On different occasions, various churches have come up in discussion. Often, someone will say something like, “Oh, I know that church, that used to be one of those shoutin’ churches.” What changed in those churches? More importantly, what is happening to fundamentalism as a whole? 

1 Sam 4:5-6 And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. (6) And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp.

This passage gives us a good look into the response of the Children of Israel when the Ark of the Covenant came on the scene. In their eyes, the Ark of the Covenant was the embodiment of God. In fact, they could not touch it. If they did, they would die! In this passage, we see a scene where the Ark is brought to a scene. When Israel sees the Ark – when they see God, literally, they go nuts! The noise was so loud that the Philistines heard it and believed the LORD was on the scene.

Another place we see the shout is in Ezra.

Ezra 3:11 And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

Here, the people are rejoicing over the mercy of the Lord. Throughout Scripture, we are commanded to praise God, yet praise, though comely to God, is no longer welcome in many of our churches. We have developed what I will now call ‘neo-fundamentalism’. The absence of the shout and praise in church is only one sign of neo-fundamentalism. Neo-fundamentalism can also be seen in music and lecture. In many ways, church is becoming less of a place of worship and more of a facility of higher education. Do not misunderstand; I am not opposed to ‘teaching’ in the church. In fact, the Pastor is to be ‘apt to teach’ (1 Tim 3:2), but he is also to be an evangelist (1 Tim 4:5). What that means is that there is to be a balance between evangelistic style preaching and teaching. In fact, Paul admonished Timothy saying: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” (2 Tim 4:2) 

In the Neo-fundamentalist movement, we also see a flight away from the Holy Spirit. There was a time that the saints of God had discernment and true worship. They were “Spirit-filled” believers. What happened? I believe that the flight away from true Spirit-filled worship is a result of our fear of the charismatic movement. Over the last hundred years or so, we have seen a perversion of worship in the charismatic movement. The charismatic movement is characterized by the un-Biblical mimicking of the gifts of the Spirit we see exercised in the book of Acts. These are gifts such as speaking in tongues, healing, etc. These gifts were given in a specific time to prove the existence of God, to prove Christ was the Messiah and prove the disciples had the power of God. When the Word of God was complete, there was no longer a need for these gifts of the Spirit. In the birth of the charismatic movement, we also saw a resurgence of the use of these so-called gifts.

As the charismatic movement took shape, true believers realized these gifts were not from God and separated from those who used them. Unfortunately, they attributed the Spirit of worship with the false spirit that was being manifested in the charismatic movement. As a result, the devil has stolen true Holy-Ghost worship from most churches.

Sadly, the problem is a little deeper than this. As believers moved away from the Spirit of God, their discernment has progressively failed as well.  As discernment has failed, the leaders of the churches have moved away from our standard, the Word of God.  Today, there are more than one-hundred different versions of the Word of God.  Why are there so many?  I believe it is a part of the Devil's ploy to confuse the believer.  If we believe the Bible is our absolute final authority for faith and practice, which book is right?  If you are reading this in English, you need to read the KJV Bible.  We will not discuss why in this article.  For now, trust me!  As different versions of the Bible have come along, all with their different standards, we have confusion.  Today, if one accepts all of these different translations equally as the Word of God, they have no absolute standard upon which they can rely.  This results in their teaching of no absolute standard - no absolute right and wrong.

Another issue contributing to the loss of true Spirit-filled worship is the lack of preaching.  Even in churches where they are still using the right Bible, the preaching is anemic.  These pulpits are filled by people who want to make everyone feel good. Sure, they may 'bump' a little sin sometimes, but they never seem to really preach on standards or consistency.  As preachers, we are to preach the whole counsel of God.

