WHY THE CHURCH MUST REDISCOVER THE POWER THAT FLOWS FROM A CONSECRATED LIFE

Where is the American Church? American institutions continue to fall like dominos to the woke, ungodly culture, with Disney being the latest to succumb. Disney executives announced that they will no longer use gender distinctive language such as "ladies and gentlemen" or "boys and girls" and that they will target children with new transgender-affirming programming.

This should cause every Christian to ask if we are not missing something. As the Church of Jesus Christ should we not have more influence on our culture than LGBT activists? Did not Jesus call His followers "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world?" Why is our influence so small? The surprising answer came to me during a recent time of prayer.

As I sat in my chair late one night communing with the Lord, my heart began to grieve because of America’s cultural descent into godlessness and moral confusion. I also grieved over the feckless state of the American Church and its inability to stop or even slow the enemy’s onslaught. I then heard the Lord speak to my heart, saying, “There is a lesson for the Church today from the life of Samson.”

As I then read and reread the life of Samson in Judges 16, it was clear that the word God wants to speak to the Church today is “Consecration.” You see, Samson was consecrated as a Nazirite while in his mother’s womb. "Nazirite" comes from the Hebrew word Nazir meaning "consecrated" or "separated.” That which is "consecrated" to God is completely given over to Him.

We Cannot Divorce Power from Purity

The Nazirite vow was a solemn commitment that Samson would live a “separated” life unto God, wholly dedicated to His purpose. The outward sign of this consecration was that he would never cut his hair. His consecration was the key to his power. 

So long as Samson lived in this consecration, he was invincible. He was able to face and overcome everything the enemies of God threw at him. On one occasion he alone killed a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. 

There is no reason to believe that Samson was bulging with muscles as portrayed in modern movies and art. It wasn't the size of his biceps that gave him power; it was the depth of his consecration.

Samson lost his power when he compromised his consecration. He compromised his consecration by consorting with a Philistine woman named Delilah and revealing to her the secret of his power. Having lulled Samson to sleep on her lap, she then called in the Philistines who cut off his hair while he slept.

Shorn of his locks and his power, Samson could no longer stand against his enemies. He was taken captive by the Philistines who gouged out his eyes, bound him with bronze fetters, and put him to work pushing a turnstile in a circle all day grinding grain. How the mighty had fallen!

Is it possible that today’s church lacks the power to face down the rampant godlessness and immorality engulfing our culture because, like Samson, we have consorted with the world and compromised our consecration to God? 

There is Still Hope

Even in his weakened and broken state, there was hope for Samson. Judges 16:22 tells how Samson’s hair began to grow as he toiled day after day in the prison. This was an outward sign that there was a renewal of his Nazirite consecration to God.

Then one day, during a great celebration in a massive theater, the Philistines brought out Samson to entertain the gathered throng as an object of mirth and ridicule. He was forced to “perform” for the crowd so they could revel in the humiliation and devastation of the one who had caused them so much pain in the past.

What the Philistines did not realize was that Samson’s hair had grown back—at least to a degree. His consecration had been renewed and there would now be one final display of God’s power through him.

After being taunted, mocked, and ridiculed, a young man led the blind and broken Samson to a place between the two giant pillars that supported the stadium. Samson placed a hand on each pillar, and prayed, Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God!

Samson no longer feared death. He wanted victory again more than life itself. As he pushed against the two pillars with all his might, he cried out to God, Let me die with the Philistines! The two pillars gave way, and the stadium came crashing down killing thousands of Philistines, and Samson with them.

I am here reminded of the prayer of Jonathan Edwards just before the Great Awakening transformed New England. Having consecrated himself to God, he desired an Awakening more than life itself. With great passion, he prayed to God, “Give me New England or let me die.”

We Must Rebuild the Altar of Consecration

When Elijah confronted the 400 false prophets on Mt. Carmel, his first act was an act of consecration. At a time when Israel had compromised their faith in Yahweh and were consorting with Baal, Elijah called the nation to renew their consecration to God. I Kings 18:30b says, And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down.

