Anyone who will make a serious study of church history and Christian doctrine will be forced to say that the whole church is in need of a third sweeping. Luther and the Reformers gave the church the first sweeping; the Puritans gave it a second sweeping; and now she needs a third. I see on the horizon a small beginning of such reformation. Fundamentalism and man-centred evangelism are running out of feverish activity, running out of evangelistic gimmicks, and tricks. Any thinking, discerning person who examines the calibre of the supposed converts of this kind of evangelism will be forced to say there are few who give biblical evidence of being soundly converted. Yes, and even undiscerning Christians know that there is something desperately wrong. But thank God, some are beginning to ask the right questions:

What about the calibre of the supposed converts?
Is there evidence of a real conversion experience?
Has this conversion led to a new life in Christ, to a new purpose for living, and a new pathway of obedience?
Are these supposed converts brought into a living relationship with the Son of God?
Are they led to worship God and serve Him in His church?
Where is the deep reverence for the God of the Bible?
Where are the fruits of repentance and humility?
Where is the real spirit of worship?
Where is the reverential love and concern for the church?

An honest answer to these questions should drive Christians to an examination, and thus will lead to prayer for reformation of the church.

When does the Church Need to be Reformed?⤒🔗

When she is commanding little or no influence in the world, it is then that the church needs to be more concerned about herself than about evangelism or missions. When the church is alive missions and evangelism will be spontaneous. The church must set her own house in order. If paganism and humanism are not to engulf us, then the churches must settle their divisions and return to the doctrinal foundations of the Christian faith before they can effectively address their message to the world.

True Christians in all churches are being chastened and humbled by God into a recognition of their profound need of His presence and His power. We ourselves are under judgment and any attempt to seek remedies which ignore this is bound to fail.

Hosea 5:13, 15:

When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound. I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.

It is through this humbling process that hope arises. It creates a new desire to please God and keep His word.

Psalm 119:67, 'Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word'.

His word delivers us from a desire to defend traditional positions for which there may be no scriptural warrant, and it therefore enables us to approach church issues upon which evangelicals have been long divided in a new way and with a new concern to be united with all those who love the truth. A common attachment to the Scriptures and a determination to seek grace to resolve difficulties in that light is the only sure basis of reformation, church unity, missions and evangelism.

The only rule for such reformation is the Word of God.

Reformation has a Price←⤒🔗

Luther suffered at the hands of his friends just as he suffered at the hands of his enemies. With reformation come all kinds of strange bed­fellows. This is true today. One may find rigoristic legalists and antin­omians; wild fanatics and sober pietists. There is the mixed multitude; we have reformation sympathizers of other principles, and, of course, the fence-straddlers who will never take a decided position on anything. Others are just as judiciously cautious. Then there are many, whom John Bunyan called, 'Mr. Facing Both Ways'. These and many other types must be expected in any real reformation. Thank God for the Luthers, the Knoxes, the Calvins, the Bradfords, the Cranmers, the Latimers, and the Zwinglis. May their like be given to the church again today!