THE JESUS REVOLUTION THAT LED TO THE FOUNDING OF AMERICA

The young preacher, dressed in his Anglican clerical robe, stood on the steps of the Philadelphia courthouse and addressed the massive crowd of 10,000 or more gathered before him. It was 1739 and the preacher was 25-year-old George Whitefield who had come from England to America with the prayer in his heart that the people would no longer live as 13 divided colonies but as “one nation under God.”

Knowing there were people of many sects and denominations in the crowd, he decided to challenge their divisions and so mimicked a conversation with Father Abraham whom he pictured as looking over the banister of heaven at them all.

Looking up toward heaven, Whitefield cried out, “Father Abraham are their any Anglicans in heaven?” The answer came back, “No there are no Anglicans in heaven.” Whitefield continued, “Father Abraham, are there any Methodists in heaven?” The answer came back, “No, there are no Methodists here either?” Whitefield cried out again, “Father Abraham are there any Puritans in heaven?” The answer came back, “No, there are no Puritans here either.” “What about Baptists and Quakers,” cried Whitefield as he continued to gaze heavenward. The answer came back, “There are none of those here either.”

Finally, with a note of desperation in his voice, Whitefield cried out “Father Abraham, what kind of people are in heaven?” The answer came back, “There are only Christians in heaven; only those washed in the blood of the Lamb.” Whitefield then cried out, “Oh, is that the case? Then God help me, and God help us all, to forget about labels and become Christians in deed and in truth.”

There were many audible sighs, groans, and tears as Whitefield presented his case for Jesus being the center of our faith. Benjamin Franklin was one of those in the crowd and he described the profound influence of Whitefield’s preaching on them all, saying, “From being thoughtless or indifferent about religion, it seemed as if the whole world were growing religious” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 79).

It Was a Jesus Revolution

It was the Christ-centered preaching of Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, and others that ignited what historians call "The  Great Awakening." I am here calling it a "Jesus Revolution" because of the exaltation of Jesus in every aspect of the Awakening. Denominational and sectarian allegiances were dissolved and a young George Washington prayed, “Bless, O Lord, the whole race of mankind and let the world be filled with knowledge of Thee and Thy Son Jesus Christ” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 132).

It was this Christ-centered preaching that led to a common cry during the conflict with Great Britain, “We recognize no Sovereign but God and no king but Jesus!” This cry originated just before the gunfire erupted at Lexington in April of 1775. The British officer, Major John Pitcairn, shouted to an assembled group of minutemen, "Disperse, ye villains, lay down your arms in the name of George the Sovereign King of England." Rev. Jonas Clarke, who was standing with the minutemen, shouted back, “We recognize no Sovereign but God and no king but Jesus” (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots (Second Edition), 117)!

This cry caught the imagination of American patriots everywhere and soon rang throughout the colonies. It became so prominent that a British-appointed governor, Jonathan Trumbull, wrote back to England, “If you ask an American who is his master, he will tell you he has none, nor any governor but Jesus Christ” (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots (Second Edition), 117)!

The First Congress Opens with Prayer in the Name of Jesus

Against this backdrop, it is not surprising that the First Continental Congress opened on September 5, 1774, with an extended time of Bible reading and prayer in the name of Jesus. Fifty-six Delegates were present from all 13 colonies except Georgia. They had gathered at Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia to discuss how they should respond to the British invasion of their land.

It was a very troubling time. King George of England had sent six regiments of British soldiers who had occupied the city of Boston, closed its port, and revoked the right of the people to self-government. British soldiers were being quartered in people's homes apart from their consent. This was George’s tyrannical response to protests that had erupted, especially in New England, over his burdensome taxes and regulations on the colonists without any input on their part.

Having been impacted by the Great Awakening and its Christ-centered message, the delegates, which included Anglicans, Puritans, Presbyterians, Quakers, and others, agreed to open with Bible reading and prayer. Samuel Adams, a Puritan from New England, suggested that they invite Rev. Jacob Duche, an Anglican minister of Philadelphia, who was known as a man of deep spirituality, to come and lead them in payer.

As the elderly, grey-haired Dusche stood before the Congress, he began by reading the entire 35th Psalm, which powerfully impacted everyone present. It is a prayer of David for deliverance and begins with the words, Plead my cause O LORD with those who strive against me; fight against those who fight against me. The Psalm ends with praise for God’s deliverance.

