A Christian author called for believers to return to the "old ways" of Biblical Christianity, walking in the supernatural power of God and revered for their faith.
"I long to see Christianity come back to the old ways when believers were identified by their lifestyles. Believers were first called Christians in Antioch because the people saw their behaviors and knew that they were with Christ," Oscar Amaechina, an author and the president of Afri-Mission and Evangelism Network, wrote on The Christian Post.
"Today's Christians need to stage a walk-back to old-time Christianity, repent from manmade theologies and principles, embrace the Holy Spirit for supernatural empowerment and ask God to revive His church and restore the Church," he argued.
Amaechina revealed that 40 years ago, Christians in Nigeria were highly respected in such a way that unbelievers are scared of attacking them and ashamed of doing something wrong in their presence.
He went on to say that in the 1990s, even "the roughest and the toughest of the boys" in the community have high regard for Christian girls, wherein they never dared to approach them with immoral intentions.
"The spiritual fruits in their lives separated them from the world, and no one doubted their identities," he added.
The unbelievers were also afraid of stealing from Christians and the churches. The society trusts them so much that their testimonies in court are believed by everyone.
"There was a clear distinction between the Church and the world. Christians were not materialistic but heavenly minded," the author shared.
But Amaechina observed that Christians today have deviated from the old ways of the faith and the unbelievers' perception towards them has also changed.
"The world is now intimidating the church and Christians are now afraid of unbelievers. This is an error which must be corrected," he emphasized.
To fix this, the author declared that the Biblical practice of Christianity must be restored.
"A return to biblical old-time Christianity is the only antidote to the moral degradation in the body of Christ worldwide. Let us return to a time when Christians who had God's calling tarried for the Holy Spirit to give them power before stepping into the field," he stated, highlighting the significance of the Great Commission.
For the revival and changes to happen in the Church, he said that repentance is necessary, citing Psalm 85:6.
In conclusion, Amaechina reiterated the essence of practicing the old ways of Christianity for the believers to experience the mighty power of the LORD and have the boldness to share the Word of God.
The late evangelist Billy Graham also tackled this topic on "The Wit and Wisdom of Billy Graham."
In the book, Graham said that "watered down Christians" are weak in the faith because they "limited Christ to the sanctuary" and failed to practice "applied Christianity" beyond the walls of the church. These believers rarely spoke about Christ and had little time praying and reading the Bible.
The evangelist pointed out that such "kind of Christ" will not make an impact in the "revolutionary world," far different from "the Christ who is found in the early Church" which "challenge[d] the world and turn[ed] it upside down."
