"I LIKE THAT OLD TIME RELIGION!"

May 23   “I Like That Old Time Religion”  Acts 5: 28-29

Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, BaptistTabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.  Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, “We ought to obey God rather than man.” (Acts 5: 28-29)

Trends and times change and in this change often there is a repeat of past trends.  When I was a young man, I got caught up in the 50’s trends and fads.  Granted, I was born in the 50’s, however, I was a young teenager in the 70’s.  Watching “Happy Days” and seeing their dancing and their music, I became an instant fan.  Now, it follows that I would like the 50’s, because that is the music that my mother listened to.  By the way, Mama taught me how to shag, or as it was called in her youth, “the Bop.”  You know, if you look at the trends and the fads of the 50’s, compared to today, they may seem a bit strange or “out of date.”  We live in a changing world.  Change can be a good thing.  For example, I would rather ride to church in a comfortable air conditioned car than to ride a mule and wagon.  There have been many great changes in the fields of medicine, science, technology, etc. and there have been many physical changes in our church buildings that are for the better.  Central Heat, Air Conditioning, Indoor Plumbing, Padded Pews are just a few of the improvements over the years. As we read the Book of Acts, we will not find any emphasis on a building to worship in.  The Apostles emphasis was on Christ.  Did you know that Christ’s followers acted so much like Christ and as He had taught so much that wherever they went they were considered to be fanatics?  I would be proud to be called a fanatic for Christ.  As we look back into the New Testament times, we see that the emphasis was on sharing Christ through the working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believers.  We have deviated from their methods and often it has been replaced with gimmicks to get folks to Christ.  There is a story told of one Christian man telling another Christian man of the tremendous crowd at his church on Sunday.  The other asked, “How did you get them to come?”  He said that the preacher told them if they worked hard and invited people so that they would have a certain number of people present that he would swallow a goldfish.  He then added, “We packed the church!”  The other Christian said, “I wouldn’t do that.”  The first said, “Why not?  We will do anything to get people to Christ.”  The other Christian man said, “Anything? Then why don’t you do what the Bible says, “Let the Holy Spirit fill you and go out into the lost and dying world and witness to them of Christ?” (BY THE WAY…I AM NOT GOING TO SWALLOW A GOLDFISH!)  Recently, I was asked what kind of program that we were using at Baptist Tabernacle to bring folks in and to account for the new members and the number of baptisms.  My response was quick and clear.  We are using an old program that has been around for hundreds of years and it has proven to be successful 100% of the time, when it is used properly.  The question was asked, “What Program Is That?”  I said, “THE HOLY BIBLE!”  To have that genuine “OLD TIME” religion we have to go to the source, and that is God’s Word.  Believers, we need to be living out and proclaiming the Good News!  Preachers, we need to be declaring and preaching and leading folks to a relationship with God, through Jesus Christ.  Returning to the “Old Time” Bible methods and “Old Time” preaching and “Old Time” singing and “Old Time prayer, worship, and witnessing that will result in having many souls being won to Christ and growing in Him, should be our desire, our purpose and our LIFE!  While the method of sharing may change, the MESSAGE OF THE “OLD TIME”GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST NEVER CHANGES!  Praise God! Stay Strong, Stay Focused… Remember, THE BEST IS YET TO BE!