Revival Must Precede Cultural Reformation

Look I want to see moral and cultural revolution as much as anybody but bottom line without revival first in the church is not can happen for the line of fire with your host activist and author, international speaker and theologian Dr. Michael Brown your voice of moral cultural and spiritual revolution Michael Brown is the director of the coalition of conscience and president of fire school of ministry get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34-TRUTH index 866-34-TRUTH here again is Dr. Michael Brown. I recently had a physical exam is comprehensive blood test taken and they went through was 17 page report I got back with a glowing bill of health. By God's grace, but it broke down every every imaginable category and one category of good no clue what they meant the doctors a friend was explaining each thing what each sample does and what that you can learn from it.

I wonder if God was to give us a comprehensive exam today of our spiritual condition. I wonder what you have to say.

I wonder if God was looking at the state of the church in America. Whatever nation you're in right now and gave us a comprehensive exam how we would check out how healthy or unhealthy. Would we be this is Michael Brown. Welcome to the line of fire.

Look, you might be a sports team to give you an analogy you might be a sports team and you're looking at all the competition and this team is really good and this team is strong in your division and so on and so forth. But unless your own team is healthy. You're just not going to compete in the same way we can look at what's happening in the world around us. We can look at things unfolding in society around us. We can talk about the wickedness of the age. Bottom line, and less the church is healthy unless our light is bright, rather than us changing the world. The world will change us friends you know if you've listened to this broadcast for any length of time I am passionate about seeing a gospel based moral and cultural revolution. I live for it. I eat it and drink it.

It is part of the fiber of my being. I also know without a revived church. It's never going to happen without God's people coming alive.

It's never going to happen so phone lines are open today.

You can call me at 866-34-TRUTH with any question you have about revival or awakening or the state of the church were moral and cultural issues, and how the church is to respond. I'm happy to interact with you if you got larger questions.

What happens when God moves wise this much controversy over that. I'm happy to discuss that with you 866-34-TRUTH but I also like to get your feedback. If if you were putting your finger on the greatest need.

The greatest issue in the church today would be always be in your view, what is the single greatest issue.

The single greatest problem. The single greatest need in the church today, I've tweeted out that question will get some responses online as well.

Also taught you about Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to United States and some very interesting interaction thus far with Pres. Trump. I will get to that a little bit later in the broadcast also the issue of prophecy. Are there prophecies concerning Donald Trump that we need to be thinking about right before we get into any of that. When you look at Hollywood. You can often get a pulse of what's happening in the nation. Hollywood is either reflecting trends in the nation, or is pushing trends in the nation and at the Oscars last night Jimmy Kimmel in his monologue made reference to a movie which features a story of a 24-year-old young man having an affair with a 17-year-old boy. So even though there will be seven years apart if you're in the states here this taken place in the states. Theoretically, that boy would be a minor right so having a sexual relationship with a Meyer Hollywood is in the midst of of speaking out against's exploitation and speaking out against these producers and others take advantage of women, etc. and and yet and yet here you've got a movie being celebrated. It was nominated for several Oscars in which you've got a 24-year-old being with a 17-year-old and an some even think that that the kid is younger than that. It would be taken as being younger than that. But here's what Jimmy Kimmel had to say. Listen to this.

Timothy is missing pop across the meter tonight story writer and his team about save the day. So everything is a sort of a small but powerful story all call me by your name, which did not make a lot of money, that of the nine best picture nominees, only two of them made more than $100 million. That's not the point will make films like call me by your name for money we make them to upset my pants are so first joking about the kid in the movie the guy playing the 17-year-old in the movie. I was actually that he was missing. Pop always missing some kids show to be there at the Oscars and then say the only reason they put on a movie like this is to upset Mike pence now. First, it's telling you once again that Hollywood is completely hypocritical that on the one hand, speaking out against's exploitation. That's one side of his mouth on the other side of its mouth it celebrating's exploitation here homosexual's exploitation and in fact Corey Feldman famous is a childhood actor and then in recent years speaking actually for years now speaking out against sexual abuse in Hollywood and same with this pedophilia. Hollywood and naming it by name and actually not calling out people by name or reporting them to the police. This is Corey Feldman tweeted out he was outrageous that he says a born-again Christian preacher right. Here's a famous actor known from his childhood days on the soon. Corey Feldman tweeted out I've been invited to many Oscar parties. Today, however I choose to abstain up because I'm worried about my safety there because I'm afraid of running into someone avoiding but I choose to ignore the Oscars in light of the call me by your name best picture nomination. That's the movie the Jimmy Kimmel referenced about this 24-year-old 17-year-old is bad enough that it's a homosexual couple.

