The Ensuing Cold

[rockytopva]

I went to classmates.com and looked over my old yearbook. In all my old high school days I cannot remember the first one who ever took a stance for Christ. As a matter of fact, if any had gotten saved, and came to school with a haircut, and a Bible, it probably would have scared the life out of everyone of us. The motivation of our generation was one of total flesh. And whoever exalted their flesh the best we’re the ones who stood out in the class.

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. - Matthew 24:12

If we follow the motivations of an evil generation we too can end up cold. My mother did not move back to Virginia until around the year 2000. There was an Assembly of God church she attended that was in revival during the time and I used to visit. They had a youth minister there by the name of Dale Bambrick. He was a youth pastor at the time before graduating with a masters degree in education. While youth pastor he would have the kids over for praise and worship and built one huge youth ministry. My sister was a waitress at the time and Dale would come to her restaurant like at 5AM and have portfolios of study laid out before him as he would prepare for the next meeting. They would rent campgrounds for the weekend where he would have special speakers and everyone would enjoy love feast. When my sisters went to visit they cried the whole time as they were overwhelmed with the amount of love in the place.

Here is a sermon my mother sent of him back in the 1990's. Typical Dale Bambrick sermon filled with unction and conviction. The sermon is dear to me as I remember the impact he had on that church. And also speaks out against following the evil directions of the group, or generation, which can create spiritual coldness.

 

[rockytopva]

The old WWII generation here in Virginia....

1. Would work hard Mo-Fr
2. Town on Saturday
3. Church on Sunday
4. They would farm and work factory jobs
5. Houses were normally very small
6. Lived very well
7. Life was structured- A time of year for planting, etc.

And falling in with them gave me an experience like Wesley’s Aldergate experience. John Wesley was almost in despair. He did not have the faith to continue to preach. When death stared him in the face, he was fearful and found little comfort in his religion. To Peter Böhler, a Moravian friend, he confessed his growing misery and decision to give up the ministry. Böhler counseled otherwise. "Preach faith till you have it," he advised. "And then because you have it, you will preach faith."

On May 24th, 1738 he opened his Bible at about five in the morning and came across these words, "There are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, even that ye should partakers of the divine nature." He read similar words in other places.

That evening he reluctantly attended a meeting in Aldersgate. Someone read from Luther's Preface to the Epistle to Romans. About 8:45 p.m. "while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."

 

[rockytopva]

My generation, though, seemed to miss out on all of that. And to quote a few lines from Bunyan’s discourse upon the disobedient child....

Children become, while little, our delights,
When they grow bigger, they begin to fright's.
Their sinful Nature prompts them to rebel,
And to delight in Paths that lead to Hell.
How many Children, by becoming Head,
Have brought their Parents to a peice of Bread!
Thus they who at the first were Parents Joy,
Turn that to Bitterness, themselves destroy.

 

[rockytopva]

It appears the whole world turned cold on the Apostle Paul.

This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. - 2 Timothy 1:15

9 Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me:
10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.
11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.
12 And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus.
13 The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.
14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:
15 Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.
16 At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. - 2 Timothy 4:9-16

In which I have also uploaded a video...

 

[rockytopva]

Following a revival... There have been more revivals and exciting moves of God in my area. They will only last a little while and then will dissipate away.

The building pictured below was a former furniture store. They had a Methodist pastor move in there with a vision about twenty years ago. The whole conference said that there were a dozen Methodist churches in the area and discouraged him from doing so. He ignored the advice, built a large church, and that place had cars in front of it all of the time. He had a food pantry and my dad would help give out food on Fridays. They had something going all of the time and most of the late afternoon time you could not find a parking place.

The founding pastor moved on and they got one of those pastors with a Masters degree. Next thing you know... The church is closed! On the web site they have advertised that the church building is now for sale. What was left of the congregation has now moved in with another Methodist congregation.

I hate to drive by the vacated building! The ensuing cold really was a bad thing for this church!