America’s Founding Prayer

After reading the Psalm, Dusche began praying for the delegates, for America, and especially for the city of Boston and its inhabitants who were under siege. As he began praying, the Anglicans, such as George Washington and Richard Henry Lee, knelt in prayer, according to their custom. The Puritans, such as Samuel Adams and John Adams, sat with bowed heads and prayed. Others prayed according to their own, unique customs.

But although their outward manners differed, there was a singleness of heart and purpose as they all united in prayer, in the name of Jesus, for God’s assistance and intervention for America. Dusche lifted his voice in prayer, saying,

O Lord, our high and mighty Father, heavenly king of kings, and Lord of Lords, who dost from Thy throne behold all the dwellers of the earth, and reignest with power supreme over all kingdoms, empires, and governments. Look down in mercy we beseech thee on these our American states who have fled to Thee from the rod of the oppressor and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring to be henceforth dependent only on Thee. To Thee they have appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support which Thou alone can give . . . Shower down upon them and the millions they represent, such temporal blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world and crown them with everlasting joy in the world to come. All this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ Thy Son and our Savior. Amen.

John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, of the impact of the Bible reading and prayer on the delegates, saying, “Who can realize the emotions with which they turned imploringly to heaven for divine interposition and aid. It was enough to melt a heart of stone. I never saw a greater effect upon an audience” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 108).

America for Jesus

In early America, there was no hesitancy about mentioning the name of Jesus as the object of faith and expressing the desire that such faith be spread throughout the earth. For example, in a meeting with chiefs of the Delaware tribe, who had brought some of their youth to be trained in American schools, George Washington said to them, “You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all the religion of Jesus Christ.” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 172).

John Hancock served as president of the Continental Congress and his signature is the largest and most prominent on the Declaration of Independence. While serving as governor of Massachusetts in 1793, he proclaimed a Day of Prayer and Humiliation and asked the people to pray for, “The spreading of the true religion of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, in all its purity and power, among all the people of the earth” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 173).

Although Thomas Jefferson was known to have questioned the deity of Jesus, he was convinced that the moral teachings of Jesus were the key to a stable and prosperous society. Take, for example, the so-called “Jefferson Bible,” which is a misleading misnomer by modern historians. Jefferson titled it The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, and in it, he meticulously brought together the teachings of Jesus into a single volume for his own study but also for evangelizing and instructing Native American tribes. He even took money from the federal treasury to pay for a missionary to the Kaskaskia tribe. Jefferson was a Jesus Revolutionary, and he once said,

The philosophy of Jesus is the most sublime and benevolent code of morals ever offered to man. A more beautiful or precious morsel of ethics I have never seen.

The Fruit of this Early American Jesus Revolution

Americans Became a Tolerant People. This should not be surprising for it was Jesus who said, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you (Matthew 5:44). They, of course, never lived up to this standard but it was acknowledged by all and served as a positive force pulling them in the right direction. This tolerance showed itself in an early July 4th parade in Philadelphia. Dr. Benjamin Rush (1745–1813), a devout Christian and signer of the Declaration of Independence, wrote, “The rabbi of the Jews locked in the arms of two ministers of the Gospel was a most delightful sight” (Hyatt, America’s Revival Heritage (Second Edition), 97.

Slavery Became Anathema throughout America. In my book, 1726, I have documented how a powerful abolition movement was ignited by this Jesus Awakening that turned every Founding Father against slavery at a time it was accepted and practiced in most of the world. Impacted by the Awakening, abolitionists used the teachings of Jesus to oppose slavery saying that if people lived by His teachings, such as “love your neighbor as yourself” and “do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” it would quickly put an end to slavery (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 98-99)

Denominational Divisions Were Healed. The animosity between Anglicans, Puritans, Baptists, Quakers, and others ran deep. In the Old World, the Anglican Church, the state church of England, had harassed and persecuted all these groups, which is why they fled to the New World. But in the New World, the Anglicans of Virginia, the Puritans of New England, the Baptists of Rhode Island, and the Quakers of Pennsylvania all persecuted each other. But in the Christ-centered preaching of the Awakening, these divisions melted as the people saw Jesus Himself to be the essence and object of their faith. Commenting on Whitefield’s final visit to America in 1770, the historian, Benjamin Hart, wrote,

The true Spirit of Christ had dissolved sectarian differences. America considered itself to be a nation of Christians, pure and simple, as Whitefield noted with satisfaction. “Pulpits, hearts and affections,” he said, were opened to him and any preacher of whatever denomination who had a true Christian message to share (Hyatt, 1726:The Year that Defined America, 87-88).