The altar was a place of sacrifice—a place of consecration. After repairing the altar of the Lord and placing the sacrifice upon it, Elijah prayed a 20-second prayer and the fire of God fell from heaven. The mass of people gathered there fell on their faces, crying out, The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God! (I Kings 18:41)

In Roman 12:1-2, Paul called on the Roman believers to consecrate themselves to God by making their bodies living sacrifices. He wrote,

Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God . . . Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

My Father Builds an Altar and Sees a Display of Power

When my older brother, Pete, was 7 years old, he was run over by a farm tractor and fatally injured. With blood bubbling from his eyes, mouth, nose and ears, my Dad rushed him to the nearest hospital. Three doctors examined him and agreed, “He won’t live more than 10 minutes.”

They went on to explain that, even apart from x-rays, they knew from the bleeding that a broken rib had punctured a lung. They then wheeled Pete away for x-rays and my Dad was left alone with his thoughts and questions.

As he stood alone in silence, the thing foremost on his mind was that for 5 years he had ignored the call of God to full-time ministry. With only a fourth grade education and a family to care for, it seemed an absolute impossibility that he could become a pastor or minister.

But facing the death of his son, he knew he had to respond by building an altar of consecration. He, therefore, stepped into a nearby restroom, raised His right hand and said, "Lord, I'm ready!"  It was only 3 words, but those words came from the depth of his being. It was an act of total surrender. It was an consecration!

Immediately the power of God fell and the gift of faith dropped into his heart. I heard him tell this numerous times growing up, and in his words, “I suddenly knew that Pete was going to be okay. I didn’t know how I knew, but I knew.”

He came out of the restroom and had to wait, but his heart was at peace and full of faith. After about one hour, one of the doctors emerged and said, “Mr. Hyatt, there has been a higher power here tonight.” He then said, “We know your son had a broken rib that had punctured his lung. But we have finished the x-rays, the bleeding has stopped, and there is not a broken bone in his body.”

A nurse who attended the same church as my parents testified that she had never felt the presence and power of God as she did in Pete's room. My Dad’s act of consecration and the ensuing miracle launched him into the ministry. Despite his lack of education and training, he went on to be a successful pastor for many years before his death in 1994. 

This is the Time

It is time all across America for pastors, leaders, and churches to rebuild the altars of consecration that are broken down. We must repent for being more concerned with what modern culture thinks of us than what God thinks of us. As we rebuild the altars of consecration, the fire of God will fall, His power will flow, and we will see this nation turned back to God.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author, Bible teacher, revivalist, and church historian. His books documenting America's birth out of the First Great Awakening are available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.   

RECONNECTING WITH AMERICA'S FORGOTTEN ROOTS OF FAITH AND FREEDOM

These 5 books are the fruit of an unexpected 7-hour encounter with the Lord in 2010, at which time He assured me that America "could" see another Great Awakening that would restore national peace, civility, and morality. I also saw for the first time that the First Great Awakening had a direct bearing on the founding of this nation. These books are great tools for personal and group study and as textbooks for Christian schools and Christian colleges. For pricing on bulk orders, send an email to dreddiehyatt@gmail.com.    

                                                     

                                    

                                         

IMPLEMENTING GEORGE WASHINGTON'S BATTLE PLAN COULD TURN THE TIDE FOR UKRAINE

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has evoked comparisons of David and Goliath because of Russia’s superior military might and the brave resistance of the Ukrainian people. We must never forget, however, the key to David’s victory. While Goliath trusted in his size, his military experience, and his armament, David declared his trust to be, in the name of the LORD of hosts the God of the armies of Israel (I Samuel 17:45). 

David's strategy for defeating Goliath was George Washington's strategy for defeating the mighty British war machine. Like David facing Goliath with his slingshot, Washington knew his ragtag colonial army was no match, in the natural, for the powerful, well-equipped British army. 

Therefore, upon accepting the call of the Continental Congress in May of 1775, Washington began to instill in the colonial troops a sense of the importance of prayer and faith in God, for as William Novak said,

Washington knew his only hope lay in a profound conviction in the hearts and daily actions of all his men that what they did they did for God, and under God’s protection (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 114).

Washington issued an order stating that each day was to begin with prayer led by the officers of each unit. He also ordered that, unless their duties required them to be elsewhere, every soldier was to observe “a punctual attendance of Divine services, to implore the blessing of heaven upon the means used for our safety and public defense.” 

He also forbade profanity, swearing, gambling and drunkenness, explaining that, “We can have little hope of the blessing of Heaven on our arms if we insult it by our impiety and folly.” He went on to express his desire that, “Every officer and man will endeavor so as to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 114).

