Before the Soviet Union, China, Cuba, and Venezuela, socialism was tried right here on American soil and utterly failed. The Pilgrims, who established the first permanent English settlement in New England in the fall of 1620, at first attempted a socialist style of living. They disbanded it, however, when it became obvious that their community could not survive with such a system.
11/21/2024
HOW SOCIALISM ALMOST DESTROYED THE PILGRIMS
THE VISION THAT DREW THE PIGRIMS TO AMERICA
I was presenting a “Revive America” event at Abounding Grace Christian Church in Schenectady, NY when the Lord highlighted, in a somewhat dramatic fashion, the Pilgrims’ purpose in coming to America.
As I was preparing for an evening session, I sensed the Holy Spirit instructing me to have the audience repeat after me the two reasons the Pilgrims gave, in the Mayflower Compact, for coming to America.
Later that evening, at the appropriate moment, I had the words of the Mayflower Compact flashed on the large screen and asked the audience to read aloud with me their two reasons for coming to the New World. We read together: (1) For the glory of God and (2) the advancement of the Christian faith. We then read it a second time.
At the end of the service, a young man, who looked to be about twenty years of age, approached me with his face glowing and a note of excitement in his voice. He said,
I am attending a local community college and taking a course in American history. Just this week the professor told us that the Pilgrims did not come here for religious reasons. He said they came for monetary reasons.
He paused and then exclaimed, “But there it is in their own words!” He then stated how he was now inspired to study and teach America’s true origins. I then understood why God had instructed me to have everyone speak aloud the two reasons the Pilgrims gave for coming to America.
Indeed, even before the Mayflower Compact, while still in Holland, their missionary vision was clearly stated. William Bradford, who served as governor of Plymouth Colony for over thirty years, explained why they made plans to come to America. He said that they had "a great hope and inward zeal for the propagating and advancing of the gospel of Jesus Christ in those remote parts of the world" (Hyatt, The Pilgrims, 25).
The Pilgrims practiced what modern missiologists would call “friendship evangelism.” They made friends, not only with Squanto, but with countless other individuals and tribes. They established a treaty with the Wampanoag tribe in which they promised to defend each other if either was attacked by an outside aggressor. Dr. Samuel Eliot Morison says the Pilgrims treated the natives with, “A combination of justice, wisdom and mercy” (Hyatt, The Pilgrims, 38).
A number of natives came and lived among the Pilgrims. These included Squanto, Samoset, and Hobomok who served the Pilgrims as guides and interpreters. Living in Plymouth, they would have attended the church services of the Pilgrims.
Their friendship evangelism bore fruit. Bradford told of Squanto falling sick and dying. The Pilgrims cared for Squanto in his sickness, and Bradford said that before he passed, Squanto asked him to pray for him that he would go to the God in heaven he had learned about from the Pilgrims. Bradford described Squanto’s death as "a great loss.”
The Pilgrims’ commitment to missions contributed to the fact that the first Bible published in the New World was not an English language Bible. The first Bible published in America was in the Massachusett language. It was published in 1660 for the purpose of reaching natives with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Pilgrims’ commitment to missions has had far-reaching ramifications and contributed to America becoming the greatest missionary-sending nation in history. This missionary vision, that began with the Pilgrims, became so pronounced that it caught the attention of the U.S. Supreme Court. In the 1892 ruling of “Church of the Holy Trinity vs. the United States,” the nation’s highest court stated,
The churches and church organizations which abound in every city, town, and hamlet . . . and the gigantic missionary associations, with general support, and aiming to establish Christian missions in every quarter of the globe add a mass of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 170).
Yes, the Pilgrims were fleeing persecution in England, but that was only part of the story. They had a proactive missionary vision that was pulling them forward. They clearly stated that they had come to America, “For the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.”
In retrospect, it is obvious that they were successful in their mission. It is also obvious that the modern, self-obsessed American Church needs to acquire a missionary vision of its own. After all, the Great Commission, in which Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20) has never expired.
Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author and ordained minister with a commission to educate America of her radical Christian roots in the Great Awakening. This article was derived from his books, 1726: The Year that Defined America and The Pilgrims, both available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.
11/12/2024
DID GOD RESURRECT DONALD TRUMP'S POLITICAL CAREER?
