The Bible and Life

Apostolic Church History Podcast

Friday, March 27, 2026

Why Does Revival Tarry?

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

WHY DOES REVIVAL TARRY ?

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1. EVANGELISM is so highly commercialized.

The answer is simple enough— because evangelism is so highly commercialized. The tithes of widows and of the poor are spent in luxury-living by many evangelists. The great crowds, great lines of seekers, great appreciation by the mayor, etc., are shouted to high heaven. All get publicity—except the love-offering!

Preachers who have homes and cottages by the lake, a boat on that lake, and a big bank balance, still beg for more. With such extortioners and unjust men, can God entrust Holy Ghost revival?

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2. CHEAPENING the Gospel.

Revival tarries because of cheapening the Gospel. We now have church hymns played strictly to dance tempo on our sacred records and over the radio, as well as in the churches. We have the precious blood of Jesus set to ‘‘boogie woogie’’ time. Imagine! We have the Holy Ghost syncopated!

The evangelists today are very often prepared to be anything to anybody as long as they can get somebody to the altar for something. They call out: ‘‘Who wants help? Who wants more power? Who wants a closer walk with God?’’ Such a sinning, repenting ‘‘easy believism’’ dishonors the blood and prostitutes the altar. We must alter the altar, for the altar is a place to die on. Let those who will not pay this price leave it alone!

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3. CARELESSNESS

Revival tarries because of carelessness. At the altar, too little time is spent with those souls who come to do eternal business. The evangelist is happy seeing his friends; and while sinners groan at the altar, he is drinking in the rich cream of men’s praises. Thus America and England are strewn with spiritual derelicts, confused and confounded.

4. FEAR

Revival tarries because of fear. As evangelists, we are tight-lipped about the spurious religions of the day, as if there were more than one name whereby men must be saved. But Acts 4:12 is still in the Scriptures—‘‘there is none other name under heaven.’’ To the modern preacher, does this seem tinged with bigotry?

Wesley saw the doors of the English churches closed against him, and Rowland Hill says of him, ‘‘He and his lay-lubbers— his ragged legion of preaching tinkers, scavengers, draymen, and chimney sweepers, etc. But Wesley feared neither men nor devils.

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5. WE LACK URGENCY IN PRAYER

Revival tarries because we lack urgency in prayer. A famed preacher entered a conference the other day with these words, ‘‘I have come to this conference with a great burden for prayer on my heart. Will those who will share this with me, please raise their hands; and let none of us be hypocrites.’’ There was a good response. But later in the week when a half night of prayer was called, the big preacher went to bed. Not much of a hypocrite! Integrity has passed away! All is superficial!

The only power that God yields to is that of prayer. We will write about prayer-power, but not fight while in prayer. A title, undeniably true of the Church today, would be ‘‘We Wrestle Not!’’ We will display our gifts, natural or spiritual; we will air our views, political or spiritual; we will preach a sermon or write a book to correct a brother in doctrine. But who will storm hell’s stronghold?

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6. WE STEAL THE GLORY THAT BELONGS TO GOD.

Finally, revival tarries because we steal the glory that belongs to God. Listen to this and wonder: Jesus said, ‘‘I receive not honour from men’’ and ‘‘How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?’’ (John 5:41, 44). Away with all fleshly backslapping and platform flattery! Away with this exalting of ‘‘My radio program,’’ ‘‘My church,’’ ‘‘My books!’’ Oh, the sickening parade of flesh in our pulpits: ‘‘We are greatly privileged, etc.’’

- Leonard Ravehill ( Why Revival Tarries )

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Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Polycarp And The Persecution Of Christians

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

Here is an interesting article about the history of Christian persecution, by an unknown author.

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Polycarp and the Persecution of Christians

Polycarp (69-155 AD), the disciple of John the Apostle, before being burned to death in a Roman arena said, “You threaten me with fire which burns for an hour, and is then extinguished, but you know nothing of the fire of the coming judgment and eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly. Why are you waiting? Bring on whatever you want....Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”

Polycarp was told to give tribute to Caesar and say “away with the atheists,” (Romans believed that not believing in the pantheistic Roman gods was atheism). Polycarp, waved has hand to the crowd and said, “away with the atheists.”

As men and women died for their faith, so bravely and peacefully, the crowds who witnessed the martyrs wondered—"Who are these people who die like this, so sure of themselves and their God?" Martyrs, like Polycarp, had a profound impact on those who watched.