We've had that since broke back Mountain you know if there's a film featuring transgender is your gay issue. It's good to be celebrating Hollywood no question and Christian values will be marked.

God bless, Mike pence for being mock so much that means his Christian values are getting out loud and clear to a nation that often despises those very values, but Hollywood's hypocrisy now not just that it's a gay movie. Okay, we've had that for a while and and a lot of bill.

What's the big deal well.

It's always a big deal when this stuff is celebrated in the movies. How much more with. It's a 24-year-old and a 17 year old listener Corey Feldman said I'm literally shocked as I sit here in light of the me to movement the times of movement, especially the kids to movement. I can't even comprehend honoring a picture with the subliminal themes and claiming to care about children being taken advantage of with an interest or exactly exactly. Kobe Bryant received an Oscar for basketball movie he did.

And people say, wait, wait, he said he settled with the galley claimant that he raped her as a married man also should want to go to court over and he claimed the case was consensual to settle out of court and and I hope is been forgiven energies reconciled with his wife. He can move on in life and I hope this woman is found helping is moved on with her life, but people say little little hypocrisy there. Don't you think, and then Corey Feldman said this, I guess it would be satisfied if they use the time instead of honoring a movie about blatant grooming and manipulating a young innocent boy into a world of home Veronica for honoring the victims and survivors and those who gave their life and innocence for the industry in the Academy. This friends in a nutshell, is the hypocrisy of Hollywood. But let me go one step further, I'm more concerned with the hypocrisy of the church. I expect Hollywood to be hypocritical.

I expect Hollywood to be world. Thank God there's some good elements within it, but overall I expected to be hypocritical and worldly.

The problem is that we, the church followers of Jesus. We who claim to be God's people set aside for his purposes we partake of the garbage of Hollywood day and night, and their preachers who want to stay relevant or to make sure they know the latest movies to talk about it from the pulpit thing and if they don't they will be able to reach their people. What kind of carnality is that what kind of crass compromise with the world is that your bottom line.

If we were is fascinated with the things of God as we are fascinated with Hollywood which shake the world overnight right 866-34-TRUTH that is the number to call in less there is revival and awakening in the church we will not see reformation in the society. Again, the darkness is always going to be dark, and yes, we address the darkness we expose the darkness. We do that on a regular basis, but we also understand that the key is not so much focusing on the darkness. The key is getting the light shining brightly is our light shine look the fact that Mike pence comes in for such ridicule simply by being an evangelical Christian.

The fact that he is so scorn for his faith means it doesn't take much to stand out in today's generation. It doesn't take much to be seen and to be recognized in your something else to remember low preachers today want to be so relevant don't want to offend, don't want to be out of touch with what's happening in the world around them and I'm all for cultural sensitivity and I'm absolutely for compassion and ministering the gospel but but let's remember that Billy Graham was famous for messages like seven deadly sins and freedom from seven deadly sins.

It's not what you hear from a lot of TV preachers today. Rather, we just want to bring this feel-good message which is basically doing with the false prophets of Israel did. Jeremiah speaks of in Jeremiah 6 and Jeremiah 8, namely, they superficially treat the fracture of God's people saying shalom shalom, peace, peace, all is well all is well. When nothing is well. We have a lot of people that don't want to make people feel bad they don't want to make anyone uncomfortable here, look, let's even look at it in the natural were societies because I was overweight most of my life and because I had bad eating habits.