The
mainstream media and political pundits were stunned by Donald Trump’s
overwhelming victory on November 4. They are still recovering and attempting to
fathom how it could have happened. They were so sure his political career was
over.
After all, he had lost the 2020 election and had left the White House with two impeachments hanging over his head. His home had been raided by FBI agents looking for classified documents the Biden administration claimed he had stolen. Numerous federal and state lawsuits had been filed against him and the entire mainstream media was arrayed against him. His political career, indeed, seemed to have died.
But now, with the 2024 election well behind us, they are still wringing their hands and wondering how he could have won in such an astonishing manner. I am confident I have the answer, which I share below.
God
Promises a Resurrection
In an article posted on
Charisma News dated November 8, 2020, I shared how God had given me a word that His resurrection life would be manifest through Donald Trump. This occurred
during a time of prayer on Saturday, November 7, just three days after the 2020
presidential election.
I had asked the Lord for an
encouraging word for those I would be addressing in a Sunday morning live
stream the following day. I knew that many were troubled and confused at the
media reports that Joe Biden would be the next president of the United States.
After all, so many “prophets” had declared that Trump would serve two
consecutive terms.
The request for an encouraging word
was hardly out of my mouth when there dropped into my heart and mind a word God
had given me at a devastating time in my own life 46 years ago. I immediately knew it
was the message God wanted me to share with the people concerning Trump’s
devastating loss.
A
Life-Changing Word from God
God reminded me of a powerful, life-changing word He gave when Sue and I were starting out in life and ministry together. This word came at at time when we had lost everything.
We lost our place to live. We lost
the place where we were having meetings for the congregation and ministry we
were planting in eastern Canada. Everything was gone. The God-given vision and
mandate had died.
In the midst of this devastation, Sue
and I sat on a park bench with two friends lifting our hearts in prayer. I
remember their 5-year-old daughter, Cara, sitting with us and praying in
tongues.
Suddenly, out of my innermost being,
those rivers of living water that Jesus spoke about in John 7:37-39 began to
flow, and I began praying in tongues. I realize that we charismatics have
learned to pray in tongues on cue—at the drop of a hat. Such prayers, however,
are too often from the neck up and powerless.
This was prayer that I could feel
flowing out of my spirit. And all the time I was praying, I was hearing the
words, “Don’t be afraid of death because I Am the Resurrection.” I
recognized these as the words that Jesus spoke to Martha just before he raised
her brother, Lazarus, from the dead (John 11:25).
I knew that the Lord was telling me
not to fear the death of the vision and mandate He had given. I knew He was
telling me that it would be brought back to life, not by my scheming and
planning, but by His resurrection life and power
A resurrection did occur in our lives
and ministry. A yielding to God, a determination not to quit, a step of
obedience, and resurrection power flowed forth. The ministry that came forth
was not the same as before; for it came forth in His resurrection power and in
ways we could never have planned or strategized.
This was the experience that came so
powerfully to my mind when I asked God for an encouraging word for the people concerning
Donald Trump and his election loss in 2020.
Resurrection
and the 2020-2024 Elections
Fast forward to 2024 and Donald Trump
has astounded and confused the political and media pundits with his overwhelming,
astonishing victory. Despite everything his enemies threw at him, he carried
every one of the so-called “swing states” and made incredible gains in every
demographic of American society.
I know this did not happen by mere political acumen and human strategy. This happened because God resurrected Trump’s political career. Because of this fact, we can expect his second term to far outshine his first term, for it has come forth in the resurrection life and power of our Lord.
Trump's election also places a responsibility on the church for we must recognize this as a window of opportunity that has opened, and we make the most of it. I have been impressed with the words of Jesus in John 9:4, I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.
God
Has Resurrection Life and Power of You
One thing I learned through that experience
is that the resurrection is more than just a future event. Resurrection has
been personified in the Person of Jesus Christ and He has come to live in us
and through us with His resurrection life and power.
Paul had an experience that he relates
in II Corinthians chapter one where he and his companions went through an excruciating
experience in which he thought death would be their lot. He said, however, that
out of that experience he learned that, We should not trust in ourselves but
in God who raises the dead.
So, even apart from the 2024 election,
I am convinced that in the days ahead we will see His resurrection life and
power break forth on different fronts. Victory will come forth out of defeat.