At one point, during a particularly difficult part of the war, Washington and his men were quartering at Valley Forge. Rev. Henry Muhlenberg (1711–1787), pastor of a nearby Lutheran Church observed Washington’s activities. He wrote, “Washington rode around among his army yesterday and admonished each one to fear God.” Muhlenberg went on to say,

This gentleman does not belong to the so-called world of society, for he respects God’s word, believes in atonement through Christ, and bears himself in humility and gentleness. It appears that the Lord God has singularly, yea marvelously, preserved him from harm in the midst of countless perils . . . and hath hitherto graciously held him in His hand as His chosen vessel (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 115).

Not only did Washington and his army pray, but the Continental Congress issued no less than 15 calls for national days of prayer and fasting during the war. Although it was a grueling seven years, numerous answers to prayer occurred protecting Washington and his troops and giving them victory when victory seemed impossible.

For example, in the early part of the war, Washington and his 12,000 troops were trapped on Long Island by a British force at least twice that size. The British took up positions and got ready to march forward and pin Washington and his troops against the East River. Confident of their position, the British decided to wait until morning to make their advance and put down this rebellion.

During the night the Americans prayed and scoured the area for boats of any kind that would take them, their cannon, and their armaments across the East River to Manhattan. As dawn approached, it was obvious they had not achieved their goal. 

However, at that point a heavy fog rolled in and remained until the army and all its cannon had been moved across the river to Manhattan. As soon as they were safely across the river, the fog lifted. At this point, the British were amazed to see that the colonial army with their armaments had disappeared, as if into thin air. 

This was just one of the many “signal interventions” of which Washington made mention. And at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Benjamin Franklin called the delegates to prayer and reminded them how God had answered their prayers during the war. Addressing Washington, who was the Convention President, Franklin said,

In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain when we were sensible to danger, we had daily prayers in this room for Divine protection. Our prayers, sir, were heard and they were graciously answered (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 119).

After the British General Cornwallis ended the war by surrendering to Washington on October 19, 1783, Washington appointed Israel Evans, a chaplain in the Revolutionary Army, to deliver a Thanksgiving sermon to the troops that same day.

Addressing the massive crowd, Evans exhorted the troops to give thanks to God, knowing that their victory was not the result of their own strength and prowess. He also declared that the same God that fought for Israel in days of old had fought for them. In poetic verse, he declared,

To Him who led in ancient days, the Hebrew tribes, your anthems raise.

The God who spoke from Sinai’s hill, protects His chosen people still.

Not in ourselves success we owe, by Divine help we crushed the foe
(Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 119).

When David went out to face Goliath with a slingshot, he declared, You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. In other words, David’s trust was not in natural human resources or military armaments. His trust was in the name of the LORD. The same was true of George Washington and the Revolutionary Army.

I would, therefore, encourage President Zelenskyy to proclaim a day of prayer and repentance for the people of Ukraine. Let it be a day in which they, as a nation, ask God for His help against a larger and more powerful foe. Perhaps they will find that the God of David and George Washington still responds to sincere prayer.

This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's books that document America's birth out of a great, spiritual awakening. This article is derived primarily from 1726: The Year that Defined America, available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

WHY FREDERICK DOUGLASS AND DR. KING HAD SUCH GREAT RESPECT FOR AMERICA'S FOUNDING DOCUMENTS

Those of the modern Left who are disparaging America's Founders and her founding documents, have departed from the vision and thinking of the great Abolitionists and Civil Rights leaders of the past, including Frederick Douglass and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Both Douglas and Dr. King showed great respect for America's founders and America's founding documents. In a July 4th speech delivered in 1852, Douglass said,

Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. They were great men too—great enough to give fame to a great age. It does not often happen to a nation to raise, at one time, such a number of truly great men.

The difference in Douglass and King with modern anti-American pundits is that they understood history and, therefore, the significance of what happened in 1776 and 1787. They realized that, although imperfect, the Founders struck a bold and clear blow for liberty by formulating anti-slavery founding documents at a time when slavery was  accepted and practiced throughout the world.  

Indeed, America's Founders were turned against slavery by a great, spiritual awakening that transformed 18th century colonial America and ignited an anti-slavery movement that turned multitudes against the institution. These facts led the noted African-American scholar, Dr. Thomas Sowell, to write,

Among those who turned against slavery in the 18th century were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and other American leaders. You could research all of 18th century Africa or Asia or the Middle East without finding any comparable rejection of slavery there (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 90).