Most of my life. I am super sensitive to folks struggling with food issues, I'm super sensitive to the fact that this is a sin.

So to say that we wear in public, you might be struggling with pornography and nobody knows you might be struggling with greed and nobody knows you might be struggling with with other issues and no one knows, but you're struggling with food. Everybody knows it there sooner or later so I'm very sensitive about this, but I know that if we can help people eat healthily their lives. We change, and it's for the better will know you can't do that now. That's called fat shaming seriously.

There even campaigns that to get the medical industry to stop talk about the health risks of obesity, cassettes, fat shaming people we speak the truth in love, people will get offended. There will be misunderstanding but if we do with compassion and we are unmoving from the truth and uncompromising.

Ultimately people will come in thanks right back with your calls 866-34-TRUTH there must first be revival in the church before they can be reformation in society.

The line of fire with your host Dr. Michael Brown voice of moral cultural and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown if there's a fire usually put out firemen sleep. Is there a need to wake up the firemen.

Yeah, we need to wake up the firemen in America today. 866-34-TRUTH this is Michael Brown talk about the need for revival for outpouring of the Spirit for awakening in the body. If the world around us is going to be impacted if we ourselves are worldly and bound by the sins of the flesh. How are we going to set other people free. If we ourselves are compromised, how are we going to bring clarity to others. 866-34-TRUTH let's go over to London England.

Edward, welcome to the broadcast, Emil Doctorow, what are to be or are you good thank you group your soul click ritual or you all the card really what you think your revenue to over here in a moment all.

So it's related to a soccer team at the moment and the weight issue. So I think in society right now you are poised for the children and for everybody. We look alike but you know very very cold around what you have, not what you have in your soul you know what not. There's a soccer club over here refer to a part of the miracle arsenal. Sure they have a they have a manager nursing 9090 6Q: finger what's happened here is basically is not doing too great right now in the it. It just seems to be very little effect what you thought. I think a lot of people do not have the miracle in their you know there from these optic words. One of the things very not in general I are trying to communicate with my capabilities that we need to be open and be nice and piquant but you know it's a struggle and our advice on how to communicate through the kitten to everyone we need to be nice to have even if you're not getting the results right now. We know he's a human being is because of him. Yes I got it okay… Of the site. I thought that you had a completely different topic to to address about reformation, but to answer your question. It's it's great to have conviction but we must bring our conviction in a Christlike way.

It, in other words, is apparent you know that when you're dealing with your child when your child is wrong there right ways to correct the child and wrong ways to correct the child the same way in the workplace.

You may have a difference with a fellow worker, but in the midst of that there's a right way and a wrong way to communicate what we who are identified with Jesus, we can call ourselves his followers, we who are supposed to be his disciples walking in his path, we must walk as he did, and follow the injunctions of the New Testament which call us to speak the truth in love.

Some of us are so's been big on speaking the truth that we forget about love. We clobber people with it in a way, it's almost impossible for them to receive and it's downright nasty and mean spirited and others are so so concerned about not being loving that you can understand their message at so unclear you have no idea what they're talking about so simple we speak the truth in love, and when it comes to people of whom were critical. Spend time praying for them and then as you pray for them.

You will have a greater heart of love for them a thank you for the call 86634. You know all the time through the day through the night because we have so many videos so many articles and books and materials that are out that are better distributed so there a lot of people that attack me. That's the comes with the territory in the turf. In fact, if I wasn't getting attacked day and night from different quarters I'd wonder if I was actually doing any good in making an impact because we've addressed a lot of controversial issues and there's some people that come after me repeatedly how I know it because folks will send me links have you seen this.

Have you heard this. Have you read this and the vast majority of the time I just look at that the link the headline and and that's and that's it knows I don't stop and watch the video attacking me of the article attacking me or this this book she can rebut meet whatever.

If it's something constructive and serious and I try to engage and interact. But what I do when I see a wave of these attacks is I really begin to pray more for the people because I'm concerned about their spiritual being at and I and I know only God's gonna smite them because they spoke against me known.

