Shoulder To Shoulder #1343 -- 7/10/23 ---- "Is Another Spiritual Awakening Eminent? (Part 15) -- Ancient Paths Leading to Awakening"
"Standing Together, Shoulder To Shoulder, As We Fight the Good Fight of Faith"
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER is a weekly letter of encouragement Bob has written since 1997, covering many topics selected to
motivate people to be strong students of the Word and courageous witnesses of Jesus Christ. It is a personal letter of
encouragement to you, written solely to help "lift up hands that hang down".
"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything." -- Albert Einstein
“There is a common, worldly kind of Christianity in this day, which many have, and think they have -- a cheap Christianity which offends nobody,
and requires no sacrifice, which costs nothing, -- and is worth nothing.” – J. C. Ryle
Shoulder To Shoulder #1343 -- 7/10/23
Title: "Is Another Spiritual Awakening Eminent? (Part 15) -- Ancient Paths Leading to Awakening"
My Dear Friend and Fellow Kingdom Seeker:
No, I haven't died, nor have I disappeared. As a matter of fact, I've been trying to write again for nearly a month, but since my last letter on June 13th, life has been a whirlwind of things interrupting my efforts to write ---- nearly a week with both of us suffering from altitude sickness (something we've never experienced the previous seven years in Greer), an untimely death of one of our chapel leaders, the annual Greer Days, a five-day trip back to Yuma, the death of another chapel member and her celebration of life service yesterday. What a special blessing it was to celebrate the life of our 94 year old Ruth, who was part of three of Arizona's true pioneer families dating back to the mid 1800's -- the Evans, Hayes, and Cordes families. All of them traversed much of central and northeastern Arizona as ranchers, farmers, educators, and agents for the government. All families have places, towns, or streets named after them.
On top of that, we also had area resort leadership meetings, and an exceptionally heavy study load for this season's series, "Unwavering Assurance For Uncertain Days". And, of course, our hands have been full with attempts to provide funds to a number of ministries and friends in Ukraine. So, with that in mind, let me jump right into today's topic -- still on spiritual awakening.
A DECAYING CULTURE:
I'm certain that you are probably as alarmed as I am as to how rapidly our culture has steadily collapsed these past few years. It is as if God has allowed Satan to remove the lid to that "bottomless pit" where all the fallen angels have been entombed releasing them into wave after wave of relentless attack on the very moral and spiritual fiber of our nation. Yesterday a friend noted in Chapel services his alarm, stating that he was not surprised with the decay (because the Bible already predicted it long ago), but he was stunned at the rapidity with which it has happened these past ten years. Recently former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, wrote an op ed entitled, "Confronting Evil". In it he wrote, . . .
"When I learned that a group of activists at New York City's annual drag queen parade were chanting 'We're coming for your children,' it was the final straw. This calls for a blunt, straightforward repudiation of those who would destroy our children and civilization. ... Just a few weeks ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers honored a group called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, designed to show contempt for women around the world."
Clearly Satan's agenda as described by Jesus to His disciples in John 10:10a -- "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; . . ." -- is taking place before our very eyes. It is as if evil in its many-faceted forms has reached critical mass and now the very weight of its presence propels it faster and faster, and larger and larger, down the declining slop into the abyss of total destruction. And, things are going to intensify ever more, getting more "dicey" by the week.
I don't know how you think, but this reality gives me pause to wonder whether or not this potential spiritual awakening about which I've been writing since last February will actually happen. We know that one will take place during what many call "the tribulation period" following the rapture of the Church, -- but will another one take place before we are taken up and out?
David Lane, founder of the American Renewal Project, remains one of my favorite writers of contemporary cultural life. He recently pointed out what lies at the bottom of our cultural collapse -- the total take-over of the American educational system by godless and evil thinkers. He stated, . . .
"In light of the fact that 37 of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence held the 18th-century equivalent of seminary degrees, we cannot help but wonder why American Christendom is not pushing for a mass exodus from public education. The same type of exit with the capital E of Exodus liberated the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt in the 13th century B.C., under Moses' servant leadership and God's guidance. 'My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest,' (Ex. 33:14)."
For many years I have laid the burden of responsibility for such a moral and spiritual decline on the doorsteps of Christendom. We can't get away from that embarrassing fact. It is not so much that evil has increased, as the Bible has predicted for nearly 2,000 years, but it's that apparently "the love of many has grown cold" among believers, as Paul predicted.