With religious, racial, and cultural barriers being breached, the people began, for the first time, to see themselves as a single people—"one nation under God” as Whitefield had prayed. This is why the late Harvard professor, Perry Miller, declared, “The Declaration of Independence of 1776 was a result of the evangelical preaching of the evangelists of the Great Awakening” (Hyatt, 2000 Years of CharismaticChristianity, 112).

America Must Have Another Jesus Revolution

The hymn, “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing,” was written in 1739 by Charles Wesley, a very close friend and mentor to George Whitefield at Oxford University. This Jesus-honoring hymn must have been sung by Whitefield and the massive crowds to which he preached in colonial America. One stanza says,

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease,
'tis music in the sinner's ears,
'tis life and health and peace.

So, let us pray for another Jesus Revolution across America that will impact people of every religious and theological persuasion. It is the Biblical thing to do. It is also the American thing to do.

This article is derived from books by Dr. Eddie Hyatt including, 1726: The Year that Defined America and America's Revival Heritage (Second Edition) and Pilgrims and Patriots (Second Edition). These books, and more, are available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.

BUILDING ON THE ROCK: THE KEY TO CHRISTIAN UNITY AND A GREAT HARVEST OF SOULS

And I say to you that you are Peter and on this Rock I will build My church
and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. - Matt. 16:18

It is obvious to any honest observer that Christendom is seriously fractured and divided into thousands of entities, churches, and denominations. The prayer of Jesus, recorded in John 17:21, is obviously not yet answered. He prayed, That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in you; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You have sent Me.

If there is going to be unity between Catholics and Protestants and the Eastern Orthodox, there must be a clear understanding of the identity of the Rock on which Jesus said He would build His church. Our Catholic brothers and sisters say that the Rock is Peter and that the pope, being his successor, is therefore the key to unity for today’s church.

However, this claim of supremacy by the Roman bishop has actually been the source of the great divisions in Christian history. The Eastern Orthodox churches, for example, never did accept the claims of supremacy by the bishop of Rome and this led to the major division between East and West in 1054.

And the division that took place at the time of the Reformation was not ultimately over doctrine. Luther never wanted to leave the Catholic Church but was excommunicated when he refused to yield to the demands of the pope. Commenting on this rupture at the Reformation, the renowned Catholic theologian, the late Dr. Hans Kung, said, “From a historical perspective there can be no doubt that it is not Luther but Rome which bears the chief responsibility” (Hyatt, Infallible Pope: Key to Unity or Source of Division?, 54).

If there is going to unity in the church today there must be a return to Jesus. He is the Rock. He is the Living Bread that came down from Heaven (Jn. 6:51). He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Jn. 14:6). He is the Savior, the Healer, and the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit. He is Lord!

His Lordship is the Issue

Jesus Must be Lord!

One of the most common designations for Jesus in the New Testament is that of “Lord.” This speaks of His supremacy and authority, and we are told that if we want to be saved we must confess Him as “Lord” (Rom. 10:9). This is not some abstract doctrinal confession but an acceptance of His lordship in our lives where we hand Him the wheel and say “take me where You want me to go.”

This is what it means to be built on the Rock and this was highlighted in the life of my new father-in-law, a 70-year-old retired detective who had never been saved and who was described to me by his daughter (my wife) as a “tough cop.”

Through God’s providential working, George and I took a long trip together and had lots of time alone to talk. As the conversation turned to God, I saw that he had an ideal of what a Christian should be and thought that if he could ever attain to that ideal he could call himself a Christian.

I said to him, “George, becoming a Christian is merely changing masters.” I went on to explain that in the natural we are our own masters and that becoming a Christian is vacating the throne of our lives and inviting him to sit on the throne and be our master.