I don't mean that. Especially if they're sincere and just misguided but I'm concerned that they're there putting their focus in the wrong place. I'm concerned that when God does move that the miss what he's doing so they're not hurting me and and but I'm concerned for them.

So I pray for them and when you pray for people on a regular basis. You also pray for myself the governor revealed blind spots in my life and and and primitive deeper conviction of sin in my life and deepen my love for the Lord so I'm not just praying for others.

What wanted to grow in the Lord myself, but when you pray for people regularly wave it. Listen if if your thing is really upset about Hollywood. Pray for the salvation of key actors and and directors and producers and and is much as you will be grieved by wrong things that there putting out you'll now be burdened in a Christlike way. Remember our Savior didn't come to condemn the world worlds are ready condemn the world's ready guilty in God's sight. And as we preach the word it it it emphasizes the depth of how the world is ready condemned in God's sight, but his purpose in coming into the world was not to condemn the world, but save the world, disabled, and let's just focus on that. Let's just focus on winning people to Jesus, making disciples and let's forget about moral and cultural reformation, moral and cultural revolution will not hang on, I got a problem here. We live in this world and we may live 70, 80, 90 years in this world and and we may see kids and grandkids and great grandkids and because this is the world in which we live and and this is this is our sphere of influence, and this is our season. We can make a difference. How should we live you. You mean to tell me that if all let's say for example in your neighborhood you found out that there was a massive human trafficking ring a massive ring and kids were getting kidnapped in different states and shipped through your neighborhood and then sent out. Would you just say will limit pressure share the gospel with those folks.

Maybe I could win them to the Lord, you're not going to call the police and reported good luck you watch your own kids extra good I can get word out your community beware this is going on.

You mean to tell me that if there were people starving in the county next year because of some calamity and you had friends and relatives over there and and strangers that were in need over there that you would think we need to do something to help them walk maybe though to starve to death and go to heaven know who would sink like that we live in this world. The great commission is not just a going save sinners, but to go and make disciples. And this is what I perpetually come back to what the disciples do they shine light in dark places they are a moral conscience. They make a difference.

Look, I know I'm the one make a church in South Carolina what they'll do is they begin to go into a really run down community and without announcing who they are, without coming through with gospel tracts.

Initially they just begin to work though. Do a cleanup day. The come in with your folks and will do a cleanup day and then they may do another event they made they made like a block party in the midst of it share the gospel to preach and ends as people start coming to that church there thing okay what were you for the kids. What we do for the broken homes. What we did and then they look say what way the second people there job issues so that they work with other companies and they set up job fairs and then the people come there, they try to help them get employment and and and then they they work with all the different groups. Enough of the little children in fatherless homes to to the to the mothers who been abandoned to the guys that are strung out that they try to do things illicitly because that's all part of the gospel. That's part of her impact in society. You tell me that if your kid comes home from school your second-grader and says oh I just learned about transgender and mommy. I think I'm really a boy and a girl's body that this all will praise the Lord as long as you love Jesus were okay kosher can is say saluting the speaker got asked what that's what disciples do. So if we want to see change, and the world around us.

It has to start with us yesterday. I just help Nancy with something in front of our front of our house there. These lamps and you there covered by glass but the glass that was put in is very foggy in gradient and you could barely see the light shining inside so we took that out and put this regular glass in just normal transparent glass drawl is like night and day difference the light of Jesus is as bright as ever. But it's not shining brightly through us because of compromise and carnality and worldliness because of not being people, meeting with God in prayer because of that spending time in the word and and I'm not saying this to make you feel guilty.

I'm saying this to say there is a whole life that God is calling you into and calling me into we can live so differently where our light can shine so brightly.

And yes, people will hate us and they will align us but this revival comes to us it will sweep out into the streets of our cities. It will sweep into online communities and people will be awakened and people will come to faith and people will have their lives transformed revival affect society because the church starts to live like the church.