Jesus could not have been more clear that Christians are the "salt and light" of their culture (Matthew 5), and when the salt loses its saltiness, rottenness immediately sets in; when the light dims or goes out, darkness comes instantly. When God's Word and its principles were in the forefront of education -- both in the schools, the churches, and the homes, -- morality and righteousness were inevitable. When salt is applied, the preserving process is automatic; when light is turned on, darkness cannot exist.
David Lane continued, saying, . . .
"All culture and political thought rests on a given foundation; one religious worldview or another invariably forms the basis for all political philosophy, principles and regulations established in a community by some authority and applicable to its people. Scripture, established by America's founders as the central cohesive source of virtue and discernment, has been discarded by intellectual elites as antiquated. . . .
"Christian's relinquishing of basic civil government citizenship, in disobedience to the gospel, has sanctioned those living in rebellion against God to hold sway over the nation's spiritual, intellectual, educational, economic, vocational and cultural levers of power. Thus, those mountains of influence exalt and normalize sin, mirroring secularist values and religious beliefs of following 'science'."
I still remember when some 50 years ago, Bill Bright (founder of Campus Crusade for Christ) and Loren Cunningham (founder of Youth With A Mission -- YWAM) warned us all that the seven "mountains" of American culture (Economic, Education, Government, Religion, Family, Media, and Arts & Entertainment) were under direct attack even back then. It was obvious then, but terrifyingly obvious today. Can you point to even a single one of these areas that has Not been negatively impacted -- perhaps infect or even destroyed -- by forces of evil? I cannot find even one. (If you want to see their observations back then, go to https://www.generals.org/the-seven-mountains.)
We are this very day precariously perched on the precipice of a total moral and spiritual collapse of our nation. Virtually every direction I turn, people within every single one of those seven areas are fervently warning us of the inevitable if things don't change. I don't need to waste your time with the data and warning statements that is sounding the alarm -- you already know the data, and you've already heard the voices. The only people Not sounding such warnings are those who don't really care, those who are surrendered fatalists, and -- most loudly -- that minority of God-haters who gleefully vomit out their rhetoric of globalism, secularism, and Romans 1 ideology.
Just today I saw more headlines about churches -- even in conservative evangelical circles -- who are leaving denominations because those denominations won't bend to liberal values, and liberal denominations like the United Methodists who just took another severe hit because of their liberalized theology and practice. At the same time, liberal churches are leaving conservative denominations because they won't accept their heretical teachings and practices.
STANDING AT THE CROSSROADS:
Last Tuesday I had the privilege of speaking briefly at the annual "Ringing of the Bell" ceremony in Greer, joined by my 97 year old WW II veteran friend Ray Evans and U.S. Ninth District Court federal judge friend, James Teilborg. I had been asked to speak about how we as a nation were at another decision time as to our future direction. In order to try to stay within my allotted time and not stray too far off topic, I wrote my comments out in manuscript form to read. I stated the following:
===========================
Many years ago an ancient nation that had been blessed countless times over, found itself again in a repeated state of conflict and decay. Through a series of inexplicable events and circumstances, it had been released from the clutches of a tyrant and, under the leadership of strong and principled men, had made its way to a new land, new opportunity, and prosperity.
It didn’t take many generations, though, for the people to take their liberties for granted and their prosperity to be misdirected, and once again they found themselves having strayed far from the pathway that had been charted for them.
To their credit, one of their strongest voices during this time of chaos repeatedly warned them of their moral drift, and that they needed a radical course correction. He declared that they were at a crossroads – a major one – a nation-changing one – where they could continue down their current path, or they could return to the pathway they had prosperously and faithfully traveled in past generations.
He stated, “Stop at the crossroads and look around; ask for the ancient paths. Where is the good way? Then walk in it and find a resting place for yourselves. But you said, ‘We won't go!’ Still, I have appointed watchmen to warn you. But you [still] said, ‘We won't listen!’" (Jer 6:16-17 CEB)
It was a clarion call to follow the counsel Robert Frost so wisely admonished in his classic poem we know as “The Road Less Traveled”. In a sense, it could be likened to a call back to that “narrow road” and “narrow gate” the Gospels describe – that lead to life instead of death and destruction.
There are times – both as nations, as families, as towns or cities, and as individuals – when we stand at such crossroads. It seems obvious that the United States may be standing at such a crossroads -- again. A recent NBC poll indicated that only 20% of Americans believe we are going in the right direction.
We have opportunities to return to the moral and spiritual values that made us strong, great, and prosperous in the past – or continue the dash over the cliff to our demise. There are those moments in time when we can either make the effort to build a barrier at the top of the cliff so we don’t have to later drive an ambulance to its bottom – or we can wait & call for the ambulance at the bottom too late.