2Ti 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

Paul gave Timothy a model of what to preach.  He was to reprove, rebuke and exhort.  Before we go on, let's define these words:  First, to reprove means to blame; to censure; to charge with a fault to the face; to chide; to reprehend. (Webster's 1828 dictionary) In other words, to reprove one means that we should openly accuse them and place the blame for their sin directly on the sinner's shoulders.  Second, to rebuke means to chide; to reprove; to reprehend for a fault; to check by reproof. (Webster's 1828 dictionary) To rebuke is also to reprove someone, but it is also to chide or scold one who is wrong.  By repeating Himself, God is emphasizing the need for preaching against sin and of placing the balme of sin on the individual. Finally to exhort means to encourage, to embolden, to cheer, to advise. The primary sense seems to be to excite or to give strength, spirit or courage. (Webster's 1828 dictionary)  It is after sin is dealt with that preachers are to encourage and embolden the believer.  Where is the fire in our pulpits today?

As I said, there are so-called preachers who will 'bump' sin or mention some particular sin in passing, but not really deal with it. I believe you can pick these churches by the people.  These churches are filled with chameleons.  A chameleon is a person who conforms to or almost blends in with their surroundings.

You may see women who are modest in church, while outside of church, they are dressed like harlots.  Mark them - their pastor has lost sight of 2 Tim 4:2.  Perhaps you see men who sing praises to God in the choir, yet sing the world's songs in the car.  If the preacher's message is not convicting them, he may be a hireling and it is likely that he is replacing the Spirit of God with the spirit of the world.

You may still have people shouting in your church.  There are churches where the crowd is pumped up.  Some churches have people designated as 'praise leaders'  while other churches have pastors who claim to be the praise and worship leader.  The Pastor's job is to PREACH the WORD OF GOD.  If the pastor is doing his job, the Holy Spirit of God will lead the worship!  If the worship is worked up by any MAN, it is contrived and not real!

If you are reading this, and you are a pastor, challenge yourself: are you preaching the whole counsel of God, or are you pleasing men?

If you are not a pastor, ask God to help you get closer to Him, to show you the truth of the Word of God and to give your pastor the power and courage to fulfill his commission.

Gal 6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

 I am painfully reminded that we never fully realize what burdens people carry as they pass us by. A casual greeting with polite smiles may easily conceal a raging storm of doubt, fear, anguish and turmoil. Gal 6:2 is a command to all the saints of God: yes, if you are saved, you are called to bear the burdens of your brothers and sisters in Christ.

It is certainly true that we cannot pray for every single saint of God by name, nor could we ever pretend to pray for the vast multitudes of the lost that wander the face of the earth, but we are, nevertheless, called to bear each others burdens. I am equally convinced that we are so caught up in our own petty cycles that we have lost touch with the concern we should have for our fellow saints. We are not sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit of God who is pleading with us to simply pray. I am committed, now more than ever, to praying for the saints of God. When I see your face I remember your name, I will try to pray for you. Will you do the same for those around you?

I want to challenge you to go one step further: Every day, pick someone. Make that person your 'person of the day' and spend extra time during the day lifting their name in prayer. It will take some effort - but anything worth doing requires effort. Our churches, our pastors, evangelists and missionaries all need our prayer, but so do our children, our parents and our families.

1 Th 5:17-18 Pray without ceasing. (18) In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Will you take time out of your busy day to lift someone in prayer?

The very act of prayer requires a great deal of effort, and I know the Lord will work through our prayers, but if you will go a small step further, I believe the reward will be much greater. When you pray for someone in particular, will you take a moment to write them a note of encouragement?

I don't know who wrote the song People Need the Lord, but the lyrics of the first verse seem so fitting:

Everyday they pass me by,

I can see it in their eye.

Empty people filled with care,

Headed who knows where?

On they go through private pain,

Living fear to fear.

Laughter hides their silent cries,

Only Jesus hears.

1 Tim 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.

In our own power, we cannot bear our own pain, but with the power of God, we can bear the burdens of many.

Will you pray?

Exo 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

As Christians, we know that we should not take the name of the Lord in vain. Often, we even recoil when we hear someone use that all too familiar two word phrase with the name of God, but sadly, there are many Christians who do still often use the name of God in vain! As you surf the net, you have, without doubt, seen the acronym 'OMG' which is short for 'Oh My God'. Many people recognize this as taking the name of the Lord in vain and do not do it. But if you do not use that phrase, or other phrases which still take the name of God in vain, are you guilty?