Holiness comes in the fear of God comes and families are restored and kids turned to the Lord in older people get right with God. The church starts to live like the church and then as we share the gospel with the loss, the law start to get saved. That's how revival actually has a social and cultural impact, but without a revived church will not see reformation in the society. So the work begins) come back get to your phone calls about some of the greatest needs in the church today and talk to about Pres., say what Prime Minister Netanyahu had to say here on the line of fire with your host Dr. Michael Brown voice of more cultural and spiritual revolution there again is Dr. Michael Brown if you had a come up with a list of the top five items how how can we effectively touch the world around us. When we ourselves are not living right. How can we be agents of change to help others when we need to be changed first. It would be like a trainer who is so out of shape that he or she can't walk five steps without collapsing. How is that person going to train you to get healthy revival awakening begins with us and from us.

It spreads out and touches the church is why say there must be revival in the church before we can see gospel based moral and cultural revolution. This is Michael Brown that's for listening to the line of fire want to go to your calls and and analyze some of the issues in the body. Today some of the SKUs me problems were experiencing in the church today but let me just give you some news from a few hours ago premise. Netanyahu is in the states for some major Israel conferences and to meet with Pres. Trump Pres. Trump said the relationship between US and Israel's government better than it is today. Amazingly, our embassy is moving to Jerusalem in May I read reports that a Trump peace plan would include a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem, which would leave the city divided to the consternation of many in Israel. I had read quotes from him months back saying it looked with them have their capital in Ramallah, but we shall see where that goes. I do want applaud the president for the positive steps he's taking. But interestingly, Prime Minister Netanyahu likened Trump to Cyrus king Cyrus who was a king who did not know the Lord read about in Isaiah and 44 minutes 45 kn as I called you you don't know me but God you Cyrus to restore the Jewish people back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple, so the prophecies regular about Trump a few years back that God was going to raise him up as a Cyrus, figure some of you know the Lord but would be used positively for the good of the Jewish people, and others.

It's fascinating for Prime Minister Netanyahu to use that same analogy whether he did love his own whether he heard of it from other evangelicals that that may be close to his administration. Either way, I just found that fascinating to hear that spoken by the Prime Minister of Israel, sometimes truth stranger than fiction right let's go to the phones will start in Maple Grove, Minnesota Deborah, welcome to the line of fire. Hi Dr. Brown yet asked earlier about what created one of the greatest church and young at all about returning. Love, Jan cried that prayer father let the love with each with which you loved me PN down my cry for the next revival really praying for that love to come back, in part, that love when a bride loves her-not at night.

It's not a wrestling match to get her to do what he said when you love your husband, your first desire to please do it.

Pleasing to him to be. Parent am I just to be together to spend time together to you. Can't wait for you know to talk to each other into your couple in love. They're looking for every opportunity to talk to find time there there calling their texting there setting up every appointment they can in the same way when we have our first love for the Lord be with love to be with and we would love to be in the word we love to pray we can. We love to share our faith with others. We we love what he loves and we hate what he hates Grant with Billy Graham packing.

I mean, what a dark mirror in my own faith in the face of the entire church of all my gosh what what happened. The purity, purity and integrity.

What happened to purity of devotion to the Bible at wonderful man never ever ever left the true killer clear message of the cross. I mean getting back to the purity of the message the purity of the word devotion to the word, and purity of conduct and character on my gosh yes we need that revival definitely like is that if there doesn't come on that love can't come but I just got this return to the first love is is massively important. So yeah I'm with you on the thank you, thank you for sharing. I couldn't think of a better place to start myself than something that that often over 46 years in the Lord know if I prayed for when I felt that this was serving got out of road were just getting in a religious habit or and it's good to do things daily regularly and all that that we can do them without devotion. God restore us to our first love 866-34-TRUTH, let's go to Huntsville, Alabama. Welcome to the line of fire. Brad, thanks for calling you sir are you doing tomorrow.