Too often we fail to consider significant events for what they actually are – forks in the road, crossroads – where we have opportunities to evaluate our direction and our actions. The United States has experienced more of such moments in our young 247 years of existence than most nations do in 1,000 years.
+ The revolutionary War
+ The Presidency of George Washington
+ The Creation of the Constitution
+ The Civil War and assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.
+ The introduction of Progressivism at the beginning of the 20th Century
+ The Great Depression
+ The bombing of Pearl Harbor and our entry into WW II.
+ The assassination of President Kennedy
+ The terrorist attack on September 11th, 2001
+ The fiascos of Afghanistan and other countries.
+ Major natural disasters and economic crises.
+ Riots and unrest in the streets.
+ Violence and rampant crime in epidemic proportion.
Those – and others – were defining moments in our national journey. During many of those events in our history, we were given an opportunity to turn around and return to those “ancient paths”, as that young idealistic prophet described them over 2,700 years ago.
Many more opportunities also came to us in the forms of timely national spiritual awakenings. Based on documented evidence, my years of studying America's history has convinced me that God has intervened at critical moments with great, national revivals that have actually altered the course of our nation. I believe that, without another such Awakening at this current time in history, the America many of us grew up in will cease to exist. The handwriting is on the wall for anyone who is willing to see it.
I am convinced, as are many others that, if America is to survive, we must intentionally pray for another Great Awakening that will revive the churches, impact the culture, and stem the tide of secularism and immorality that is flooding our land. Samuel Adams, another prominent Founding Father, believed this to be the key for Freedom to continue in America.
Dr. Michael Novak, an American Catholic historian and theologian in his book, Washington's God: Religion, Liberty, and the Father of Our Country, stated, "Far from having a hostility toward religion, the Founders counted on religion [Christianity] for the underlying philosophy of the Republic, its supporting ethic, and its reliable source of rejuvenation."
America has seen as many as fifteen distinct spiritual awakenings since 1726 with Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield (close friend to Benjamin Franklin), and the Wesley brothers. Some of them are . . .
+ The First Spiritual Awakening in the 1720’s to 1750’s led Colonial America to declare independence from England 30 short years later.
+ The Second Great Awakening from 1795 to 1835 sometimes known for the camp meeting revivals or the Frontier revivals.
+ The Prayer Meeting Awakening from around1857 into the 1860's
+ The Pentecostal revivals of the early 20th Century.
+ The healing and tent revivals of the 1940's and 1950's
+ The teaching revivals of the 1960's
+ The Jesus Revolution in the early 1970's
+ The Asbury Revival in 1972 and most recently in 2023
Many people – and I am one of them – believe that it was the First Great Awakening of 1726 that ignited the movement leading to 1776. 1726 was a defining year for America. Historical evidence seems to indicate that 1776 would never have happened apart from the beginning of the Great Awakening in 1726. That year transformed Colonial America and laid the spiritual, moral, and philosophical foundations for the beginning of a great new nation.
It also unleashed the anti-slavery sentiments and moral outrage that eventually brought about slavery’s demise in America. The late Harvard professor, Perry Miller, was correct in saying, “The Declaration of Independence of 1776 was a direct result of the preaching of the evangelists of the Great Awakening.”
Spiritual awakenings have always resulted in positive cultural impacts. It has been true with virtually every spiritual awakening in US. history:
An accurate history and values-centered educational system
+ The anti-slavery movement, resulting 90 years later with the Emancipation Proclamation
+ Fair tax laws
+ The Women’s Suffrage movement
+ Child labor laws
+ The Salvation Army
+ The YMCA
+ Fair trade practices
The changes, improvements, and returns to the “ancient paths” of our forefathers, oddly but obviously do not happen in the halls of Congress or the White House. They happen in churches and synagogues; they happen in human hearts. Scripture tells us, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” (Ps 33:12; 144:15)
Our founders clearly understood the unbreakable link between moral & spiritual faith & the freedoms they sought. John Adams & others constantly declared that our Constitution works only for a religious and moral people. His statement is well known. In a 1798 address to the officers of the MA Militia, Adams declared, . . .
"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . . Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious [Christian] people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other"
Dr. Benjamin Rush, a Philadelphia physician, member of the Continental Congress, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and first Surgeon General of the U.S. made this clear when he said, . . .
