Sow to your elves in righteou ness, reap in mercy: break up your fallow ground: for it i time to eek the Lord.' Fir t, ow to yourselve in rightoous– nes ! God' unalterable harvest law i summed up in Galatians 6:7, · what oever a man oweth, that hall he al o reap. ' ince you will alway reap exactly what you ow, the only en ible thing to do is to ow the de ired eed of righteou ne and harvest a crop of the ame ! econd, r ap in n1ercy! A farmer ow hi eed with ju t one purpo e in mind: to reap and make a pr fit. It i the ame in the Lord' work. lk who ow righte u ne s for d expect a gr at harve t, th y right(ull, expect to r ap pir1tual profit. But n tice the wording: "reap ir1 n1crcy. ,, Why n1er } ·> Be at1\ an rev1\ al, any blc ing fr 111 1od 1, \'jn n1crC)' .' ' It 1s aJ\\.Ll) ~ t1nde\Cf\l:(.i and t1nmer1ted - an ,1ot f grac . l I \\' e\'Cr soi11et hi 11g t: lsc 111t1 ~1 l, ke ' . h place C\' Cn 1')1.:fore \\ c l)\V i11 rig Leutt~- n s <. r rt:aJ) i11 111\:r }' · ttr t xt ~'Hl) ' "br .. k llf) ) ' ( ttr f~tll \\.' g1 un l." l .. al– l \\' gr >Urld i J 1 ar J s ii , gr t111d 11n- 1,r k 11 l>y 1}1 I 1)\\. rail \\' gr t111d i gi \ 11 vcr l ' d ' t 11 > r11 11 I l)ri,11 . it i f I ttitl , t1r11 r lt1 ti, gr u11d . 11 , ar t J> ri ,1 'ti' l l l>I t11g tl1i f,tll ,, gr tin I J11t1 r ll l>r k n, nd tl1 d iigllt ti - I 4 ·. , r , n ! J r 1111, 1 i tJ1 t 11 l rd · · · I 1 ' k u J your fallow ground, and sow not among thorn . · If revival i to come, elfi hn€ , p r i d e, prayerle ness, covetou ness. self... will, malice. envy and other in mu t be plowed under and the fallow ground broken. Ye "it i time to eek the Lord.' ' In Amos 5: 4 the Lord plead , " eek ye me and ye hall live." In verse six the cry i . ' Seek the Lord, and ye shall live." Then in ver e eight \\e are told · eek him ... The Lord i hi name. ' ' And in ver e fourteen we are in tructed, " eek good and not evil, that ye may Ii\ e: and o the Lord the God of H osts, hall be with you a ye have poken. , Dear reader, have you ever earne t– ly hone tly incerely " ought the Lord' ? Have you ought Him in sal– vation? "Seek )'e tl1e Lord lvhile he n1ay be foitnd, call ye upon him lvhile he is near. L et the 1-vicked for– sake his l<Va}' , and the z1nriohreoz1s ,nan his thou 0 /1ts: and let hi111 retltrn i,nto the Lord, and he }vill have mere}· 11pon hi111; and to oz,r God, for he vvill abztndantl}' pardon'' ( I a. 55: 6, 7). Chri tian, have you forgotten that the way for revival ble ing and power i in eeking Hi face? Remember the promi e of II Chronicle 7: 1~. "If my people, which are called by my name hall humble them elv , and pray, D SEEK 1Y F E. and turn fr m their wicked \\'a}· ~ then will I hear fr 01 hea en, and will f orgi\ 1 e their in. and \\' ill heal their land." long ha it been • H ow 1n e } u ' ought the face f G d" \\ ith de - perate earne tne ? • But b f re \V cl thi me ag . I t u dire t our attenti n t lH O 11 ,. H 1" PRO I.. I:"' RFv I\' L! Ot1r te r. ~1'ft~r nm1anding u" tt) break. tip L)tlr tttlll)\\ g~ )ttnd, \\ to ttr\ l\e in right(! tl\ne ,1nd r ap in 111er ' \. adJ\, ··till h~ ~ n1 anlt r,ain right~ )t1,n~"" t1p~)n } t1." \\ a1~ to c )11t1nt1e h1 e,\k1ng, " \\ i11g .. nJ Ct:h.lI1g lllltil lt!\t\al • Illt"\ 1 J-1 \\ ... t I ~C..}llt:llll) \\ c '\l,)J) ,h1 ttg l llf ~llL)ttlLic1~ llt:,f'l.1ir1r1gl\, a11"i .l\ , · h \\ "ll \,hat, tll\: tt,~ 1 ' • • l Jist\:11! l J 1\.1 )11! ' )fltlOll 10 c '~:S\ 11 • .tnd l tl l >f t ,ts, 11 ! J ll ~ tlls ">r 1111- }>l>rl tt11i t, i11 I rd r , >nlJOl\ l st.:ck- i11g ll i f.. ' lll 1 lit\ ds i11gl l t Is l ti i 11 ~. I , i, I ,, 1 ll :111 II ,,h \\It ti ,,1tl1 b' '"l -i ,ill- 11 >t -b -de n1 I ' ttilttd l 1111[1 i , h t nd til. t1 11 , t t t1 \\ l ' ' t I l l (Con lud on p ge 1 ) PRI , 69 9