AMERICA’S STORY BEGINS
Millions of patriotic Americans are joyously celebrating the birth of our nation today. It was on July 4, 1776, exactly 250 years ago, that the Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, voted to declare independence from England.
But as monumentally important as that event was to the people of America and to the world, it was not the beginning of America’s story.
America, as a nation, had been conceived in God’s heart before the foundation of the universe was laid, her history and destiny well established long before the Declaration of Independence was ratified and signed by her founding fathers.
America’s story actually began to be written on earthly pages on April 29, 1607, when a group of 105 colonists, led by Pastor Robert Hunt, arrived on the shores of Virginia, after a four month trans-Atlantic journey. They planted a rough-hewn wooden cross, which they had brought with them from England, in the sand, and prayed this prayer:
“We do hereby dedicate this Land, and ourselves, to reach the People within these shores with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to raise up Godly generations after us, and with these generations take the Kingdom of God to all the earth. May this COVENANT OF DEDICATION remain to all generations, as long as this earth remains, and may this Land, along with England, be Evangelist to the World. May all who see this Cross, remember what we have done here, and may those who come here to inhabit join us in this Covenant and in this most noble work that the Holy Scriptures may be fulfilled.”
AMERICA WAS CONCEIVED THROUGH A COVENANT OF CONSECRATION!
God conceived and created America for His purposes. He ordained her to advance His kingdom in the earth, to be a “shining city, set on a hill”, a beacon of light, piercing the darkness with the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.
America’s founding principles are true, not because our forefathers, or any generation, (including our own), has lived by those principles perfectly, but because they are based upon the eternal realities revealed in God’s Word.
Our forefathers understood that the aspirations they expressed in our founding documents, (liberty, justice, self-governance, equality, optimism, and opportunity) are universal ideals, implanted in every human heart by the One who created us.
And it is the Creator-God, who arranged people into nations, determining their times and boundaries. (Acts 17:26)
America is truly a blessed nation. And so is any individual or nation, that will honor the covenant He has established by the blood of His Son, Jesus.
“The Lord blesses each nation that worships only Him. He blesses His chosen ones.”
(Psalms 33:12, CEV)
“Blessed, fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God, is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom He has chosen as His own inheritance.” (Psalms 33:12, AMP)
GRACE – POURED OUT ON AMERICA!
America was conceived through the prayer of consecration offered by the colonists as they knelt on the beach in 1607.
America was born through her Declaration of Independence on July 4th 1776.
And between her conception and her birth, God graciously and generously poured out His Spirit upon America, the Beautiful:
“O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!”
It was not her majestic purple mountains, nor her fruited plains, nor her shining seas, but rather the freedom bestowed upon her people, by God’s Spirit of grace, that was, and still is, America’s crowning beauty.
It was the presence, the protection, and the power of Holy Spirit, that guided searching souls to our shores.
It was Holy Spirit’s flame, that ignited the fire in the forge of freedom, where the love of God, family, and country was crafted into the American character.
Before they were ever ready to declare their independence, and to build their own nation,
Holy Spirit had to mold, shape, and prepare these first Americans for God’s purposes.
THE SPIRIT OF LIBERTY
Before they could be free, and become heralds of that freedom to the world, the same Spirit that anointed and empowered Jesus to bring liberty to the captives, had to work deeply in their lives.
There could be no true freedom without an outpouring of Holy Spirit.
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, emancipation from bondage, true freedom].” (2 Corinthians 3:17, Amplified Bible)
The initial outpouring of Holy Spirit upon America is known in history as The Great Awakening. It prepared a people who had been chosen and commissioned to help fulfill God’s plans. They were destined to advance His kingdom and help build the greatest nation that has ever existed on planet earth.
The Great Awakening occurred from the 1730’s through the 1740’s. It was in many ways a reaction to the godless humanism championed by the ironically named “Great Enlightenment”. It was also a rejection of the cold, lifeless, ritualistic religion of many of the established churches of that day.
EDWARDS AND WHITEFIELD
Two of the key figures God used to ignite the revival fires were Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield.
Edwards was best known for his sermon, entitled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, but most of his sermons were uplifting, positive, and full of the grace and love of God. He produced true converts and encouraged them to walk in the purity of their faith.
Whitefield was an ordained minister of the Church of England, and arrived in America in 1739, where he became the chaplain for the colony of Georgia.
Whitefield was fueled by a tireless passion for preaching the gospel. Shortly after his arrival in Georgia he placed a portable pulpit on his horse and embarked on multiple tours up and down the eastern seaboard, from Georgia to Maine, speaking in churches and outdoors in every town, and connecting independent denominations through his unifying message.
Whitefield’s message was simple: He taught that it was not enough to be baptized or go to church. Each person had to be born again, and experience the inward transformation that comes through union with Christ and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
In one year, Whitefield covered some 5,000 miles and spoke over 350 times. Over the span of 34 years he preached 18,000 sermons in the Colonies and 14,000 in England, 32,000 in all, to perhaps 10 million people.
Incredibly, it is estimated that 80% of all American colonists physically heard George Whitefield preach the gospel!
FRUIT OF THE GREAT AWAKENING
The Great Awakening brought conviction of sin, and life-changing conversions. New congregations were formed and existing congregations grew rapidly. And it also brought forth a genuine unity among believers, shattering barriers of race, gender, class, and denominationalism.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit in America’s Great Awakening stirred hearts, transformed countless lives, and watered the seed that was to become the United States of America.
TIMES OF REFRESHING
Now please let me share some final thoughts that are relevant to this generation of Americans. The Apostle Peter said:
“And now you must repent and turn back to God so that your sins will be removed, and so that times of refreshing will stream from the Lord’s presence.” (Acts 3:19, Passion Translation)
Notice that God promised “times (seasons) of refreshing” that would come to His people from His presence. Notice also the word “times” is plural. Where revivals are concerned, God is not “one-and-done”.
America has known many moves of God since the First Great Awakening. Just a few examples:
● Second Great Awakening (1790 – 1840)
● Penecostal Revivals (1901 – 1909)
● Healing Revivals (1940’s – 1950’s)
● Charismatic Movement (1960’s – 1970’s)
● “Jesus People” Movement (1965 – 1972)
God has poured out His Spirit, streams of His presence and power, on generation after generation. Let’s pray that His glory will also be seen in our generation!
NOW, HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD:
It’s beginning again! The rain is beginning to fall! Bodies healed! Marriages restored! Prodigals returned! Addictions broken! Lives transformed! Miracles, signs, and wonders! God glorified!
A Holy Ghost flood breaking through every wall that satan erected to divide my people! Hell’s gates shattered! Kingdom rule established! Times of refreshing! Heaven on earth! It’s beginning again! The rain is beginning to fall!
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My wife, Grace, and I are very proud to be in partnership with Student Life Organization, Inc. We believe in the great work they are doing in Cebu City, and throughout the central part of the Philippines.
SLOI provides educational opportunities to
many physically disabled and financially disadvantaged children, helping them reach their God-given potential.
Your generous giving will help Founders Anne Ruiz, Ian Rustia and their team, as they faithfully declare and demonstrate God’s love to these children and their families.
“I mention this not because I’m requesting a gift, but so that the fruit of your generosity may bring you an abundant reward.”
(Philippians 4:17, TPT)
Would you please give today? If so, please use this link: paypal.me/anaferuiz
Thank you! We pray that you will experience God’s richest blessings as you give freely and cheerfully in Jesus’ name!
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