all it takes is one---billy graham
www.billygraham.org/DMag_article.asp?ArticleID=782
Today in America, Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, there might be a young man who could turn his nation upside down for Christ. Or a young woman whom God could mightily use to help fill the great spiritual vacuum we see developing in Western society. All it takes is one. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Every link is necessary. You are a link in God’s chain, in God’s plan to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world. Are you ready? All you need is God. If you are totally surrendered and totally dedicated, you can say, “Lord, here’s my hand with all I have.” God has a place for you. He can use you.----Billy Graham
The population of the United States is over 295 million people. Approximately 80% of Americans (that's over 236 million) self-identify as Christians. (random thought--do you think that God would identify all of those 236 million people as Christians?) OK, clearly, we have lots of so-called Christians in this country who don't "walk the talk"! No wonder this great nation is in such trouble! This Billy Graham article, however, offers us a vision of hope!
I read an article earlier today that stated that the 21st Century is the beginning of the "postmodern" period. During the modern era (1500-2000 A.D.), according to the article, the average American was born into a traditional two-parent family and received a primarily Judeo-Christian upbringing. The modern American was raised to believe in the one, true God of all creation, as revealed in the Bible. The typical modern American learned about Jesus, the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, all of the basic Bible stories, and the concepts of sin, judgement, repentence, and salvation through Jesus' death and resurrection.
As the modern American grew, he would be taught that religion was important, that the Bible contains absolute truth, and that the world does contain both good and evil. He would be taught in school that America was founded upon the principles of Judeo-Christianity, and that "one nation under God" was what made America great.
The author then stated that, at the turn of the century, we entered the postmodern era (although, truthfully, we have been "transitioning" for 20 or 30 years). This new era is typified by the average American child growing up in a single-parent family, and in a global, pluralistic atmosphere. Increasingly, the postmodern child will be taught that there are many religions in the world, and that they are all good (except for Christianity, which is too intolerant and condemning), and that it is bigoted and intolerant to believe that one or the other speaks something as archaic as "absolute truth." The postmodern American child will learn less from parental instruction/guidance/mentoring and more from global sources such as Internet and mass media.
The author didn't spend a lot of time talking about how damaging these changes will be to our nation, but I will. I believe that the America created by our Founding Fathers is one generation away from extinction. My three children will turn 8, 5, and 2 this year. I firmly believe that, unless there is a Great Awakening in this country, my children will live as adults in a secular progressive, humanist, socialist America that bears no resemblance whatsoever to the America of the 18th, 19th, and 20th Centuries. We will fall prey to all manner of evil, cities will burn, our people will live in oppression, and Christian Americans will begin to face the same murderous persecution that Christians have been facing for hundreds of years in other parts of the world. The "freedom gravy train" that we have been riding on since 1776, and taking for granted since the 1960's, will reach the end of the line unless those of us who call ourselves Christians wake up and smell the coffee, seek God, and turn away from our sinfulness.
There's hope, however. Read the Billy Graham article and you will be reminded that God can save nations through one single, solitary, imperfect, faithful person. He doesn't need 295 million people to band together. God can save America using just one! Imagine what would happen if as many as 100 Americans (that's a miniscule fraction of 1% of the population) banded together to seek God's blessings on America. The results would be nothing short of miraculous!
So, what's the bottom line? What should we do? I believe that there are 3 things that God wants us to do as Christians to effect an awakening:
1. Have faith. Jesus' talked about the mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-32, and Matthew 17:20-21) to illustrate the power of faith. The mustard seed is the smallest of seeds, almost impossible to see with the naked eye. Yet that same, tiny seed would grow into a mighty tree. The one, tiny seed is our faith, but, when "sowed" by God, it will grow into something great and mighty. God has hardwired into us the all the faith we need. It is up to us to put that faith in God; to focus our hearts and our minds and our souls on Him. "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."---Matthew 17:20-21
2. Persevere. No matter what the cost, no matter how many times we are tempted to give in to discouragement, we must persevere. No matter what hardships or disappointments we face, we must persevere. We must be like Moses, as he led the Israelites on their exodus out of Egypt to The Promised Land. How many times during that long, arduous journey did the Israelites give up on the "mission"? How many times did the Israelites turn their backs to God? How many times did the Israelites lose their faith and dive headlong into sin? Yet Moses didn't give up on them. He continued to lead them. He continued to intercede with God on their behalf. He continued to fight for their deliverance. Moses persevered. We must be like Moses. We must persevere.