Thank you. Yeah, I've had a question about hundred talk about the art found on your channel but do you think the increasing influence Calvinism is enduring real revival, and a lot of churches I don't know if it employed counted them is really increasing around the country. I'm in Alabama and I noted the really popular and a lot but here and I just morning your thoughts on it so I can answer that in a few different levels and and I'm not trying to give a politically correct answer your not wanting to offend people in different sides. On the one hand, and certainly Calvinism is on the rise in the last 1020 years and it's it's been noted and discussed in various various circles throughout America and other countries. If I want to paint the negative side, I could say that sometimes Calvinism can tend to get into a a dead doctrinal celebration. In other words, a celebration of the.

The reform true celebration of of Orthodox Christian truth that and and there's so much emphasis on doctrine and truth and little emphasis on really knowing God and being with the Lord and making him known in reaching the lost in and going to the nations in the John Piper's been a cow that is forcefully challenging people to passion for God and passion for the lost but sometimes I've seen in Calvinistic circles that it can get hyper intellectual hyper theological with that of spiritual pride. Knowledge puffs up, and with that an over emphasis on God's sovereignty that he's going to do what he's going to do whatever he's going to do it so that takes away desperation and prayer that takes away longing and prayer begin to think well it's going to happen. However, it happens nothing I can do about it that's on the one side, on the other side. Calvinism is definitely representing the pendulum swinging back from this extreme hyper Arminianism that that often finds its most extreme expression in certain word of faith circles where you basically have God over here and the devil over here and I get to cast the deciding vote, or even worse still, with the universe revolves around me as I said repeatedly to the American gospel can be summed up with this is who I am.

This is how I feel and and God is here to please me. The biblical gospel is this is who God is us how he feels were here to please him and and your where she may fall into some of this debt intellectualism and prayerless this and complacency in Calvinism you're never going to fall into this man centered.

It's all about me gospel in Calvinism because it swings the other way. So I see part of it. In my view is is going too far, but part of it is it is in a healthy emphasis away from man being central in putting God is central so I would say this that those who are not Calvinists could learn from the Calvinist emphasis that it's all about God that it's all about the glory of God that he's the first and the last, and that our focus must be on him and I would say the Calvinist could learn from the non-Calvinists about passion and prayer and seal for the lost and recognizing that God has entrusted work to us to do that. I know people on each side with civil we believe both of those things. So it all depends. The circles which are our bread. I've seen some people become very complacent. Through Calvinism and lose their their fire and prayer and their burden to reach the lost and they become very proud and I've seen others who really moved away from some extreme and almost heretical views to it to an emphasis that would be more biblical so honestly have seen it both ways and I'm not.

I'm not giving that answer to be politically correct but just based on my own observation in my five years as a Calvinist, 77 to 82 from me. It was, not conducive to passion and brokenness for the lost. It was, not conducive to really seeking God for hours of prayer and and crying out to him it was conducive more for an intellectual pride and theological pride in my own life and in the Calvinists, those with as we travel to different conferences and things in her different people speak a member thinking where the guys like Whitfield and Spurgeon then because I knew that some of the greatest evangelist will deliver Calvinist and some of the greatest missionaries were of liver Calvinists and some of the greatest revivalists will deliver Calvinist member thinking, where are they rose what is our breed of it different than that breach so I know that Calvinism and revival can go hand-in-hand, and I know that Calvinism can put out often the fires for revival, so it all depends on what's understood and how it is expressed. But thank you for that.

The questions are 86634 of its go over to Washington, Sean.

Welcome to the line of fire and how you doing doctrine doing well thank you's are okay. I'm glad to hear that I wanted talking about reform question my end. I agree with just about everything you're saying that a fairly rapid, and pink Calvinism thing, but I wanted to get your input on because you know reading John 14 and you know Jesus you she was staying know if you love me, keep my commandments and I will pray in the spirit will calm you know and and that's how we receive the Holy Spirit on and you know second Chronicles 714 were I hear a lot of people quoting it, and then to get down to the part where it says and turn from their wicked ways in the cottages, they let that one slide off my whole point is that you know revival. Yes, I agree that you know, click is a break coming up Sophie to get brother basically repentance I believe is what's going to bring recent Reformation and it comes with God's people first yet and course right and that's turning from our ways are turning towards the ways of God. You sure how you walked in the commandment how you feel about that you immediately start walking and commandments.