"The only foundation for a republic is to be laid in Religion. Without this there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments"
You cannot have good government without good people. You cannot have good people without good hearts. You cannot have good hearts without good morality. You cannot have good morality without the strong influence of religious values and beliefs.
One of the wisest national leaders in history said, “Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people.” (Prov 14:34) Solomon often addressed the issue of righteousness vs. wickedness – and the consequences on the people. He wrote things such as . . . :
“When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.” (Prov 11:10)
“When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, But when the wicked rise, men hide themselves.” (Prov 28:12)
“When the wicked rise, men hide themselves; But when they perish, the righteous increase.” (Prov 28:28)
“When the wicked increase, transgression increases; But the righteous will see their fall.” (Prov 29:16)
Today we find ourselves again at a major national crossroads where we have choices to make.
The path we must choose to take is the same “ancient path” identified by that prophet of old – it is a “good way” that leads to peace and rest. It is to return to the traditional Judeo-Christian values to which our founding fathers turned as they declared independence from King George III, and then crafted our Constitution, the greatest man-authored governing document ever written.
While we have the best political structure in the world, it will not save us. What will save us is a return to the moral values upon which that structure was built in the first place. As Andrew Breitbart so brilliantly reminded us prior to his untimely death – and I have mentioned it here before --, “Politics is always downstream of culture.” So, if we want our politics to change, we must change the culture.
In order to change our cultural climate, we must return to the moral values upon which our nation was first founded – where truth was absolute, morality was essential, and justice was equal for all people. We have two entire generations living today who have not been taught those historic principles.
So, what are we to do? If we are to turn around and choose the “good way”, the “road less taken”, the way that leads to rest of heart and soul, we must do the following:
+ Make a change in our hearts – our values, our sense of purpose, our priorities.
+ Change the way we live and conduct ourselves with others.
+ Do what we can to impact our personal part of the culture that immediately surrounds us.
+ When we vote, -- and we must vote -- place our loyalties on principle and policy, rather than on popularity or party.
+ Take up the burden of responsibility to teach our children and grandchildren the truth about our heritage – they will not learn them from the entertainment, news media, or educational institutions. They will never know them unless we teach them. That must be your priority, no matter how inconvenient it must be, how much time it may take, or how inadequately prepared you feel.
+ Make morality and spiritual values the center of your personal life and promote it among those around you.
+ Make God the center focus of your life again.
At age 41 and looking back at the struggles, hardships, and losses many of his contemporaries had suffered in behalf of freedom, John Adams spoke to those who were to follow in the liberties he had helped gain:
"Posterity, you will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven that I ever took half the pains to preserve it."
If we will commit ourselves, as we stand at another crossroads, to actually choose and walk those “ancient pathways”, God will perhaps bless America again. He may even give us another national spiritual awakening that would heal and restore us. The hint of spiritual awakening is in the air in many ways. We see evidences in our culture today:
+ The increase in well known people speaking more openly about faith and morality, right and wrong.
+ The growing production and popularity of faith-based movies and music, often out performing secular films at the box office (as in the case of "Sound of Freedom" trouncing the latest "Indiana Jones" movie. As of this morning, the box office receipts have already exceeded $40 million.
+ The inexplicable popularity of the movie, “The Jesus Revolution” while other more well known films see box office failures.
+ The increasing courage of political figures to speak out on ethics, morality, and faith.
+ The increasing number of political candidates at all levels of government who believe in basic Judeo-Christian values.
+ The growing number of denominations and local churches that are splitting over biblical issues such as baptism modes, salvation's meaning and method, and LBGTQ, WOKE issues and others. For example, the United Methodist Church is losing 1/5 of its churches (over 6,000 churches) because of LBGTQ, BLM, and WOKE matters. This is an indication that Christians are beginning to take a stand against things they once accepted or at least tolerated.
+ The stunning development of spiritual awakenings taking place in nations under crisis – such as China, Afghanistan, Iran, Brazil, and Ukraine.
As God promised Solomon, king of ancient Israel, . . .
"If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (II Chron 7:13-14)
THE ORIGINAL PATH WE ONCE FOLLOWED:
I am not a particular fan of Gary DeMar's eschatology, but I do respect his strong biblical stand on America's journey to freedom based on undeniable Judeo-Christian principles so strongly embraced by our founders. A couple of days ago I randomly stumbled across one of his most recent assessments of that history and its development in America in his blog, The American Vision. He wrote, . . .