3. Pray without ceasing. If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.---2 Chronicles 7:14
This is the important part. God is telling us that if we humbly admit, both to ourselves and to God, that we are nothing without Him, and if, in that spirit of humbleness, we repent and ask God to forgive us, and if we pledge to love God with our entire beings and to renounce our wickedness and faithfully follow Him, then God will hear us and He will forgive us and he will heal America.
I would like to issue a challenge to everyone who visits this blog. Tonight, and every night for the rest of 2007, humbly pray for America before you go to bed.
Pray---that God will forgive us individually for our many sins, and confess them.
Pray---that God would forgive us as a nation for our many sins, and confess them.
Pray---that God would bless America's children, and our children specifically, and claim their hearts for Him.
Pray---that God would equally bless our granchildren and our great-grandchildren, and each succeeding generation.
Pray---that God would bless our military and political leaders, giving them strength, courage and wisdom.
Pray---that God would give us strength, courage and wisdom as we raise our families, and as we choose our government leaders, and as we spread the Good News about Jesus.
Pray---that God would heal America, and cause an awakening that would lead to a rebirth of America, creating "one nation under God."
Pray---that God would strengthen our ability to persevere, and that He would grow our faith, both individually and collectively, into something great for His Kingdom.
Pray---"Lord, here's my hand with all I have".
When the calendar changes, and 2007 rolls into 2008, begin again.
“Knowing that intercessory prayer is our mightiest weapon and the supreme call for all Christians today, I pleadingly urge our people everywhere to pray. Believing that prayer is the greatest contribution that our people can make in this critical hour, I humbly urge that we take time to pray.
“Let there be prayer at sun-up, at noonday, at sundown, at midnight - all through the day. Let us all pray for our children, our youth, our aged, our pastors, our homes. Let us pray for our churches. Let us pray for ourselves, that we may not lose the word concern out of our Christian vocabulary. Let us pray for our nation. Let us pray for those who have never known Jesus Christ and His redeeming love, for moral forces everywhere, for our national leaders. Let prayer be our passion, let prayer be our practice.” ---Robert E. Lee
Today in America, Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, there might be a young man who could turn his nation upside down for Christ. Or a young woman whom God could mightily use to help fill the great spiritual vacuum we see developing in Western society. All it takes is one. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Every link is necessary. You are a link in God’s chain, in God’s plan to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world. Are you ready? All you need is God. If you are totally surrendered and totally dedicated, you can say, “Lord, here’s my hand with all I have.” God has a place for you. He can use you.----Billy Graham
The population of the United States is over 295 million people. Approximately 80% of Americans (that's over 236 million) self-identify as Christians. (random thought--do you think that God would identify all of those 236 million people as Christians?) OK, clearly, we have lots of so-called Christians in this country who don't "walk the talk"! No wonder this great nation is in such trouble! This Billy Graham article, however, offers us a vision of hope!
I read an article earlier today that stated that the 21st Century is the beginning of the "postmodern" period. During the modern era (1500-2000 A.D.), according to the article, the average American was born into a traditional two-parent family and received a primarily Judeo-Christian upbringing. The modern American was raised to believe in the one, true God of all creation, as revealed in the Bible. The typical modern American learned about Jesus, the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, all of the basic Bible stories, and the concepts of sin, judgement, repentence, and salvation through Jesus' death and resurrection.
As the modern American grew, he would be taught that religion was important, that the Bible contains absolute truth, and that the world does contain both good and evil. He would be taught in school that America was founded upon the principles of Judeo-Christianity, and that "one nation under God" was what made America great.
The author then stated that, at the turn of the century, we entered the postmodern era (although, truthfully, we have been "transitioning" for 20 or 30 years). This new era is typified by the average American child growing up in a single-parent family, and in a global, pluralistic atmosphere. Increasingly, the postmodern child will be taught that there are many religions in the world, and that they are all good (except for Christianity, which is too intolerant and condemning), and that it is bigoted and intolerant to believe that one or the other speaks something as archaic as "absolute truth." The postmodern American child will learn less from parental instruction/guidance/mentoring and more from global sources such as Internet and mass media.