Reformation will calm yet, but to be clear when when if you read in John's Gospel look up every reference when he said my commandments, he means the words that he taught he was, not calling everyone focus on a covenant and in fact most of us on a covenant can't be followed today know he was talking about media's to him and loving one another as he loved us and other things with that if you study John that's what you see repentance yes repentance. Verse absolutely it's the line of fire with your host activist and author internationals leader and theologian Dr. Michael Brown voice of more cultural and spiritual revolution get into the line of fire now by calling 6643 here again is Dr. Michael Brown. I posed this question on everyone's greatest problem in the church of American your interest in your response, including all the above.

So I gave four choices I could get 10 or 20 or 30 or 40 when we all could, but one was that not knowing the word second was prayerless. This next was worldliness.

The no burden for the law, so we just posted this a few minutes back first 261 votes, 53% said not knowing the word 18% said prayerless this 20% said worldliness 9% said no burden for the lost and we got a bunch of other people adding their comments Luke warm this and seem like not knowing the word is the root of the other three. The church in America is splintered and indiscernible confused allegiances that have led to selective reading of the word to exclude references to justice, the prophets, Jesus, etc. not obeying the word know we were in context false conversions and on and on, not focusing on God. I wonder about the people that have prayerless.

This is number three on that list, however much their praying and sometimes we don't realize we have an issue because that issue isn't real to us.

In other words, if everybody in my family eats a certain way, lives a certain way. I may think that's normal words it may be abnormal and destructive and seeing friends, here's what's often happened in a and I've tried to illustrate this for many years. In the simplest way. But let's say that the standard of God is his way up here okay so I'm appointing up you know by the top of my head it's way up here.

This is standard of the world.

This is way down here it's like your chest level okay just right so what we often do in the church as we don't want to seem too fanatical to extreme so we can set our standard written, in the middle between God standard in the standard will not work.

We may not do it consciously, but it's what we often do, but will now what happens is the next generation without Reformation and the church without awakening in the church without the church doing its job are being sought like the next generation has even lower moral standards. Okay. And now the doctors haven't changed, but that middle is now lower. And now, another generation goes by it, and the standards are even lower cost, and haven't changed with ours were nested if you can church the world during lower so we get to the point where things that are acceptable in the homes of believers today would've been shocking in the homes of unsaved grandparents a couple generations back and that is because of an ongoing compromise with the world. Look Peter wrote first Peter five. Be sober and vigilant, because your adversary the devil goes about like a rock, borderline looking for whom he may devour and were told to resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by her brothers and sisters in the world.

There is a real attack on our faith. Therefore, we must be sober and we must be vigilant.

All right now very simple, very simple. If we are in a new environment that no one is ever been in before. All right, you just wither with our cell phones okay and and with having instant access to miss anything imaginable. Literally the tip of our fingers with a greater bombardment and than any generation is ever known before. Are we being all the more sober and all the more vigilant or are we just becoming more use to the world is to more accustomed to it less burdened by.

Could that be the case. Look, there is entertainment. This is normal today and you'll find Christians watching it if it aired 3040 years ago you would have had non-Christian shocked by today. It's a no. What's the big deal are EMA's little that's look we have largely fall asleep in the life and the key for the world around us lies with us. It lies with us going to God, not Sean in Washington was asking what about keeping the commandments, by which I understood he meant going back to Torah observance keeping seventh day Sabbath keeping the biblical calendar keeping the dietary laws. You are free to do all of that in the Lord. But that is not a New Testament command for all believers, in particular for all Gentile believers that you must keep the dietary laws in the seventh day Sabbath and follow the calendar of Israel. Again, you're free to do that and you may find it enriching in your life and if it's part of your return to the word used to have God given to Israel can't be bad. Let let me let me live like this and find meaning in it all. Great wonderful. But the idea that that's the key that if if if God's people will just obey the Torah today that the see revival I've seen is much backsliding I've seen is much worldliness I've seen is much spiritual pride intellectualism dead dead theology in total obedience circles as of seen others and absorb it in the church know that that's not the key. But if will do as as a previous close. Deborah suggested praying for return to her first love and not just pray for joy. Jesus says in Ephesians 2 this is what he sent an excuse. I was say that wrong revelation to speaking to the church in Ephesus. He says you've left your first love.