"America’s original founding was rooted deeply in the things of Jesus Christ and His kingdom. The original charter given to Sir Walter Raleigh by Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century was to establish 'the true Christian faith.' John Rolfe at Jamestown sought to 'advance the Honor of God and to propagate his Gospel.' The faithful Christians who wrote the Mayflower Compact stated that their mission was 'for the Glory of God and advancements of the Christian faith.'
"Supreme Court Justice Brewer (1837-1910) confirmed these facts and many more that he gleaned from our nation’s original documents and referenced in his 1905 book The United States: A Christian Nation: 'In no charter or constitution is there anything to even suggest that any other than the Christian is the religion of this country.… In short, there is no charter or constitution that is either infidel, agnostic, or anti-Christian. Wherever there is a declaration in favor of any religion it is of the Christian.'
"Even some of our nation’s Founders who did not identify as Christians could not escape the impact the Bible had on our nation’s founding and the moral precepts that held the fledgling nation together. America’s Christian heritage is writ large in its state Constitutions, charters, laws, symbols, and repeated stated reliance on the overruling providence of God.
"It’s not enough, however, to relive history. There’s much work before us to reset the foundation stones of a firm reliance on Divine Providence. We need to heed the words of Benjamin Franklin who quoted Psalm 127:1 during the drafting process of the Constitution: 'except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it,' and 'that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel.'
"The principles that were true and necessary centuries ago for building nations are equally true and necessary today."
Many voices of the past testify to these strong Judeo-Christian roots. For example, . . .
James Wilson was only 34 years old when he signed the Declaration of independence. He also signed the Constitution, and was appointed by George Washington to serve as a Supreme Court Justice. In 1787 he stated, . . .
"After a period of 6,000 years since creation, the United States exhibit to the world THE FIRST INSTANCE of a nation ... assembling voluntarily ... and deciding ... that system of government under which they and their posterity should live."
The highly esteemed Daniel Webster stated in 1802 as a U.S. Senator, . . .
"Miracles do not cluster, and what has HAPPENED ONCE IN 6,000 YEARS, may not happen again. Hold on to the Constitution, for if the American Constitution should fail, there will be anarchy throughout the world."
John Jay, President of the Continental Congress from 1778-1779, was nominated by George Washington to be the First Chief Justice of Supreme Court. The following year after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, he wrote, . . .
"The Americans are THE FIRST PEOPLE whom Heaven has favored with an opportunity of ... choosing the forms of government under which they should live. All other constitutions have derived their existence from violence or accidental circumstances ... Your lives, your liberties, your property, will be at the disposal only of your Creator and yourselves."
Ezra Stiles, the seventh president of Yale College (later University) was an American educator, theologian, Congregationalist minister, and author. He was also one of the founders of Brown University. He is perhaps best known for stating in one of his annual "election sermons" that God does not judge nations in the afterlife, but only here in this life, and He judges rightly. In 1788 he said, . . .
"All the forms of civil polity have been tried by mankind, except one: and that seems to have been reserved in Providence to be realized in America."
Sometimes we forget that at the time of the American Revolution, even on the day our Constitution was ratified on September 17, 1787, almost all other major countries were ruled by kings. And most of those kings were heavy-handed and cruel toward those who opposed or disrespected them. For example (taken from William Federer's The American Minute):
+ The absolute monarchy of Ch'ien Lung, emperor of the Manchu (or Ch'ing) Dynasty, reigned supreme over all of China, and any revolts were put down by ruthless military force.
+ In Japan the shogun (warriors) of the corrupt Tokugawa chamberlain Tanuma Okitsugu enforced perversion and totalitarian authority over the Japanese people.
+ The British Governor of Bengal, Warren Hastings, successfully defeated the power of the fragmented Mogul dynasties that had ruled throughout India since 1600.
+ Catherine the Great, having overthrown her own husband for the Russian throne, was the "enlightened" despot of all of the Russias.
+ Joseph II, while some might call a "benevolent dictator", still as the emperor of Austria, Bohemia and Hungary, placed heavy restrictions on religion, and initiated numerous acts that weakened the monarchy, particularly in foreign affairs.
+ For almost half a century, Frederick the Great had ruled Prussia as a sovereign king over all his subjects. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled King, having declared himself King of Prussia after he annexed Royal Prussia from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1772. While he was part of the "Enlightenment", he retained absolute control, during which time Prussia greatly increased its territories and became a major military power in Europe under his rule.
+ Louis XVI was the last king of France, resting uneasily on his throne only a few years away from the French Revolution, a bloody attempt at pure democracy. Taking place at the same time frame as the American Revolution, he succumbed to the inevitable anarchy of pure democracy where the people, and not law, rule. This led to the new tyranny of Napoleon Bonaparte.
