I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      Members of the Lord’s church, let us consider this question: Do you perceive that the church and its members today have the same level of spirituality that they had twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty years ago?

                                                             1.      The term “spirituality” indicates the quality of being motivated by belief in the unseen things of God (in contrast to worldliness).  The level of one’s spirituality is the degree to which one’s belief in God motivates him to do whatever he does.

                                                             2.      Perhaps this question can be better asked by breaking it into more specific questions:

a.       Do we know the Bible as well as our brethren from the recent past?

b.       Are we preaching the pure gospel of Christ with the same sense of importance and urgency as our brethren from the recent past?

c.        Do we hold to the same godly standards of conduct, speech, and dress as our brethren from the recent past?

d.       Do we have the same level of participation in the work of the church (worship, teaching, serving, attendance of services, etc.) as our brethren from the recent past?

B.      If indeed we have changed in recent years, and those changes are for the worse, then we need to undo those changes and return to the old paths of spirituality that our brethren have walked.

                                                             1.      Let us understand that the church of the recent past is not the standard for perfection of the Lord’s church, but it does provide a measure by which we can check our progress (or regress).

a.       The word of God presents the standard and pattern for the church of Christ and its members to which we must aspire.  The “Restoration Movement” must be an ongoing effort for the purpose of restoring the church to that ideal model as revealed in the Bible.

b.       Yet we can look into recent history and still remember some things that were then better than they are now from a spiritual standpoint.

i.         Consider how the Lord told the Ephesian church to remember from where they had fallen and repent (Rev. 2:5).  They had never been flawless, but they could remember a time when they were better than they had become.

ii.        By looking back and remembering, we can see whether our generation has made progress toward spirituality or whether we have regressed into worldliness.

                                                             2.      The primary purpose of our present study is not to analyze why we have changed, but rather it is to remind us of some things that we once knew but seem to have now forgotten.

II.      THINGS WE USED TO KNOW

A.      We used to know that sinners are lost without Christ.

                                                             1.      The Scriptural fact of alien sinners’ condemnation is well-established in our minds, but we seem to lack the meaning of this in our hearts.

a.       We know that the Bible says that sin separates man from God (Isa. 59:2) and makes him spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1-3).

b.       However, this understanding does not often provoke us to respond in compassion in the likeness of Christ (Matt. 9:36) to try to save the lost through the gospel.  Is this because of a lack of faith or maybe a lack of love?

                                                             2.      Let us be clear about this: sinners who do not hear and obey the gospel of Christ will be forever separated from God.

a.       This means that they will be permanently separated from the source of everything that is good, pleasant, and comforting (Jas. 1:17).  They “will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2Thess. 1:8-9).

b.        If this understanding does not provoke us to preach the gospel, then our faithless hearts are without love and without God (1John 4:10; 2:1-2).

B.      We used to know that the gospel of Christ, not the church, was God’s power for salvation.

                                                             1.      Again, this is a fact of Scripture that we know in our minds, but instead of applying this knowledge, we look to the church as the way to attract sinners.

a.       We try to appeal to sinners on the basis of who the members of the church are, whether there are young people in the church, whether the church is friendly, whether the church can help them solve their temporal problems, whether the church has a nice building in a good location, whether the church has a “good” preacher, etc.

b.       None of these aspects of the local church can save a single soul.

                                                             2.      Remember that the gospel of Christ alone is the power of God for salvation.

a.       These other appeals are reasoned according to the world’s thinking.  They are distant, secondary effects that have no value for a soul’s salvation.

b.       This is why Paul told the Corinthians that he determined to know nothing but Christ Jesus and Him crucified (1Cor. 2:2; see also 1Cor. 1:18, 23-24).  He did not want to offer anything to detract from the saving power of the gospel.

C.      We used to know that Christians were to be separate from the world.

                                                             1.      We once knew that the distinctions between believers and unbelievers should be as clear as the differences between light and dark (2Cor. 6:14-18).

a.       We knew that Christians should conduct themselves in holiness (1Cor. 6:19-20), dress modestly (1Tim. 2:9-10), and speak wholesome words (Eph. 4:29; 5:4).

b.       We understood that the application of this knowledge meant that wearing indecent clothing (shorts, miniskirts, bathing suits, etc.) was wrong, that provocative dancing was wrong, that boys/men shouldn’t swim with girls/women, that watching filthy movies and TV shows was wrong, and that drinking and smoking were wrong (1Cor. 6:12).

                                                             2.      Today, there is often little discernable difference between members of the church and outsiders.

a.       We often look, sound, and think exactly as the world does.

b.       If the world cannot detect any difference in us, then is there any difference?

D.      We used to know that the church is holy.

                                                             1.      We once understood that the church is the holy temple of God (1Cor. 3:16-17) and that profane (common, worldly) things should be separate from it.

a.       We knew that this temple was build upon the foundation of Christ (Eph. 2:19-22) and that its members were to work together in pursuit of the measure of Christ (Eph. 4:11-16).

b.       We knew that the assemblies of the church were sacred, holy, and important.

c.        We knew the difference between faithful members of the church and apostate members or those who had never obeyed the gospel.

d.       We also knew the difference between assemblies of the church and worldly activities.

                                                             2.      Now we have compromised our former understanding and profaned the body of Christ.

a.       We have lowered our esteem for the solemn assembly, which is evident by the casual manner in which we approach it (attire, attendance, attention, punctuality, etc.).

b.       We have lowered our expectations for one another so that there is little concern for ungodly behavior, worldliness, immaturity, or neglect of responsibilities.  Rarely do we admonish one another to do better, and church discipline is seldom even considered.

E.       There are other points that could be made, but for brevity, let us just list a few:

                                                             1.      We used to know that there is one church (Eph. 1:22-23; 4:4).

                                                             2.      We used to know that Bible study (individually and collectively) is important (2Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 5:11-14; 1Pet. 2:1-3).

                                                             3.      We used to know that roles of husbands and wives (Eph. 5:22-33; Tit. 2:5; 1Tim. 5:14; 1Pet. 3:1-7).

                                                             4.      We used to know the roles of fathers, mothers, and children (Eph. 6:1-4; Tit. 2:4; Heb. 12:5-11).

III.   CONCLUSION

A.      Have we forgotten these things?

                                                             1.      Perhaps some of us have failed to learn these things according to God’s word.

                                                             2.      However, it is more likely that we have had the understanding of these things but we have lacked the faith to apply them accordingly.

B.      Let us not only remember these things, but let us put them into practice once more.

                                                             1.      In those areas where we have failed individually or collectively, let us heed the words of Jesus to the Ephesians: “Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first…” (Rev. 2:5)

                                                             2.      May we be God’s spiritual people as He would have us to be, and may we thereby glorify Him in the name of Christ.