When we look at the God-head, or the Trinity, we see three distinct parts of God: The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each part of the Trinity is equally and fully God. Also, each part of the Trinity has many different names representing the character of God. For example, we often call the Holy Spirit the Comforter. God the Father is known as Jehovah, I Am, etc. Jesus is also known by many names such as the Messiah, The Son, and the Word.

Yes, you read it right, one of the names of Jesus is "The Word".

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) The same was in the beginning with God. (3) All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (4) In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Who was in the beginning with God? The Word.  Jesus is the Word!  So, if one says, "Oh My Word" is that one just as guilty as one who would say, "Oh My God?" Are they not both guilty of taking the Lord's name in vain?  

Are you guilty?

Gen 7:11-16 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. (12) And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. (13) In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; (14) They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. (15) And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. (16) And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.

For a long time, Noah has been working on this ark.  We can all imagine how the people around him would have mocked him saying, "Where is this flood?" Now, however, the mockers are on the outside looking in.  I can imagine they are not mocking now.  In my mind, I can see some of them as they play in the rain.  They had never seen rain but now water was falling from the sky.  I can imagine, as the fountains broke up, that some of them had fear, perhaps realizing everything Noah had told them was true, but it was too late.  When they could have accepted salvation by faith, they rejected it.   Now, they are seeing the impending judgment and it is too late. The door to salvation has closed. 

If we compare Noah's day to our own, we can see a lot of parallels…

Noah was in a day where the people thought on evil continually.  They had little else to do other than to think on evil. Personally, I cannot imagine the evil that must have existed on the earth.  Likewise, today, evil seems to be everywhere around us.  We cannot turn without seeing evil somewhere or take a step without running into someone who rejects God.  Sadly, this is even true within those who call themselves Christians and who to church on a weekly basis.

Noah was a preacher, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ, telling people they need to get in.  Even though he preached, even though he warned the people, the world around him did not heed his warning.  When it was time to go into the ark, Noah and his family were the only ones who went in.  Think about it: Noah gave the invitation to countless thousands of people, and only a handful responded! 

Salvation was offered to everyone, but only a few found grace through faith.  It is not recorded, but I can imagine different groups in Noah's day.  Perhaps there was one group that said, "If you pay your offering to me, I'll make sure you're saved."  There may have been another group that said, "We're all basically good people. Surely God will not destroy us all."  But I think the most dangerous one was the group who said, "It's ok, we have time."  I think this may be the devil's best lie: "You have time, wait until later." The devil is still using that lie today!  Again, I can imagine that as the first drops of rain fell, as the wells began to overflow there water, some sat astonished.  Perhaps some ran about trying to gather things up and get to higher ground thinking they could escape.  I can imagine some crying out, "Quick, let's build a boat so we can escape too."  Finally, in my mind's eye, I can see some pounding on the door to the ark, crying, "Let us in, Save us!"  As the waters rose, I have no doubt that people were outside the ark crying out, begging to be let in.  Noah could do nothing.  They had heard his preaching and rejected it.  They had their chance.  Noah and his family were closed in a boat behind a door they could not open if they wanted too.  They were behind a door that the Lord had closed.  Noah could not open it if he wanted too.  

In our day, we are not going to face a flood.  God has promised to never destroy the earth by water again.  However, there is a call going out!  There is a preacher proclaiming the Gospel of Christ.  Just as Noah was saved by his faith, you can be saved too. 

Heb 11:7  By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

Noah had faith in a forthcoming messiah.  The Lord had not come to the earth and purchased salvation for us all yet, nevertheless Noah had faith.  In that faith, Noah obeyed God.  Noah did not build the ark to be saved; he built the ark because he was saved. 

Finally, just as in Noah's day, there is an impending judgment.  We do not know the day or the hour, but we know a judgment is coming.  Soon, God will call his people out of the earth, the earth will see a new round of judgment.  Are you ready?