OUR COMMON FAITH - Revival Fire and The Old Paths
by Pastor Ron Gatrelle

Even though I don’t remember a whole lot of what my Grandpa Gatrelle used to preach, I remember how he preached. He was a fiery preacher and sure got your attention. One thing I remember him saying was if you could not love someone into the kingdom of heaven then you had to scare the "hell" out of them.

Before Grandpa became a Christian back in 1912 he was pretty rough and was part owner in a bar in Columbus, Ohio. One night he and three of his friends went to a Billy Sunday revival meeting to throw the flamboyant evangelist out of town. But God had other ideas because Grandpa and all three of his friends got saved that night.

The day after he got saved, Grandpa preached his first sermon at the bar he co-owned. He was thrown out. Grandpa was birthed into the kingdom of God during a time when revival fires were sweeping America. That fiery enthusiasm stayed with him all his life through 50 years of preaching. That fire carried over into my dad’s 30 years of ministry and I hope into mine.

Today many Christians are praying for revival, but it is not coming. And it will not come until the Church again seeks the fire of holiness. All revivals of the past only came after the people of God consecrated themselves to walk in the old paths of holiness and take a stand against compromise and sin.

During those times of revival the church and the world became at odds with each other. The lifestyle of the saint and the sinner were distinct. Bible studies and church meetings were convicting, not unoffensive. Church was not a social club, a place to meet and eat. Board meetings were not to plan ball leagues but evangelical crusades. Prayer meeting was prayer meeting. The older women were visible examples to the younger girls of chaste dress and behavior. Nobody got out of church at 12, and Sunday was kept as a day of rest. Preachers were judged as such by their anointing, not their seminary degrees.

In those days the Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists and most others actually knew why they were distinct from the others. But in their diversity they all had one thing in common. Their preaching presented a godly standard, drew a line, scared the "hell" out of sinners, offered grace to help in the times of need, and brought untold thousands into the common faith.