Trifling Away Our Power

Revival services, at least by that name, have largely become a thing of the past. Some churches still have a special emphasis during the year, but they may use a name like Deeper Life Services or something of the sort. But the goal is still the same--getting people to be serious about their faith. Our churches are filled with people who need revived.

The following article was written in the 1920s by an anonymous United Brethren member, and appeared in The Christian Conservator, the denominational magazine of those days. While the author is talking specifically about revival services, we can identify with what is described--the mountaintop experience followed by a gradual slide down the other side. Christians just don't seem to be very good at staying revived. (For your information: back in those days, revival services were generally held in January.)

A revival meeting is regarded as a proper occasion for folks who have been somewhat careless or indifferent to renew their vows and to make determined resolutions to do more for the cause of Christ than ever before. We are going to straighten up now, quit our meanness, and get busy for God.

Folks do get real enthusiastic, and it would seem that the church ought to acquire sufficient momentum to carry her past the usual freezing out time in August. But somehow, the smoke of battle has hardly cleared away and the shouts of praise and songs of victory are still ringing in our ears when we forget all about the big promises we made the Lord a few short weeks before, and we are right back at our old tricks.

We get to neglecting the services of the church and manage to forget entirely about the midweek prayer meetings. The roads get good, and an automobile ride across the country has more attraction for us than the house of worship. We get busy about our farms and manage to do a lot of odd chores on Sunday that we should have done on Saturday instead of loafing in town all day. We get out in a crowd, all the way from a hog sale to a meeting of the Ladies' Aid Society, and of course have to mix in all the filthy conversations. We must match the other fellow's putrid story with another equally vulgar.

Thus it transpires that before another revival season rolls around, we are destitute of spiritual life and power as though we had never known anything of the kind. We simply fooled it away. We are told that the conditions that prevail so commonly among churches are due to a lack of prayer. Let me say, with all due reverence, that prayer was never intended as a substitute for a life of consecrated service to God. No amount of prayer alone can counteract the loss of power sustained by a life of carelessness, indifference, and sin. Some of the evils that men and women fall into can't be adjusted by prayer alone.

Yes, the church needs power, and lots of it. Not simply to stir up religious enthusiasm, awaken us to a sense of duty, and help us be good for a few weeks during the revival season. But power to win men and women, boys and girls, from a life of sin to a life hid in Christ. Power to lay aside every weight and sin. Power to keep us lined up for God 365 days a year. Power that, in the hour of temptation, will enable us to say, "Get thee behind me Satan." Power to fight sin and Satan as hard in August as we do in January.

But unless we straighten up, shun the very appearance of evil, and live decent lives in harmony with the commands of God and the admonitions of his Word, we may slide into hell on our knees praying for power. We have no assurance that God will pour out his Spirit and supply power upon folks who trifle it away.