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THE GOOD OLD DAYS
Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the OLD PATHS, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16).
Remove not the old landmark” (Proverbs 23:10).
No man having…. The old… straightway desireth the new; for he saith, THE OLD IS BETTER” (Luke 5:39)
“I write no new commandments unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. THE OLD…. Is the word which ye have heard from the beginning” (1 John 2:7).
Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints’’ (Jude 3).
Good old days, when preachers were scriptural and God fearing, when their messages were scriptural and God-fearing, when their messages were anointed and filled with unction, when repentance was genuine and love was real! Good old days when converts were converted to Christ and not to men, when new converts became lovers of truth and doers of the word, when fellowship was sweet and pure.
Good old days when the Lord in His mercy and love brought me into His Kingdom, under the preaching of a burning message. I was convicted of my sins by the Holy Spirit. I could not resist it. I couldn’t argue against the light; my sins found me out. Easily and plainly did I see my wrong tempers, desires, attitude, motives, sinful action, words and unseemly behavior before God’s perfect mirror.
Standing side by side with some old-fashioned godly folks with their garments of salvation on them, I loathed my filthy garments which became filthier when they were around. The power of godliness in them made me ashamed of my form of godliness. And so faithful were the preachers! Oh, they feared not the frown of men, neither did they covet the labor of men.
The good old days! We were led to the altar where we confessed our sins with the sincere promise to forsake all. Many of the confessions were mixed with tears of sorrow for sin – we were not ashamed of our tears in those good old days.
The repentance was as genuine as that of Zacchaeus who restored what he had stolen or taken by false accusation (Luke 19:8 – 10). I had thought that my mother was a witch as the false prophet told me. I had altered my school bills and cheated my school in various ways: we converts of that time believed in “having a conscience void of offence toward God and towards Men” (Acts 24:16).
We apologized to the offended, restored what was stolen, and made right what had been wrong. God just gave us the grace to “bring forth fruit meet unto repentance” (Matthew 3:8). I had been a criminal in the sense that I helped two candidates with their examinations in mathematics (G.C.E., O.L).
Those days, we feared the displeasure of God more than imprisonment. The Lord encouraged my heart write a letter of apology to the examination body, West African Examination Council in Lagos state, Nigeria. Oh, the joy, the peace, the witness in our spirit and the assurance of son ship! I thank God for those god old days.
Times have changed, preachers have changed and so also have converts changed. Many new converts today do not know that repentance comes before believing on th Lord Jesus Christ. They have been told that Jesus Himself said: repent first and then believe the gospel (Mark 1:15), and this is because the new breed of preachers who look for quantity rather than quality have never obeyed the command of Jesus: “that REPENTANCE and remission of sins should be PREACHED in His name among all nation.” (Luke 24:47). “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts :19). Whatever compromisers do, faithful preachers, who “covet no man’s silver or gold or apparel, will still continue testifying both nominal church-goers and also to open sinners, “REPENTACE towards FAITH toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:33,21).
The good old days- as soon as we were saved, we were told of the possibility of having our hearts purified, purged, sanctified and circumcised. They made you to know of the full salvation (freedom from outward sins and inward, inbred sin nature) which the Lord Jesus had provided for all at Calvary’s cross we were “hungry and thirsty after righteousness” (Matthew 5:6) and nothing seemed to satisfy us until we were made “pure in heart” (Matthew 5:8).
We were not satisfied to believe sanctification as a doctrine, we pressed forward to having the definite experience of a new heart and a new spirit”, the stony heart being taken out of our flesh and the heart of flesh given to us (Ezekiel 36:26); Neither did we rest on our oars because the very God of peace had sanctified us wholly and out whole spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, we aimed at living the sanctified life more than just the initial experience of sanctification.
The promise of God to “deliver us out of the hand of our enemies and to serve Him without fear, in HOLINESS and RIGHTEOUSNESS before HIM, ALL THE DAYS OF OUR LIFE” (Luke 1:74-75) was always before us. We desire nothing short of “having God’s laws being put into our minds and written in our hearts.” (Hebrews 8:10).
I thank God for those days! How I wish to see those good old days again in our midst- preachers and converts alike. Our preachers, whether in our church or some of our youth camps and conferences were “examples in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit; in faith in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12). They were bright shining light at home, in church and on the streets. Their preaching and their living were identical. There are not many preachers of that kind today.
Times have changed even though the qualities of the true bride of Christ have not changed. We converts of those days looked to our ways lest we should offend. We refrained from gossiping, backbiting and every other form of evil speaking. We trimmed our hairs and were not looking like gang-stars, tramps or hippies, we were looking and dressed decent.
We gave our employers all the time they deserved and were generally of honest report and if at times there was evil report about us, it was generally false (Acts 6:3; Matthew 5:11; 1Corinthians 11:14). Our sister, those days, were sisters to Christ indeed (Matthew 12:50). They abhorred all fleshly pleasure whether on birthdays or any other day knowing that “she that liveth in pleasure in DEAD while she liveth” (1 Timothy 5:6). Our sisters knew and lived by the scriptures, those good old days; our brothers could find virtuous women to marry.
Today, who can find a virtuous woman? ” (Proverbs 31:10). Those were days when you could live with or sit by sisters or talk with sisters at home or in church and not feel enticed or tempted to sin even in your heart. I desire to see old-fashioned, godly preachers and faithful, obedient converts once again.
Do you think I will be disappointed in my expectation? Indeed no.
Has God not promised to do it again?
Can the Blood of Jesus not wash whiter than snow today?
Is Christ not coming back for “a glorious church (the church is only as glorious as its individual members) not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but holy and without blemish”? (Ephesians 5:27).
Does not the Lord rejoice to see us clothed with righteousness?
Has he decreased in love and in His demand that we should love Him and His commandment with all our heart and with all our soul and mind? (Matthew 22:37)
Has he lowered His standard to the existing condition in the world?
Has the narrow way been widened to accommodate the unrighteous, fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, abusers of themselves with mankind, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers or extortionist? (1 Corinthians 6:9,10)
Has the Lord now decided o prepare a place for the “fearful and unbelieving and the abominable (Deuteronomy 22:5), and murderers and whoremongers, sorcerers and Liars”?, (Revelation 21:8).
Do these have a place in the mansions above?
Is he not willing and able to make us “live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world”? (Titus 2:12).
Are you willing and desirous to have the old time experience and also live the old-fashioned Christian life?
Make your chair or bed an altar bench. Pour out your heart to God without any reservation; plead for mercy and pardon from our faithful redeemer.
Consecrate your life to Him, yield and surrender every area of your life to Him. Renounce your will and accept his will as revealed in His word. Then believe on the Lord who “is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’ (1 John 1:19).
Do it now.
Praise God for those who have been faithful and sincere enough to ask and to receive His pardon, peace and purity. “The spirit now beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God (Romans 8:16).