While all of that was going on, biblically literate and historically knowledgeable men began meeting to find a way to break away from such tyranny as was being pressed upon them by a power monger in Britain. Turning to history, to writers of the Enlightenment, and to the Bible, they forged a form of government unlike any other ever created.
You see, what happened in America had no real precedent throughout world history, even as far back as the city-states of Greece. The only real precedent for what our founders created was established thousands of years before by the tribes of Israel in the covenant with God and with each other. It was to be governed by the laws of God under the administration of God-appointed people.
THE ESSENTIAL PRESERVATIVE:
You can study all of human history, and you will not find a form of government so totally unique as that by which we are governed. But, as in all instances where human hands touch something God has created, it eventually becomes contaminated, breaks down, and begins to decay. It is far too easy for mankind to stray away, abandoning those well-worn, tried, and proven "ancient paths" that so faithfully bring clear direction, safety, and prosperity.
For this reason God sends revival among His people with the intent of bringing another spiritual awakening to the societal masses. He constantly places in their lives crossroads that, if taken, will bring them back. Even if they have strayed far, far off course, there is a pathway that will bring them back. It is repentance among God's people first, and then a fresh awakening to spiritual and moral values throughout culture itself.
Twelve years before he signed the Declaration of Independence, John Adams wrote the following in his notes on A Dissertation on Canon & Feudal Law in 1765 . . .
"I always consider the settlement of America ... as the opening of a grand scene and design in Providence for ... the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind all over the earth."
Adams, a devout Christian and married to Abigail, the daughter of a pastor, believed strongly in God's hand in the affairs of man, and believed that God had divinely brought into existence a nation that would function according to divine laws -- laws derived from fundamental principles of conduct spelled out in scripture. John Jay believed the same thing, stating in 1777, . . .
"This glorious revolution ... distinguished by so many marks of the Divine favor and interposition ... and I may say miraculous, that when future ages shall read its history they will be tempted to consider a great part of it as fabulous ... The many remarkable ... events by which our wants have been supplied and our enemies repelled ... are such strong and striking proofs of the interposition of Heaven, that our having been hitherto delivered from the threatened bondage of Britain ought, like the emancipation of the Jews from Egyptian servitude."
Even though President Franklin Roosevelt is the U.S. President who injected the idea of Socialism first hinted at by President Woodrow Wilson, he nonetheless had some genuine insight into history and the fallen nature of man. In 1939 he stated, . . .
"Rulers ... increase their power over the common men. The seamen they sent to find gold found instead the way of escape for the common man from those rulers ... What they found over the Western horizon was not the silk and jewels of Cathay ... but mankind's second chance -- a chance to create a new world after he had almost spoiled an old one ... The Almighty seems purposefully to have withheld that second chance until the time when men would most need and appreciate liberty."
FINALLY:
For months now, we have been examining the topic of revival and spiritual awakening. All the evidence points toward our great need for it -- and the possibility that it might possibly happen. It seems to me that the only entity lagging behind in its hunger and search for it is -- of all things -- the Church. The culture recognizes the decline and decay. 80% of Americans believe the nation is absolutely headed in the wrong direction. And yet, only half of evangelical Christians took time to vote in the last election.
It seems that it is Christians who may be standing in the way of a national spiritual awakening. Can you imagine such a thing! Too many are comfortable with sin, preoccupied with the pleasures and tasks of life, too convinced that their personal influence will do nothing to change things, and too fatalistic that there is nothing that the message of the Gospel that can turn America back to God. We are far, far, from the expected norm of Christian devotion and action. Instead of our impacting the world, we have allowed the world system to impact us -- no, to infect us.
Join me in deciding, as we stand at the cross-roads – as we face decision time – to return to the “ancient paths” – the good way that leads to rest.
In His Bond, By His Grace, and for His Kingdom,
Bob Tolliver -- Romans 1:11
"Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness,
examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." -- Dr. Luke (Acts 17:11)
"A fire kept burning on the hearthstone of my heart, and I took up the burden of the day with fresh courage and hope." -- Charles F. McKoy
Life Unlimited Ministries
LUMglobal
lifeunlimited@pobox.com
Copyright June, 2023
"If Jesus had preached the same message that many ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified." -- Leonard Ravenhill
"The time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the Church will have clowns entertaining the goats." -- Charles H. Spurgeon
If this letter has blessed you, feel free to forward it or copy from it, with proper credits, to any and all you wish.