"Think for a moment of the 19th century vs. today. C.H. Spurgeon. Hudson Taylor. D.L.Moody. Charles Finney (in terms of influence). The Bonars. Handley Moule. Joseph Parker. Asahel Nettleton.Edward Payson. J.C. Philpott. Dodderidge. Campbell & Cartwright. The Gordons. Jessie Penn-Lewis. Fanny Crosby. The previous century ended in Revival under Whitefield, Wesley, Christmas Evans and others; then there was the 2nd Great Awakening, and later the Great Revival of 1857-58. Just after the century ended, there was the Welsh Revival of 1904-05. It is impossible to fully estimate the impact of those men and those movements for God. The entire fabric of society was affected, from laws to practices, simply because of the impress of the Gospel. Of course, men were still sinful. But there were layers and layers of the fear of God, of respect for parents, of the family structure, of institutionalized Christian practices in law, media, academia, government (all the things wicked people control now)--even the arts did not dare "bust loose" at such a time. If you read the last chapter of "Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret", you read of the surge of satanic reaction to all this at the turn of the 20th Century internationally and politically (the Boxer Rebellion, Bolshevism, later National Socialism,etc.), not to mention the outcome of English Darwinism, German cynicism, French libertinism, the seeds of which sprouted into American liberalism in the 1920's. The universities (especially Columbia and the University of Chicago) fell, the churches fell, denominations fell, and our politicial structures quickly followed suit. The end result: moral and spiritual chaos (read Wilbur Smith's, "Therefore Stand"). There has not been a lasting spiritual awakening in England or America since 1913 (with the exception of the revival in the Hebrides in 1949 and the Los Angeles Crusade that same year). Were sinners still sinners who acted sinfully then? Sure! But was their evil able to affect others the way it does now, with virtually no resistance at any level in society? No." (The above written by Ed Gross from Facebook)
"(After the falling asleep of Joshua) And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not The Lord, nor yet the works which He had done for Israel.
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of The Lord, and served Baalim: and they forsook The Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked The Lord to anger. And they forsook The Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth" (Judges 2:10-13).
We have not known The Lord God who brought us out of the land of Egypt (Sin) in this generation. The Lord God is provoked to anger with our wickedness.
Check out this sermon on SermonAudio.com Chinese House Church Movement and How to Prepare for Coming Persecution by E.A. Johnston http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?m=t&s=108121213293