When the time came for separation from Great Britain, the Founders formulated founding documents that were designed to also oppose slavery. As a result, Abolitionists and Civil Rights leaders from Frederick Douglas to Abraham Lincoln to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. have used these documents to combat slavery and racial inequality.

Dr. King, for example, in his “I Have a Dream Speech,” exhorted America, not to dispense with her founding documents, but instead, to live up to them. Speaking from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he declared,

When the architects of our Republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" (Hyatt, Abolitionist Founding Fathers, 54).

Then quoting from the Declaration of Independence, he proclaimed,

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

Both Douglass and Dr. King had studied the U.S. Constitution and understood that there are no classifications based on race, ethnicity, or skin color. The words “slaves” and “slavery” are not mentioned. Instead, it speaks of “citizens,” “persons,” and “other persons.” The language was purposeful for James Madison said, “The Convention thought it wrong to admit in the Constitution the idea that there could be property in men"(Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 122-23).

In the 1852 speech noted above, Douglas, took the nation and the church to task for allowing slavery to continue, but he praised the Constitution as "a glorious liberty document" and extolled the Founding Fathers for their courage and their wisdom. On another occasion, he said of the founding documents,

Anyone of these provisions in the hands of abolition statesmen, and backed by a right moral sentiment, would put an end to slavery in America (Hyatt, Abolitionist Founding Fathers, 54-55).

Yes, in the founding documents, the Founders gave Abolitionists the legal instruments with which to combat slavery. A 1784 gathering of Methodist leaders in Baltimore understood this and when they issued a statement denouncing slavery, they based it on both the Bible and the Declaration of Independence. They declared slavery to be, "contrary to the golden rule of God as well as every principle of the [American] Revolution” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 97).

The revivalist preacher, Samuel Hopkins (1721–1803), used the words of the Declaration in a pamphlet he wrote against slavery. Confronting those who argued that slavery was God’s way of bringing Africans from their pagan land to hear the gospel, he exclaimed,

What sort of “gospel” message is being conveyed when people are enslaved because of the color of their skin? The Declaration of Independence says all men are created equal with certain unalienable rights. Oh, the shocking, the intolerable inconsistencies (Hyatt, 1726: The Year thatDefined America, 90)!

Abraham Lincoln also understood the anti-slavery character of the nation’s founding documents. In 1858, Lincoln, who had become the new Republican party’s first candidate for president, declared that the anti-slavery platform of the new party was built on the vision of the nation’s Founders. He said,

In the way our Fathers originally left the slavery question, the institution was in the course of ultimate extinction, and the public mind rested in the belief that it was in the course of ultimate extinction. All I have asked or desired is that it should be placed back again upon the bases that the Fathers of our government originally placed it upon (Hyatt, Abolitionist Founding Fathers, 59-60).

The modern claims that America’s founding documents are racist are not based on facts. The historian, David Azerrad, was correct when he said, “The argument that the Constitution is racist suffers from one fatal flaw; the concept of race does not exist in the Constitution” (Hyatt, 1726:The Year that Defined America, 127). 

To save our country from the anti-American Marxist forces, we must know and proclaim this truth of America's founding documents. Douglass would agree, for in the same speech noted above, he referred to the Declaration of Independence and then exhorted his audience,

The principles contained in that instrument are saving principles. Stand by those principles, be true to them on all occasions, in all places, against all foes, and at whatever cost.

This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt’s books, 1726: TheYear that Defined America and Abolitionist Founding Fathers available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, THE ANTICHRIST, AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD

And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you 
have heard was coming and is already in the world.

I John 4:3b

In II Thessalonians 2:1-4 Paul speaks of an evil, end-time world ruler whom he calls “the man of sin.” This individual whom Paul says, opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, is obviously the same person that John refers to as “the Beast” in Revelation 13 and “the Antichrist” in I John 2:18; 4:3.

In I John 2:18, John says, You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now there are many antichrists in the world. John seems to be saying that this evil, controlling ruler at the end of the age will be preceded by many of the same character and spirit. He confirms this later by saying that the spirit of Antichrist, is now already in the world (I John 4:3).

Vladimir Putin is not the Antichrist, but his desire for dominance and control are certainly in the spirit of the Antichrist; and he is not the only one exuding that spirit in the world today.