That resonated with him, and he replied, “Yes, I have always been my own master.” By the time we returned from the trip He had changed masters and made Jesus His Master and Lord. He had not been baptized and had not joined a church (those things are all good), but he had done that one essential thing. He had placed his life on the Rock by making Jesus his Lord.

He Immediately Understood Unity

Immediately, he had no problem fellowshipping with any “Christian” who loved Jesus. He knew very little about the various doctrines of the different churches, but he knew that Jesus was the one essential thing that mattered. It reminds me of the words of Hans Kung who wrote,

The road to unity is not the return of one Church to another, or the exodus of one Church to join another, but a common crossroads, the conversion of all Churches to Christ and thus to one another (Hyatt, Infallible Pope: Key to Unity or Source of Division, 58).

The Early Church Was Built on the Rock

The centrality of Jesus in the early Church is obvious everywhere in the New Testament, even in how the word “Christian” came into use. Neither Jesus or Paul ever used the term “Christian,” and it is found only three times in the entire New Testament. The earliest followers of Jesus were known as “disciples.”

A "disciple" is a committed follower and learner. The rabbis of Jesus’ day all had their disciples. John the Baptist had his disciples. Paul had been a disciple of Gamaliel, one of the most respected rabbis and teachers of the day (Acts 22:3). When Jesus began His ministry, He gathered a group of disciples that He would teach and train. Even after His resurrection, His followers were known as His disciples.

It was outsiders who gave the disciples of Jesus the name of “Christian,” because their lives and message were so centered in Christ. Luke writes, And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26b).

In the same way that we would designate someone from Italy as an “Italian” or someone from “Nigeria” as a Nigerian, the disciples of Jesus were designated as “Christians” because Christ was so central to everything they said and did. They were built on the Rock.

A Final Thought

As a final thought, Jesus said that He would build His church on this Rock—on the revelation Peter had of who He is. Wherever Jesus is proclaimed as the Lord, Messiah, Savior, Redeemer, Son of the Living God, we can be confident that He will be at work through His Holy Spirit building His church.

It was this sort of Christ-centered witness and preaching that ignited the Great Awakening, which transformed colonial America. During the Awakening a British official wrote to his superiors in England and said, “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).

As we zero in on knowing and preaching Christ in the coming days, I believe we could see unparalleled unity and the greatest harvest of souls the church has ever seen. After all, Jesus did say in John 12:32, And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself (NLT). It's all about Jesus!

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author, historian, Bible teacher. This article was derived primarily from his latest book, Infallible Pope: Key to Unity of Source of Division, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.

WHEN GOD SUPERNATURALLY INTERVENES IN AN ELECTION

God does supernaturally intervene in elections. I saw it happen with my own eyes in a way that could not be denied.

In 1958 my dad was voted in as pastor of the First Assembly of God in Tipton, Oklahoma with 100% of the vote. This happened even though one week prior to the vote, the Chairman of the Board of Deacons had urged my dad to withdraw his name, saying that he had talked to all the members of the church, and, “We are all in agreement that you are not qualified to be our pastor.”

It was an incredible example of God intervening in an election and demonstrating that He can work through a democracy and raise up the leaders of His choice. There must, however, be absolute trust and obedience on the part of God’s people, which was the key for my dad’s election victory. Here is the rest of the story.

God Speaks

Our family had been living in Tipton, Oklahoma for almost two years and my dad worked as a farmhand making .50 cents per hour. My parents, my three brothers and myself faithfully attended the local Assembly of God. We were obviously on the lower end of the social-economic scale, but we never missed a service.  

One day, Dad quit his job as a farmhand and began making plans to move to Dallas where there was the promise of a better-paying job. However, as soon as he quit his job he heard the Holy Spirit say, “What about pastoring this church?”

He replied, “Lord, if this is You, let the pastor resign before the first of the month.” He was shocked and devastated when in the very next service the pastor announced his resignation. 

He was devastated because he knew the people did not see him as a pastor. They saw him as an uneducated farmhand. He had never been to Bible school and had only a 4th grade education. Nonetheless, 12 years prior to this he had experienced a supernatural call from God but had not been able to find his niche.

It was obvious to him that God had spoken, so he went to the secretary of the church and said, “I would like to submit my name to be the pastor of this church.” The secretary replied, “Well, you are the first one and will be at the top of the list.”