But memory commends them first. He commends them for being hard-working, loyal, and having tested those who claim to be apostles and were not right. And so, so they were orthodox and they had suffered and not denied the Lord and yet even in their orthodoxy and their perseverance.

They had somehow left their first love which many scholars believe is both love for God and love for the brethren. So what does he say remember the height from which you fall and repent and do this thing is you did at first. Do the things you did at first. All of you. They can relate to that first love. I know some of you can't. I've preached on backsliding for first love and had people come up and send never had first love on the note you're talking about will then all the more do we need that encounter with God. Do what you did in the early days when you were just enthralled with the word Jew which you did in the early days when you just love to worship the Lord and lift up the name of Jesus Jewett you did in the early days when you check you how to tell everybody about the Lord or a year when you throw out your TV you are real old magazines or records were there because they were just polluting you and and you say, but I can't manufacture that. That's the problem on that walk in the upper Jesus is due which did first.

In other words, you make the effort God's obviously drawing you and calling you already in his invitation, and the fact he or disturbed and the fact that there is conviction. That's a good sign. That's a good sign. Now with really important is that you do what you know how to do James Jacobs the fourth chapter calling sinners to repentance.

There are very strong words, adulterers and adulteresses friends of the world right turn your laughter into morning is a time for weeping the time for joy, laughter, and there's a time for weeping and mourning and he says draw near to God and he'll draw you. Cleanse your hands, use, and is purify your hearts, you double minded. Draw near to God and he'll draw near to you. I remember when God began to convict me in 1982 that I left my first love.

And the idea that I would have to tell people I was I was wrong in certain ways that I was surprised a proud and prideful. It was hard for pride. But God's drawing in my life was more important to me than what people thought it began to seek after him, and humble myself and recognize that left my first love. And I remember being at a meeting with almost 20,000 people in Madison Square Garden, a famous evangelist preaching and we were singing this old song. Let's just praise the Lord. This is lift our hands to heaven and praise the Lord's old popular songs and I just really like that song and as were singing it. I faintly felt God's presence with 19 20,000 people.

Madison Square Garden singing that instruct me and you haven't felt God's presence like this in years and it's faint now with 20,000 people remember in those early years of the Lord just getting your little church with 5060 people singing the old ham summing from the turn-of-the-century before and for the 70 making hundreds and the joy of the Lord so flooded your soul with an and in God's presence was to really compare that to.

Now when I thought made him further away than I used to be the look on live for God with with or without feelings I was serving with or without feelings presence but it's wonderful when you do feel his presence.

When you realize that an Exceptional Way, God is there.

He's moving his touching there. There are seasons of visitation, of which Scripture speaks in the Bible does talk about the presence of God is fullness of joy in his joy is our strength and it's an inexpressible and glorious joy and and I thought okay, what am I can do. I realize this is been months. Note conviction building. I realize that left our first love. I realize that it certainly some backslidden, although in many other ways so schematically and and I said, here's what I can do it if I faster few days I get all excited to get all charged without a go back to fade as quickly as I started out.

So instead, I'll take one little turn each day one little turn and prayed. Also pray five minutes every five minutes. I'll pretend I read the word casually read the word with focus each day turn turn turn and before I knew with the Fargo phone my life and radically change me and I've been changed ever since he friends the table of contents to my new book, playing with holy fire, which comes out in less than 30 days asked the question why we so gullible talks about mercenary profit superstar leaders abusive leadership, unaccountable prophecies, sexual immorality, the peptalk prosperity gospel and more. You can preorder this important book, a wake-up call to the Pentecostal charismatic church over my website asked Dr. Brown.org you can still preorder now the still time to sign number copies that asked Dr. Brown.org, stored preorder today friends wake-up time and church. I believe God's will