 

Both the “man of sin” and “the Beast” are described as putting themselves in the place of God over people’s lives. This fits perfectly with the meaning of “Antichrist,” for according to Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon, the word anti in Greek means “instead of” or “in place of.” In other words, this individual is not just “against” Christ; he has a messianic complex and seeks to take the place of Christ as the one destined to rule the earth.

Remember, the word “Christ” is the Greek word for the Hebrew “Messiah.” In Scripture, the Messiah is God’s appointed king and ruler over Israel, and the entire cosmos. Various O.T. prophecies, such as II Samuel 7:12-13, Psalm 2:6, Daniel 7:13-14, and Micah 5:2, speak of the coming Messiah as God’s appointed king and ruler. The messianic prophecy of Isaiah 9:6-7, says,

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder . . . of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.

The Antichrist has a messianic complex and projects himself as the one  who has the right, the intelligence, and the ability to rule the world and save the planet. He is, however, the antichristos, the one who puts himself in that place that belongs only to Jesus Christ. John says his spirit is now already in the world (I John 4:3).

This Antichrist spirit has shown itself throughout history in the Caesars of Rome, the medieval Catholic popes, Islamic movements seeking world domination, and European monarchs and their official state churches. It is seen in modern political leaders with visions of world domination such as Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Adolph Hitler, Xi Jinping, and Vladimir Putin. 

It is to be seen in the so-called "progressive" movement in America and the emerging "cancel culture" which seek to control our thoughts, words, and actions.  It is to be seen in Big Tech companies who control the flow of information and ban any person and any message they deem to be unacceptable.

We have seen this same spirit raising its ugly head through political leaders in the United States, Canada, and other Western nations with their harsh Covid-19 lockdowns and mandates. Justin Trudeau, prime minister of Canada, just forcefully ended a peaceful Freedom Convoy, arrested many of the protestors, confiscated their vehicles, froze their bank accounts, and threatened to take their pets and children. 

A March 30, 2020 interview with British Supreme Court Judge, Lord Sumpton, now sounds prophetic. He warned that the Covid-19 mandates were paving the way for despotism--the exercise of power in a cruel and oppressive manner (Hyatt, To Comply or Not Comply, 59).

This spirit of Antichrist showed itself in the Democrat National Committee (DNC) announcing they did not need God. In 2019 this committee unanimously passed a resolution in which they affirmed atheism and declared that neither Christianity nor any religion was necessary for patriotism and morality. In doing so, they rejected America's national motto of "In God We Trust" and declared that they would govern without (or "in place of") God.

In Revelation 14:18 John says that the number of the Beast is the number of a “man” and his number is 666. Since, however, there is no indefinite article in Greek and because John left off the definite article, the passage literally says that the number of the Beast, is the number of man and his number is 666. This, therefore, probably refers to mankind in general, as well as the evil, end-time ruler. 

This would coincide with the fact that the number 6 is first mentioned in Genesis 1:31 where God created mankind on the 6th day of creation. Whereas the number 7 normally refers to completion and perfection, the number 6 is one shy of that. 

The number 6, therefore, could well be the number of mankind and his incompleteness apart from God. Since, however, the number of the Beast is a trinity of 666, it probably refers to him as a mere man asserting himself into the place of God over people’s lives—a man acting as if he were God. That is the spirit of Antichrist.

America’s founders and their parents and grandparents had lived under the Antichrist spirit, which is why they were so adamant about individual liberty. It is why in Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution, the Founders banned aristocracy and the handing out of honorific titles by the U.S. government. It is why the Constitution opens with, “We the people . . .”

In this new land, there would be no “Lord so and so” or “Lady so and so.” There would be no royal aristocracy to which the masses must curtsy, doff their hats, and bow the knee. When some wondered how they would manage without a monarchy, Thomas Paine, in his book, Common Sense, wrote, “But where says some is the King of America? I'll tell you Friend, He reigns above.”

We must resist the antichrist spirit in both the church and the world, and we do this by proclaiming Jesus Christ as God’s appointed Messiah/King who alone has the right and wisdom to govern our lives. This happened in Colonial America through the influence of the Great Awakening, for when a British-appointed official reported on the state of things to his superiors in England, he wrote,

If you ask an American who is his master, he will tell you he has none, nor any governor but Jesus Christ (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 81).

When a society recognizes Jesus as God’s Messiah/King and commit themselves to be governed by his moral values, there will be peace, prosperity, and safety. It is what Jesus and the New Testament writers called “the Gospel of the Kingdom.” 