Opposition Arises

About three days later “Brother Cook,” who was the Chairman of the Board of Deacons, and in charge of finding their next pastor, came to my dad and said,

I have talked to all the members of the church and we are all in agreement that you are not qualified to be our pastor. We would like for you to withdraw your name and not go through with an election. We believe it will save some hurt feelings for if you go through with it, no one will vote for you.

Brother Cook departed and I can only imagine the thoughts and feelings my dad must have experienced. God had spoken and confirmed that He wanted him to pastor this church, but the people are all in agreement that they do not want him.

Prayer and Perseverance Bring Incredible Victory

Not being a politician, the only thing he knew to do was pray. He, therefore, spent an entire night in prayer, but heard nothing. He spent a second night in prayer, but still no voice or sense of direction from heaven. He spent a third night in prayer and still no angelic voice, nor even an impression.

However, something incredible happened as the sun arose on the horizon after the third night of prayer. He looked out a window, and as the first rays of the morning sun shone in his face, he said, “I felt that I was turned into another man.”

Suddenly, he had no concern about what anyone thought of him. Peoples’ opinions no longer mattered. The only thing that mattered was obeying God. He went out and found the secretary and Chairman of the Board and said, “Brethren, whatever you do is between you and God, but I have to go through with this.”

God Intervenes in the Election

They reluctantly assigned him a time to preach on a Sunday night. I still remember the title of his message taken from the Old Testament book of Habakkuk, “Consider Your Ways.” There seemed to be an unusual anointing on him, and I still remember his words when he finished. He said, “I have obeyed God and the Hyatt family is going home. It is now between you and God.”

We went home and about 35 minutes later someone came to our home and informed my dad that he had been voted in as pastor with 100% of the vote. Others then came sharing details of what had happened. They said that after we left, Brother Cook opened the business meeting in which they would now vote. However, before the voting began, he began to weep, and through tears said, “Folks, I have been wrong about this man. He is supposed to be our pastor.”

The Spirit of God fell on the congregation, and many more were moved to tears. Although every member had come that night intending to vote against my dad, hearts and minds were suddenly changed, and he received every vote. God intervened in that election.

That was a defining moment, and my dad continued to pastor in the Assemblies of God for the next 35 years until his retirement at age 77. The last church he pastored was the Eastside Assembly of God in Chicota, TX, which he pastored for 27 years. One young man, Tony Boykin, that grew up under his ministry, wrote the following after his passing.

He had a profound impact on my life that changed me forever. My children and I can always say that our Christian life was helped to be framed by one of America's greatest pastors. I will forever believe that he will stand beside Moses, King David, Elijah, and Father Abraham. If any man has ever lived by Gods highest standards, it was the legendary C.H. Hyatt. I miss one of the best friends I have ever had.

Yes, God can change elections, not by creating or duplicating ballots, but by changing hearts. For me, the choice for November 5 is very clear, but for many it is not so clear. Therefore, let us not only vote, but be diligent to pray, “Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” God can change hearts and change an election.

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

HOW "IN GOD WE TRUST" BECAME AMERICA'S NATIONAL MOTTO

America’s national motto, “In God We Trust,” printed on all currency and coins, expresses the bold and vocal faith of America’s founding generation and affirms that they knew nothing of a so-called “separation of church and state.”

The idea for such a national motto was initiated in 1861 when Secretary of the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase, sent the following instructions to James Pollack, director of the mint at Philadelphia.

Dear Sir: No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense. The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins. You will cause a device to be prepared without unnecessary delay with a motto expressing in the fewest and tersest words possible this national recognition (Hyatt, 5 Pillars of the American Republic, 12).

Early America was Entirely Christian

Notice that Chase says such a motto is appropriate because of “the trust of our people in God” A few years before this, John Marshall (1755-1835), the second Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court had written,

The American population is entirely Christian, and with us Christianity and religion are identified. It would be strange, indeed, if with such a people, our institutions did not presuppose Christianity, and did not refer to it, and exhibit relations with it (Hyatt. 1726:The Year that Defined America, 169).