The author didn't spend a lot of time talking about how damaging these changes will be to our nation, but I will. I believe that the America created by our Founding Fathers is one generation away from extinction. My three children will turn 8, 5, and 2 this year. I firmly believe that, unless there is a Great Awakening in this country, my children will live as adults in a secular progressive, humanist, socialist America that bears no resemblance whatsoever to the America of the 18th, 19th, and 20th Centuries. We will fall prey to all manner of evil, cities will burn, our people will live in oppression, and Christian Americans will begin to face the same murderous persecution that Christians have been facing for hundreds of years in other parts of the world. The "freedom gravy train" that we have been riding on since 1776, and taking for granted since the 1960's, will reach the end of the line unless those of us who call ourselves Christians wake up and smell the coffee, seek God, and turn away from our sinfulness.
There's hope, however. Read the Billy Graham article and you will be reminded that God can save nations through one single, solitary, imperfect, faithful person. He doesn't need 295 million people to band together. God can save America using just one! Imagine what would happen if as many as 100 Americans (that's a miniscule fraction of 1% of the population) banded together to seek God's blessings on America. The results would be nothing short of miraculous!
So, what's the bottom line? What should we do? I believe that there are 3 things that God wants us to do as Christians to effect an awakening:
1. Have faith. Jesus' talked about the mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-32, and Matthew 17:20-21) to illustrate the power of faith. The mustard seed is the smallest of seeds, almost impossible to see with the naked eye. Yet that same, tiny seed would grow into a mighty tree. The one, tiny seed is our faith, but, when "sowed" by God, it will grow into something great and mighty. God has hardwired into us the all the faith we need. It is up to us to put that faith in God; to focus our hearts and our minds and our souls on Him. "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."---Matthew 17:20-21
2. Persevere. No matter what the cost, no matter how many times we are tempted to give in to discouragement, we must persevere. No matter what hardships or disappointments we face, we must persevere. We must be like Moses, as he led the Israelites on their exodus out of Egypt to The Promised Land. How many times during that long, arduous journey did the Israelites give up on the "mission"? How many times did the Israelites turn their backs to God? How many times did the Israelites lose their faith and dive headlong into sin? Yet Moses didn't give up on them. He continued to lead them. He continued to intercede with God on their behalf. He continued to fight for their deliverance. Moses persevered. We must be like Moses. We must persevere.
3. Pray without ceasing. If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.---2 Chronicles 7:14
This is the important part. God is telling us that if we humbly admit, both to ourselves and to God, that we are nothing without Him, and if, in that spirit of humbleness, we repent and ask God to forgive us, and if we pledge to love God with our entire beings and to renounce our wickedness and faithfully follow Him, then God will hear us and He will forgive us and he will heal America.
I would like to issue a challenge to everyone who visits this blog. Tonight, and every night for the rest of 2007, humbly pray for America before you go to bed.
Pray---that God will forgive us individually for our many sins, and confess them.
Pray---that God would forgive us as a nation for our many sins, and confess them.
Pray---that God would bless America's children, and our children specifically, and claim their hearts for Him.
Pray---that God would equally bless our granchildren and our great-grandchildren, and each succeeding generation.
Pray---that God would bless our military and political leaders, giving them strength, courage and wisdom.
Pray---that God would give us strength, courage and wisdom as we raise our families, and as we choose our government leaders, and as we spread the Good News about Jesus.
Pray---that God would heal America, and cause an awakening that would lead to a rebirth of America, creating "one nation under God."
Pray---that God would strengthen our ability to persevere, and that He would grow our faith, both individually and collectively, into something great for His Kingdom.
Pray---"Lord, here's my hand with all I have".
When the calendar changes, and 2007 rolls into 2008, begin again.
“Knowing that intercessory prayer is our mightiest weapon and the supreme call for all Christians today, I pleadingly urge our people everywhere to pray. Believing that prayer is the greatest contribution that our people can make in this critical hour, I humbly urge that we take time to pray.
“Let there be prayer at sun-up, at noonday, at sundown, at midnight - all through the day. Let us all pray for our children, our youth, our aged, our pastors, our homes. Let us pray for our churches. Let us pray for ourselves, that we may not lose the word concern out of our Christian vocabulary. Let us pray for our nation. Let us pray for those who have never known Jesus Christ and His redeeming love, for moral forces everywhere, for our national leaders. Let prayer be our passion, let prayer be our practice.” ---Robert E. Lee
posted by hondo at 8:43 PM
2 Comments:
Hondo,
My kids are about the same age as yours, so I am with you on this. But isn't Billy Graham a democrat and an admirer of Bill and Hillary Clinton?
I don't think that Billy Graham has ever publically expressed his political affiliation, so I don't know if he is a Democrat or a Republican.
Yes, he has expressed admiration for Bill Clinton. I would respectfully disagree with the good reverend on that point.
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