As we see the end nearing, our focus should be on understanding and proclaiming this Gospel of the Kingdom, for in Matthew 24:14 Jesus said,

And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt is an author, revivalist, and ordained minister. His books are available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

THE CANADIAN FREEDOM CONVOY, THE CHURCH, AND A GREAT AWAKENING

We were created for freedom and the human spirit longs to be free. The Canadian Truck Convoy, also known as the Freedom Convoy, is a cry for freedom. It is a populist uprising of common, everyday people wanting freedom.

It is not an insurrection. They have no desire to take over the government. Neither is it an anti-vax movement for 90% of the truckers have been vaccinated. It is a movement of freedom. They want to be free from the tyranny of government-imposed mandates that have destroyed so many lives and livelihoods.

Canada has had some of the most draconian mandates and shutdowns of any country in the world. A friend, who is Canadian, told me about returning to his home province after a business trip and being forced to quarantine in a government-designated hotel even though he did not have the virus.

Even though he had an empty home a few blocks away, he was forced to pay $200.00 per night for the hotel room. In addition, the police regularly checked to make sure that he and others who were forcefully quarantined did not leave their rooms. He said, “I feel like I am in a communist country.”

Through the Freedom Convoy people are saying, “Enough is enough!” We want back the freedom to live our lives and make our own choices for our families, our health, and our future.

Any peaceful movement for individual freedom from government tyranny is a positive thing and should be wholeheartedly supported by the Church and individual Christians. Freedom, after all, is a God-thing. Jesus said in John 8:36, Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.

As Christians, we need to support the Convoy and bring the emphasis that ultimate freedom is to be found only in Jesus Christ. This is what happened in Colonial America when the Great Awakening occurred alongside widespread civil protests against British tyranny. Out of these two parallel movements the United States of America was formed.

The protests began as a result of King George III levying oppressive taxes and mandates on the colonists. With the American colonies experiencing significant growth in both population and prosperity, George saw them as an easy source of revenue for the British crown. He saw the colonists, not as free citizens, but as his subjects. 

He, therefore, imposed the Sugar Act (1764), the Stamp Act (1765) the Townshend Act (1767) and other taxes and tariffs without any input from the colonists. He also sent custom officials who set up custom offices to make sure the taxes were collected.

These actions led to vehement protests throughout the colonies, especially in New England. When George imposed a tax on American tea but left British tea untaxed, it was seen as an effort to put American tea companies out of business and rejuvenate the British-owned company. For many, they had seen enough.   

When a ship loaded with British tea docked in Boston Harbor about 50 Bostonians, led by Samuel Adams, decided to take action. Dressed as American Indians, they boarded the ship and proceeded to dump the cargo of tea into the harbor. This became known as “The Boston Tea Party” and it stirred the passions of many for complete freedom from the British.

The British responded with a series of mandates that became known as “The Intolerable Acts.” King George sent 6 regiments of British soldiers who occupied the city of Boston and closed its port. They housed their soldiers in people’s homes against their will. George also revoked the representative style of government the people of New England had practiced since the time of Pilgrims.

In place of the people’s elected leaders, George appointed leaders of his choosing who would carry out his plans for the colonists. These Intolerable Acts, however, only provoked more anger and protests.

But something else was happening alongside the civil protests in Colonial America. At the same time Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty were formenting civil protests,  George Whitefield, Gilbert Tennant, Freeborn Garretson, and others were igniting a Great Awakening by preaching that ultimate freedom can only be found in Jesus Christ.

The preachers of the Great Awakening did not oppose those protesting the tyranny of the British crown, but they infused into the movement the Christ-centered message of ultimate freedom through faith in Jesus. The Great Awakening, in fact, had such a profound impact on the civil protest movement that a British-appointed official wrote to his superiors in England,

If you ask an American who is his master, he will tell you he has none, nor any governor but Jesus Christ (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 81). 

I am glad the Awakening preachers did not reject the civil protest movement. It was the influence of the Great Awakening on the movement that caused the delegates to the First Continental Congress in September of 1774 to open their proceedings with an extended time of Bible reading and prayer.

Samuel Adams, John Adams, George Washington, Patrick Henry, and other American founders had met to discuss whether to declare independence from Great Britain. John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail of the spiritual power that was present at the gathering, especially during Bible reading and prayer. He said he had never seen such an impact on an audience and that tears gushed into the eyes of many (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 108).