Life will emerge out of death. Success will arise out of failure. His words
still ring true, “Don’t be afraid of death because I Am the Resurrection.”
Dr. Eddie Hyatt has a long history as
a pastor, revivalist, and professor of theology in many parts of the world. His
book, 1726: The Year that Defined
America, provides the basis for America returning to her founding
principles and seeing another Great Awakening sweep across the land. His many books are available on Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.
11/08/2024
"NEVER QUIT"
Whether
or not you like Donald Trump or whether you voted for the man, you cannot help
but admire his resilience, perseverance and “never quit” attitude. He has
persevered through two impeachments, numerous lawsuits and indictments, his
home being raided, continual smear attacks by the media, two assassination attempts,
and so much more. However, he never quit and is now returning to the White
House.
Indeed, getting knocked down is no disgrace, but
refusing to get up and try again is. Consider the string of defeats suffered by
one of the greatest individuals of all times; yet he refused to quit and became
one of the giants of human history.
·
In 1832 he lost
his job.
·
In 1832 he ran
for the state legislature and lost.
·
In 1833 he failed
in a business venture.
·
In 1835 his
fiancé died.
·
In 1836 he
suffered a nervous breakdown.
·
In 1838 he ran
for speaker of the state legislature and lost.
·
In 1843 he ran
for Congress and lost.
·
In 1849 he
applied for the post of land officer but was rejected.
·
In 1854 he ran
for the Senate and lost.
·
In 1856 he ran
for vice-president and lost.
HOWEVER, IN 1860 ABRAHAM LINCOLN WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES. HE REFUSED TO QUIT!
Hebrews 6:12 tells us that it is through faith and patience that we
inherit the promises of God. The word patience
in this verse is a translation of the Greek word makrothumia and it means to “persevere” or to “continue in the face
of trouble and adversity.” To put it simply and succinctly, it means you “don’t quit.”
Promise, Praise & Perseverance
During a tremendous battle of faith in
1989, God gave me three words which He said were keys to answered prayer. The
three words are promise, praise, and perseverance. As pointed out above, perseverance is the same as the biblical
word patience. It means that you
don’t quit. It means that if you get knocked down, you get up keep going.
Hebrews 6:13-15 presents Abraham as an example of one
who refused to quit and obtained the promise of God. In Genesis 13:16; 15:5,
God promised Abram that his descendants would be as numerous as the sand on the
seashore and as the stars of heaven. However, the years passed without any
fulfillment of this promise and finally Sarai and Abram were childless and too
old to bear children. What does one do when faced with such adversity? You keep
your eye on the promise, and you don’t quit.
It was about 14 years from the time God
gave the promise to Abram to the time the promise was fulfilled in the birth of
Isaac. At one time the faith of both Abram and Sarai wavered. They decided to
help and hurry the fulfillment of the promise and Abram took Sarah’s maid, Hagar,
and bore a son, Ishmael, through her.
God, however, revealed to them that
this was not His way for the promise to be fulfilled. Abram and Sarai recovered
and determined that they would trust God to fulfill that which He had promised.
As a result, God changed their names: Sarai to Sarah which means “Mother of
Nations;” and Abram to Abraham which means “Father of Nations.”
Of Sarah, Hebrews 11:11 says that, at
the age of 99, she received strength to conceive because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Of Abraham, Hebrews 6:15
says, And so, after he had patiently
endured, he obtained the promise. They were knocked down, but they got up,
kept going and obtained the promise.
Delay Does Not Mean Denial
Christians often mistakenly think that if the answer
to their prayer has not manifested within a few days or weeks, that God has
denied their request. NOT SO! Delay does not mean denial. Delay often means
that we need to persevere in the face of adversity until we obtain the answer
we desire. In other words, it means that we DON’T QUIT. Through faith and not
quitting we obtain the promise.
Someone has said that the giant oak is a little nut
that held its ground. From a little nut to a sapling to a giant tree, it held
its ground through heat, cold, wind, rain and storm. You may feel like a little
nut today but hold your ground. Keep your eyes on Jesus and never quit. You will be amazed at the mighty things God will do
in you and through you.
Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt is the founder of the "1726 Project" whose goal is to educate Americans about the nation's overt Christian origins in the First Great Awakening. His books on the topic are available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.