World Is In Need of a Real Revival, Says Minister Here

Texas, 1920

In his sermon the theme of which was "Christ Standing and Knocking at the Door," Rev. J. F. Carter of the Thirty-third Street Methodist Episcopal Church South told his congregation last night that the greatest need of the world is "genuine revival of old-time religion." He said in part:

In the third chapter of Revelation Jesus Christ says: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door. I will come in to him and will sup with him, and he with me." At the door of a lukewarm, indifferent, worldly, backslidden, apostate church the Lord Jesus is standing and knocking. Will the church hear his voice and open the door and invite him in to be its gracious guest? How tragical that the Christ is compelled to stand on the outside and knock at the door for admittance! But how far more tragical that some within will not hear his voice and open the door and let him in to sup with them and they with him!

But suffice it to say there are always faithful few, "a remnant," who are "the salt of the earth" that have not lost their savor; who are "the light of the world" that can not be hid. I thank God for these and take fresh courage and press forward with greater energy for the heavenly prize. But for these and their Christ and our Christ we would not and could not bear the burdens that weigh so tremendously upon us.

Christ would have the vilest sinner, the most indifferent, self-satisfied, stubborn backslider hear his voice and open the door that he may come in and be with him. Christ died for him as well as for "the ninety and nine" out on the bleak mountain side. He gave himself even for the apostate who openly renounces him and crucifies him afresh tonight: who forsakes Jehovah the God of his fathers for the god of this world; who surrenders the love of the Lord for the love and the passion of worldly power and of worldly influence that can not last. Yes. the price was paid for him who gives up the Christianity of the Christ for the philosophy and the learning and the wisdom of Plato that pass away forever. Aye, the Christ suffered and died on the cross to save a poor wretch like him, like you. Will he, will not you take warning before it is too late, lest God Almighty hurl his thunderbolt out of the skies and strike him, to strike you dead in his, in your fight against Christianity, against its holy teachings, as tradition tells us he struck Julian the apostate dead on the battlefield for his apostasy, for his love and his passion for worldly power and worldly, influence? God save Methodism. save the church from plunging deeper into worldliness, deeper into apostasy, from turning farther away from "the old paths, where is the good way," where the Lord is found and where his love and truth shine forevermore.

Your greatest need, my greatest need, therefore, is a genuine revival of old-time religion in the heart and in the life. And that's the greatest need of the church today. The Wall Street Journal, that is wont to be permeated with the cold metallic ring of the dollar, in a recent editorial said: "America's greatest need is a genuine revival of old-fashioned religion." Think of a journal like that having to tell the church, America, that the greatest need today is not the ring of the almighty dollar, not world power and world influence in the money markets, in the political forums, in the knightly courts of the parlors, but that her greatest need is a genuine revival of old-fashioned religion. Henry Watterson, the brilliant old Bourbon, but recently declared: "The only power that can keep this world from sinking into the hell toward which it is bound is the cross and the Gospel of him who died on Calvary." And a writer of a recent article in a leading magazine says: "The world needs a spirit-filled ministry that preaches the straight gospel rather than political science. The individual must first get an individual experience not in political science, but in the science of salvation, before he can help others to higher ground. We have been working at the wrong end of the line. We must come back to the Gospel plan, and preach the Word."

Now tell me if you will that the signs of the times point in another direction. Now tell me if you dare that there is no added need of preaching the old-fashioned religion in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And then I will tell you that you have eyes and see not, ears and hear not, brains and think not. mouths and speak not — that you are as dumb as idols of stocks and of stones.

The "one thing needful" is to go with the Gospel message first to the individual, and then to the crowd. Jesus never moved from the multitude down to the individual but always from the individual up to the multitude. The New Testament revivals never went from the people down to the individual, but always from the individual up to the people.

—Galveston Daily News, Galveston, TX, April 19, 1920, p. 8.