Some years earlier, America’s Founders opened the Declaration of Independence by acknowledging the Creator and recognizing that all human rights come from Him. This was the basis on which John Dickinson, Founding Father and chairman of the committee that drafted the Articles of Confederation, declared in 1776,

Our liberties do not come from charters for these are only the declarations of preexisting rights. They do not depend on parchment or seals; but come from the King of Kings and the Lord of all the earth (Hyatt, 5 Pillars of theAmerican Republic, 10).

Indeed, there was a consensus among the Founders that America had come forth by the Providential hand of God. Reflecting on the completed work of the Constitutional Convention, James Madison, the chief architect of the Constitution, saw God’s handiwork in it all, and wrote,

It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in critical stages of the Revolution (Hyatt, 5 Pillars of theAmerican Republic, 10).

When George Washington placed his hand on the Bible to take the first presidential oath of office it was an expression of his faith in the God of the Bible. When he gave his first Inaugural Address shortly thereafter, he warned the new nation,

The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the external rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, 2nd Edition (174).

Atheism Rejected

Indeed, in early America, faith in God was considered necessary for good citizenship and atheism was outright rejected. James Madison said, “Before any man can be considered as a member of civil society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe.”

This rejection of atheism was borne out in 1831 when a judge in the court of Chester County in the state of New York, threw out the testimony of a witness when the witness admitted he did not believe in the existence of God. The judge said that by his admission, the witness had, “destroyed all the confidence of the court in what he was about to say.”

The judge went on to say that it was the first time he had met someone who did not acknowledge the existence of God. He said that he knew of no case in a Christian country where a witness had been permitted to testify without such belief in God (Hyatt, 5 Pillars of theAmerican Republic, 11).

In 1892 the U.S. Supreme Court acknowledged that America is a Christian nation in the case of Church of the Holy Trinity vs The United States. After examining thousands of historical documents, the nation’s highest Court declared,

The churches and church organizations which abound in every city, town, and hamlet; the multitude of charitable organizations existing everywhere under Christian auspices; the gigantic missionary associations, with general support, and aiming to establish Christian missions in every quarter of the globe. These, and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation (Hyatt, 1726: The Year thatDefined America, 170).

“In God We Trust” Becomes the Law of the Land

It is against this background of a deep national historical faith that in a Flag Day Speech on June 14, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower talked about the need to reaffirm the religious faith in America’s heritage and said that doing so would “constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource, in peace or in war.”

Then, on July 30, 1956, President Eisenhower signed into law two bills regarding the national motto. Public Law 84–140 required “In God We Trust” to appear on all U.S. currency and coins. Public Law 84–851 declared "In God We Trust" to be the official motto of the United States.

We Are Overdue for Another National Awakening

This all shows that the ACLU and similar organizations that are opposing the state of Louisiana posting the Ten Commandments in public schools and opposing Oklahoma public schools teaching the Bible as literature, are completely out of step with America’s true heritage.

They base their opposition on the novel idea of a “separation of church and state,” which is nowhere to be found in America’s founding documents. It is of recent origin and is based on a misleading interpretation of the First Amendment, wrenched out of its original context.  

From George Washington to Dwight D. Eisenhower America was considered a Christian nation, not because of Congressional legislation or a Supreme Court decree, but because the Christianity of the founding generation had been revived again and again by Spiritual Awakenings that impacted all sectors of American life.

We are overdue for another such Great Awakening to sweep across the land. Such an Awakening will cause the national motto to be more than a catchy phrase printed on our currency but will return us to the place where we can truly say as a nation, “In God We Trust!”

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author, historian, and revivalist. This article was derived from his books, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 5 Pillars of the American Republic, and Pilgrims and Patriots, 2nd Edition, all available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.

DID A MESSIANIC PSALM PREDICT JESUS' RESPONSE TO THE OLYMPIC OPENING CEREMONY?

Like many of you I was very troubled and angry that in the Olympics opening ceremony in Paris, France, there was an allusion to the famous painting of The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci that included drag queens and sexual debauchery. The allusion is quite obvious despite denials by some involved.

That they knew exactly what they were doing was confirmed by the respected digital news organization, "The Wrap." Their headline for a story carried on Yahoo News reads, "Paris Olympics Producers Say 'The Last Supper' Inspired the Opening Ceremony Scene: Many Have Done it Before." 

