AMERICA NEEDS TO BE BORN AGAIN

America was born 240 years ago.  People had come here  - some fleeing the religious persecution of Europe,  Others looking for a fresh start including those who had been imprisoned.  When the Declaration of Independence was written TWO-THIRDS of those living here were opposed to independence.  They were annoyed at the machinations of King George III but weren’t ready to fight over it.    The nation had jut come through the First Great Awakening, and men like Jonathan Edwards were galvanizing religious opinion.  While some waxed cold spiritually, others formed Princeton University in 1746, pejoratively called “Princeton Bible School” by the liberals of that era from Yale and Harvard, begun in 1646 and 1701 respectively.  George Whitfield and others were instrumental in America waking up spiritually.

There is a funny thing about the gospel – it stirs thoughts of freedom.  The Old Covenant with its laws and harshness was replaced with the glorious freedom of Christ – the things that were right to do would now come from within and not be imposed from without.  It became less tolerable to submit to the old ways of Europe, ways, incidentally that persist to this day.  Religious persecution STILL occurs in Europe, with children removed from Christian  parents and a rigid state-controlled educational system n places like Germany that leave no room for Christ.  Back 240 years ago, people were KILLED ISIS-style for differences in belief.  True believers in Christ wanted out.  To be sure, some came here with the same intolerances they were running from – for example, on parts of New England you could be jailed for not baptizing your baby or other offenses.  In Virginia in the 1600's, those preaching personal salvation were put in jail. Freedom, however, caused those intolerances to fade while they persisted across the pond where freedom was a dirty word or an unknown concept.

As rich men invested their treasure in the cause – putting their money where their mouths were, as opposed to today’s politicians making every decision it seems based upon what THEY personally get out of it started the drumbeat rolling.  Freedom is contagious, and America’s big mistake was telling the world they were not ready for it instead of exporting it everywhere.

So many Christian concepts were baked together to form our new nation.  A nation that actually failed the first time with the Articles of Confederation.  It took a lot of prayer and some compromise to finally forge the Constitution n 1787.  A constitution which did NOT have a Bill of Rights by the way.  If took a little time before we had the first ten amendments which included total religious liberty, freedom of the press, the rights to bear arms, etc.  All of this was done based upon one premise – that people would submit to GOD – otherwise the founders knew it would not work.  Now some founders were born against Christians.  Others belonged to mainline denominations which has already become cold – witness the atmosphere at Yale. Still others were Deists, comparable to Unitarians, who actually ruled Harvard starting in 1805 with the appointment of liberal theological Henry Ware effectively changing its Puritan/Congregational roots.

Despite their differences, even the colorful Ben Franklin understood the need for the people to be governed from within in order to have a free society.  Christ was honored and his teachings on morality were considered central.  The issue has been arising for many decades that as American becomes more Godless, whether by outward confession or simply by living as though God did not exist – BTW check out Craig Groeschel’s book, “The Christian Atheist” for details, freedom is lost because of encroaching federal power that is justified as being essential.   Europe has descended into a top-down EU mess which the Brits just had enough of.  There are strong undercurrents throughout Europe about this unfeeling monolith, but few there are willing to pay the price for freedom.  The Brits to their credit paid billions.

In order for America to be truly free again, a nation where people are not so sharply divided with many actually hating their own country and refusing to express allegiance to it or love for it, there needs to be a fresh wind like the Great Awakening that made people consider the possibilities.  The issues we face are GREATER than the founders faced, so we need more than moral, churchgoing folks.  We need people saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost.  We need people who exalt Jesus an who refuse to be part of the culture than blasphemes his name every day in almost every movie and on much of TV.  People who will stand and ask their fellow citizens to do likewise.   We need people who stand for God and for righteousness.  People not afraid to call sin, sin. People unaffected by political correctness and all the other tools of totalitarians. People who know that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  People who will put lawbreakers in jail no matter whether they are a laborer or a president or a candidate for president  People who are willing to execute the murders, rapists, and other violent criminals without apology or endless delays so they can never have a new victim.  People who broadcast the religious motivations of terrorists and others with motives to destroy our nation and its people. People who are willing to stand against those murdering children in their mothers’ wombs - formerly the safest places on earth. 

We need a New American Revolution.    Where we welcome people from anywhere AS LONG AS  they are truly LEAVING the old ways behind and embracing this nation and rejecting the old. A house divided cannot stand and we are a house divided.  Greece failed because of Balkanization – we need ONE language so everyone has the same opportunities and a common purpose.  We have millions voting who cannot hear any of the debates – they vote based upon old world dictates and manipulations.   This males for a weak country. We were founded based upon faith in God and his providence, so no one should be crediting Allah or any other supposed god for what they never did and never would do or could do.  We are a nation of tolerance, but there can be no tolerance for the enemies of the nation who are sworn to destroy it.  That is utter madness.

The beginning of this revolution to be in Christ and to be FREE in Christ as well. To do what is right because it stems from the indwelling Christ and the precious Holy Spirit, not from the old legalisms that never worked.  We must guard our liberties and our God-given rights.   When snakes talk about “freedom of worship” instead of “freedom of religion”, UNDERSTAND the earth-shattering difference.  Being able to worship isolated from the world is universal – one can do that in a jail cell in Saudi Arabia, though silently.  Freedom of religion is an AMERICAN DISTINCTIVE – we can run our schools and businesses and churches according to the scriptures and the standards of God which cannot be impugned by the state, no matter what their intentions.  Words mean everything because of what lies behind them.   On this Independence Day 2016, commit to fighting for your country  - so much lies in the balance.  Reject the top-down rulership elites who think they know more than anyone but who like the scribes and Pharisees Jesus excoriated in Matthew 23 PREVENT people from entering the Kingdom and make their followers twice as fit for hell as they are themselves.   Put these out of office whether the dogcatcher or the President (we care for dogs, too!).  Put out those who say one thing and do another!  Most of all, pray daily for our nation – pray for leaders by name for God to raise up or put down. Pray for legislation. Pray for judges and SCOTUS decisions.   Finally, pray for your pastors and those you look to for Godly wisdom that they would be truthful, be on the right side of God, and be faithful to the totally infallible inspired Word of God.  Many think our nation is over.  They may well be right.  However, I will not lose it without a fight.  Will you?