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To: imardmd1

I went to school in that area, so I know exactly what you mean, but I attributed it to being the birthplace of Joseph Smith’s false visions and Mormonism, as well as a 19th century hotbed of gambling and bootleg era gangsterism, not Charles Finney!

Anyway, the Holy Spirit works one heart at a time, not en masse. We are to “preach the word in season and out of season”, and trust that “My Word never comes back to Me void except that it accomplishes that which I sent it out to do” Isaiah 55:11

The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal “force” - it is a person. I attended a racous non denominational spirit filled church in the area, that was very much alive... so it all depends upon the faith of the preacher and the open hearts to the “abundant life in the spirit” that Christ promises.

Revival only happens one heart at a time, beginning with us. One cannot repent for another’s sins, and repentance is the foundation of revival.


262 posted on 03/09/2018 8:57:43 PM PST by Sontagged (Lord Jesus, please frogmarch Your enemies behind You as You've promised in Your Word)
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To: Sontagged
I'm not going to argue with you. I lived there all my formative years, and in villages all across Central and Western New York State, and I know what I am talking about. as of perhaps 30 years ago there began to be a kind of awakening of a kind I had not seen before, mostly "charismatic" in nature, but also of the independent immersionist Bible church type. Whether it will last as a general positive movement remains to be seen.

But that kind of "revival" (which can only proceed from something already gone dead) is not typical of the era reaching from the 1870s to the 1970s where "Christianity" was mostly evidenced in what may be rather called "churchianity" and exclusively denominational, and declining especially after WWII.

While I am aware of a couple of BGEA "Crusades" there, they produced a temporarily fevered response at the moment, but was quickly subsident for lack of substantive ongoing support of the denominations afterward. One should note that TV (1950+) and televangelism had a marked deleterious effect on church attendance, as well as on the power of radio broadcasting.

Right now, the whole area is full of drugs and Satanism even, maybe especially, in the rural and semi-rural areas. I don't feel that I would want to go back and live there now, it has changed so much for the worse in every area of life. Unless I felt a special call, I wouldn't even try to mount a self-conceived ongoing evangelical effort there.

New York State needs prayer for live-in "tent-makers" called to go and establish their secular work income, whilst reaching out to form up regular students from Bible-thirsty seekers who have no hope from the main-line denominations. It would not be wrrong to go and wrangle some of those sheep away from the dead churches as one aspect of an outreach.

Finneyism or Grahasmism quick-turnover mass say-a-prayer evangelism will not and cannot work in these last days before the Lord's Return for His Own.

It is only steady recruiting and induction of discipling studiers with each diligently growing from spiritual babes to children to overcomers, that will show any hope of success.

263 posted on 03/09/2018 11:09:18 PM PST by imardmd1 (Fiat Lux)
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To: Sontagged
I went to school in that area, so I know exactly what you mean, but I attributed it to being the birthplace of Joseph Smith’s false visions and Mormonism, as well as a 19th century hotbed of gambling and bootleg era gangsterism, not Charles Finney!


HEY!!!


274 posted on 03/10/2018 3:54:53 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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