I am glad the Awakening preachers did not condemn and reject the civil protest movement against British tyranny. As a result, prayer and Bible reading permeated every aspect of the birthing of this nation. Because the Awakening preachers supported those seeking their civil liberty, Christian values became the founding principles of the new nation.

For a similar reason, we should not reject or condemn the Canadian Freedom Movement, which is now spreading into many nations. It is spreading because freedom is not a Canadian or American thing. It is a God thing and human hearts in every nation are crying out for freedom.

So let us be supportive of the Freedom Convoy and see it as the wonderful opportunity it is to proclaim the Good News of Jesus and the freedom only He can bring. As we do our part, there is no telling what God may bring forth through this movement, perhaps even the Great Awakening for which so many are praying.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is the founder of The 1726 Project and the author of numerous books on Spiritual Awakening, including 1726: The Year that Defined America, from which this article was partially derived. 

THIS FOUNDING FATHER HELPED LAUNCH ONE OF AMERICA'S GREAT BLACK CHURCHES

One of America’s Founding Fathers, Dr. Benjamin Rush, helped launch one of the most successful Black denominations in America today. Rush (1745-1813) was a Philadelphia physician, member of the Continental Congress, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and served as Surgeon General during the Revolutionary War at George Washington’s request.

Rush was a passionate abolitionist who helped form the first Abolition society in America in his hometown of Philadelphia. He called slavery a “hydra sin” and called on the pastors and minsters of America to take a public stand against it. He wrote,

But chiefly—ye ministers of the gospel, whose dominion over the principles and actions of men is so universally acknowledged and felt, - Ye who estimate the worth of your fellow creatures by their immortality, and therefore must look upon all mankind as equal; - let your zeal keep pace with your opportunities to put a stop to slavery. While you enforce the duties of “tithe and cumin,” neglect not the weightier laws of justice and humanity. Slavery is a Hydra sin and includes in it every violation of the precepts of the Laws and the Gospels (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 100-01).

Rush was a supporter of the Great Awakening, which ignited a powerful anti-slavery movement in 18th century Colonial America. He was very influential in turning many against slavery including other Founding Fathers. As the esteemed Black scholar, Dr. Thomas Sowell, has said,

Among those who turned against slavery in the 18th century were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and other American leaders. You could research all of 18th century Africa or Asia or the Middle East without finding any comparable rejection of slavery there (Hyatt, Abolitionist Founding Fathers, 9).

Rush became friends with the former slave and successful evangelist, Richard Allen, who settled in Philadelphia after a time of successful ministry to both Black and White audiences. In fact, his ministry was so successful in bridging racial and cultural divides that Paul Strand, former Washington D.C. correspondent for CBN, called Allen “America’s black Founding Father.”

Being a Methodist preacher, Allen became a member of the Methodist Church in Philadelphia. However, as the Great Awakening, which had ignited the interracial currents in Colonial America, waned, the elders of the Methodist Church in Philadelphia decided to segregate their seating based on race. At this point, Allen and other Blacks walked out.

Rush, a Presbyterian, came to their aid with both moral and financial support. He assisted them in obtaining property and erecting their own building in which to worship. They established Bethel Methodist Church out of which came the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) denomination. Allen later wrote,

We had waited on Dr. Rush and Mr. Robert Ralston, and told them of our distressing situation. We considered it a blessing that the Lord had put it into our hearts to wait upon those gentlemen. They pitied our situation, and subscribed largely towards the church, and were very friendly towards us and advised us how to go on . . . Dr. Rush did much for us in public by his influence. I hope the name of Dr. Benjamin Rush and Mr. Robert Ralston will never be forgotten among us. They were the two first gentlemen who espoused the cause of the oppressed and aided us in building the house of the Lord for the poor Africans to worship in. Here was the beginning and rise of the first African church in America (Hyatt, Abolitionist Founding Fathers, 27).

Think about it! One of America’s Founding Fathers helped launch one of the largest and most respected Black denominations in America. The idea that America's founders were a collection of evil, racist slaveowners is a blatant distortion of history. They were actually at the forefront of the battle to put an end to slavery at a time it was accepted and practiced in most of the world.

This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt’s books, Abolitionist Founding Fathers and 1726: The Year that Defined America, available from Amazon and is website at www.eddiehyatt.com.