The show was an intentional mockery of Christianity and of Christ Himself. It  brought swift condemnation from Catholic leaders in France and from Mike Johnson the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Donald Trump, and many other Christian leaders including, Franklin Graham who quoted Galatians 6:7, which reads, “Be not deceived, God is not mocked.”

I was very troubled until I was reminded of Psalm 2:1-5, which gives us a clue to how God may have responded to their antics. This is a Messianic Psalm concerning the coming Messiah and how He responds to the opposition that arises against Him. It reads,

Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel against the LORD and against His Anointed [Messiah], saying, Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us. He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the LORD shall hold them in derision.

The One who "sits" in the heavens is Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah who is destined to rule the earth. Throughout the New Testament we are told of His ascension into the heavenlies where He now "sits" at the right hand of God with all authority in heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18; Ephesians 1:20-23; Hebrews 1:3).

Those who "plot" against Him are all those who are opposed to His reign as the Chosen One of God, and this includes the creators of this opening ceremony at the Olympics. They consider Christian morality to be "bonds" and "cords" that hinder them from living the fleshly, narcissistic lifestyles they have chosen. They are determined to break those bonds in pieces.

The Psalm says that the response of the One seated in heaven is that He “laughs.” It is a laugh of derision and scorn. It is like, “These puny, little human beings. What will they try next?” He is neither intimidated nor bothered. From His exalted throne, their activities are so childish, futile and foolish that He shakes His head and LAUGHS.

So, don’t let this situation get under your skin. Remember the greatness and majesty of our Messiah-King who is seated at the right hand of God with all authority in heaven and in earth. Remember that He is destined to rule the nations, and of His kingdom there will be no end (Isaiah 9:6-7).

Because we know the tragic end of all those who blaspheme His name and oppose His reign, it may be that they are to be pitied more than anything, for the Psalmist goes on to describe what happens after He laughs.

The LORD shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure.

So, more than ever, let us continue to proclaim the Good News of Jesus our King, offering forgiveness and new life for all who will embrace Him as their Savior and Messiah. 

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author, revivalist, and ordained minister. This article is derived in part from his book, Discovering the Real Jesus, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.

THE KEY TO LIVING FREE

"You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Jesus 

"Truth" is an indispensable weapon we mut continually utilize in the spiritual battle in which we are engaged. The enemy seeks to steal, kill and destroy with his lies, half-truths and deceptions. It is the truth that dispels those lies and frees us to walk victoriously as more than conquerors in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:37). Consider the following examples.

Set Free by the Truth

 I was leading praise and worship when I saw Tom come through the door looking very despondent and oppressed. This was very unusual because he was one of the most enthusiastic members of our fledgling congregation and normally arrived at church 30-45 minutes early.

Tonight, however, he had arrived late and now stood with his head down and his arms folded across his chest. This was so unlike him and I thought to myself, "I wonder what has happened to Tom today?"

Shortly thereafter, he interrupted the proceedings and asked, "Would you all pray for me? I am all bound up!" Normally I would have invited him to come forward and we would have prayed for him. However, I suddenly saw that if we prayed for him to be free, we would be acknowledging the lie a demon had planted in his mind that he was all bound up.

It all happened so quickly that I was surprised at how I responded. The words of Jesus in John 8:38 flashed into my mind and I emphatically replied, "No! We are not going to pray for you.” I then said, “Jesus said that whom the Son sets free is free indeed. You take your liberty!"

Tom thrust his hands into the air and began praising God and a spiritual explosion occurred. Suddenly the entire congregation exploded with clapping and shouts of praise to God. This went on for at least the next 10 minutes. It was awesome! Tom shouted praises along with the others. His very countenance changed. He was free!

What set Tom free? A prayer? A certain healing technique? No, it was the truth of God’s Word. When Tom heard the declaration of freedom and responded to it, we all experienced a level of freedom we had not known.

The Truth Set Roger Free from a Tormenting Past.

We must remember that Satan and demons have no real authority against the Church and individual believers. Satan can control people only to the extent that he can deceive them with lies and deceptions. This is why Jesus said in John 8:31-32, If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.

During this same pastorate, I dropped by the home of Roger, knowing that he was in a state of despair. Roger had grown up in an atmosphere filled with drugs, violence and immorality. He never knew the identity of his father. As an adult, he had had a very powerful encounter with the Lord and committed his life to Jesus. His past, however, continued to haunt him, bringing doubts about his standing with God and his own ability to walk in freedom and liberty.