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However Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (121-180) was not so impressed. Aurelius spoke of the martyrs “with scorn, tracing their noble enthusiasm for martyrdom to 'sheer obstinacy' and love for theatrical display.”

But the martyrs were a powerful witness, as the word “martyr” in Greek literally means--"witness." Their dignity and serenity in death was a witness to the workings of God. Many Romans came to the spectacle with a morbid excitement but left the stadium struck by the calm of the Christians who faced death so bravely.

The Church Father Tertullian (165-249 AD) had converted to Christianity based in part on his wonder at Christians' faithfulness in the face of martyrdom. He said, “Kill us, torture us, condemn us, grind us to dust; your injustice is the proof that we are innocent...The more we are struck down by you, the more numerous do we become. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” The seed was planted in the hearts of audiences all over the Roman Empire. The witness of the bold believers calmly facing death was greater than words.

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Justin Martyr who himself was martyred in 165 said, “We do not give up our confession though we be executed by the sword, though we be crucified, thrown to wild beasts, put in chains, and exposed to fire and every other kind of torture. Everyone knows this. On the contrary, the more we are persecuted and martyred, the more do others in ever increasing numbers become believers and God-fearing people through the name of Jesus.”

Origin in the early third century said, “the more that kings, rulers, and peoples have persecuted them everywhere, the more Christians have increased in number and grown in strength."

Historian Philip Schaff writes:

“The persecutions of Christianity during the first three centuries appear like a long tragedy: first, foreboding signs; then a succession of bloody assaults of heathenism upon the religion of the cross; amidst the dark scenes of fiendish hatred and cruelty the bright exhibitions of suffering virtue; now and then a short pause; at last a fearful and desperate struggle of the old pagan empire for life and death, ending in the abiding victory of the Christian religion. Thus this bloody baptism of the church resulted in the birth of a Christian world. It was a repetition and prolongation of the crucifixion but followed by a resurrection.”

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Schaff is referring to the three centuries of martyrdom and oppression by the hands of the Romans before the miraculous and instantaneous Roman reversal of policy and acceptance of Christianity by the emperor Constantine in 313 AD. It was an amazing turn of events for Church history.

Apostolic Church History Podcast

Friday, March 20, 2026

Where Are You Going?

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

Here is a story from an unknown source. Enjoy.

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When Billy Graham was 92 years-old, he was struggling with Parkinson's disease. In January, a month before his 93rd birthday, leaders in Charlotte, North Carolina, invited their favorite son, Billy Graham to a luncheon in his honor.

Billy initially hesitated to accept the invitation because of his struggles with Parkinson's disease. But the Charlotte leaders said, 'We don't expect a major address. Just come and let us honor you.' So he agreed.

After wonderful things were said about him, Dr. Graham stepped to the podium, looked at the crowd, and said:

"I'm reminded today of Albert Einstein, the great physicist who this month has been honored by Time magazine as the Man of the Century. Einstein was once traveling from Princeton on a train, when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of every passenger. When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached in his vest pocket. He couldn't find his ticket, so he reached in his trouser pockets.

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It wasn't there.He looked in his briefcase but couldn't find it. Then he looked in the seat beside him. He still couldn't find it.

"The conductor said, “Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who you are. I'm sure you bought a ticket. Don't worry about it.” Einstein nodded appreciatively. The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to move to the next car,he turned around and saw the great physicist down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket.

"The conductor rushed back and said, 'Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don't worry, I know who you are; no problem. You don't need a ticket. I'm sure you bought one.'Einstein looked at him and said, “Young man, I too, know who I am. What I don't know is where I'm going."

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Having said that Billy Graham continued, "See the suit I'm wearing? It's a brand new suit. My children, and my grandchildren are telling me I've gotten a little slovenly in my old age. I used to be a bit more fastidious. So I went out and bought a new suit for this luncheon and one more occasion. You know what that occasion is? This is the suit in which I'll be buried. But when you hear I'm dead, I don't want you to immediately remember the suit I'm wearing. I want you to remember this:

"I not only know who I am. I also know where I'm going." May your troubles be less, your blessings more, and may nothing but happiness, come through your door. "Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil - it has no point."

May each of us have lived our lives so that when our ticket is punched we don't have to worry about where we are going.

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