How do we revive the Christian church?

Many people can see the decline in the Christian church, although there are not so many that are able to diagnose the problem.

There are two things that are urgently needed for the revival of the Christian church.

The first need is exegetical preaching, with emphasis on both words. First of all there needs to be proper exegesis of Scripture and secondly there needs to be good preaching and not lecturing.  Good exegesis will commend itself to every man’s conscience 2Cor 4:2 and good preaching will address the wide needs of the congregation.

The second need is a suitable forum for congregational fellowship after each significant congregational service so that there can be questions and answers and proper discussion of the sermon which has just been preached Act 13:43, Act 14:27, Acts 17:4,11,34 and Acts 19:8, etc. This is not a recipé for lengthy services but simply that those who can make use of such a forum have the opportunity to do so. This happened with Jesus’ public preaching and His teaching in the Jerusalem temple.  His disciples asked Him to explain His teaching to them when they had opportunity Mat 13:36 and Mk 4:10,34. I have often mentioned the importance of congregational discussion to improve understanding and discussion in Christian congregations.  When the catechising of former days fell into disuse, general Christian knowledge suffered and Christian congregations declined, but this biblical solution will more than compensate for this.

Only in this manner will congregations be built up and established in the faith so that the next generation will understand the Gospel and not slip away into the world because of the failure of their Christian congregation to address their spiritual needs.