You cannot do the work of God properly if the world and the churches are mixed together. People have tried this for centuries, refusing to heed the word of God on this point. If you want a church where the people are sincere workers for God, where there is true reliance upon God, and there is real zeal for souls, fervour, sacrifice on the part of God's people to serve the Lord; where the people are consistent in their service for him and apply themselves, and really honour Christ and lift him up; you can't achieve that, if the church is worldly, or if half the membership are unconverted, and the other half and are true believers. There must be so far as God can enable us a regenerate church membership. There must be a separation from worldliness in the church and we see that time and again in the book of Genesis.
In matters of the soul, we may be withheld from seeing the source of our relief, until the time when God is pleased to deliver us. The disciples on the road to Emmaus were kept from recognising Christ who had been speaking with them. God can stupefy us and he can enlighten us. Hagar might have died in the wilderness when in fact she was within reach of water. We must always pray and not faint, for trials are intended to drive us to prayer.