The problem seemed to be exasperated by teaching he heard concerning generational curses, i.e., that family curses are passed down from one generation to the next. People attempted to help him by ministering deliverance, the healing of memories and by breaking generational curses. Nothing, however, produced lasting results, and he seemed to sink further into despair and defeat.

As we sat down in his living room, I felt impressed to read a passage from the book of Ezekiel. We both opened our Bibles and I read aloud Ezekiel 18:1-20 which is all about the fact that children will not bear the guilt of the sins of their fathers. We came to vs. 20 which says, The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

I had never seen Roger express any emotion in church, but at this point he leaped from his chair and began dancing a "jig" around the room, shouting and praising God. From that moment he was free. I saw him 20 years later and he was still free. What set him free? The truth of God’s word! You shall know the truth, Jesus said, And the truth shall make you free (Jn. 8:32).

Maintaining Our Freedom.

It is one thing to obtain our freedom; quite another to maintain it. Jesus told of an unclean spirt going out of a person and later returning and finding the house in which he once dwelt to be “empty,” or as the NIV says, “unoccupied.”

The point is that if a person receives deliverance through someone else’s prayer, they will have to maintain that freedom by being filled with Holy Spirit and renewing their mind in God’s word. According to Jesus, the demon will return seeking to regain entrance and bring seven more spirits with him. (Matthew 12:43-45).

This passage was in my mind when a woman came to me asking that I cast the demons out of her. This was my first time to meet her, but I knew of her reputation as one who had been to numerous churches and pastors with the same request. Many had tried to help her, but to no avail.

I decided not to go down that same path and encouraged her to sit in our meetings and have her faith built by God’s word before I prayed for her. "We can get the devil off of you and out of you," I said. "No problem!" I then explained that if she did not know how to walk in her authority in Christ, she would be back in the same condition and running here and there looking for someone to set her free.

She rejected my advice and walked away saying, "You don't understand! You don't understand." Many people, like her, are looking for some apostle, prophet or evangelist to pray a prayer that will solve all their problems. The real key is to know the truth and walk in it.

We Need a "Back to the Bible" Revival

In His great high priestly prayer recorded in John 17, Jesus prayed for His followers that God would, Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth (John 17:17). God's word is the great fountain and source of truth. No wonder that the great church historian, Philip Schaff, said, “Every new progress in church history is conditioned by a new and deeper study of the Scriptures.” 

Martin Luther learned the power of the truth of God’s word in his work of reforming the church. Many wondered how he, a lowly monk and professor of theology, could have such an impact on the church and the world, causing popes and emperors to tremble. In a sermon, preached in 1522, Luther explained, saying,

I simply taught, preached, wrote Gods Word; otherwise, I did nothing. The Word so weakened the papacy that never a prince or emperor did such damage to it. I did nothing. The Word did it all.

The great Methodist Revival that transformed Great Britain and early America, began with John and Charles Wesley, George Whitefield and others at Oxford University studying the Greek New Testament each evening from 6 – 9 pm. John Wesley expressed his passion for God’s word when he wrote,

Oh, give me that book! At any price give me the book of God. I have it; here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be, “A man of one book.”

The Azusa Street Revival is known for the gifts of the Holy Spirit that were manifested such as tongues, healings, and miracles. We must not, however, overlook the fact that it was also a "Back to the Bible" revival, and this was a key to the revival's power and success.  For example, in the September 1907 issue of the Apostolic Faith, the leaders at Azusa wrote,

We are measuring everything by the Word, every experience must measure up with the Bible. Some say that is going too far, but if we have lived too close to the Word, we will settle that with the Lord when we meet Him in the air.

If we would be a free people, we must  be a people of the Book. We must keep before us the words of Jesus in John 8:31-32, If you continue in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is the author of numerous books including 1726: The Year that Defined America, which documents how America was birthed out of a Great Spiritual Awakening, and Angels of Light, which shows how to recognize and discern the workings of demons whom Paul says transform themselves into angels of light. These and other books he has authored are available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.

SAVE AMERICA AND THE STORY BEHIND THE BOOKS

   

In December of 2023 I asked the Lord, "Is there anything new for 2024?" I immediately heard in my heart, "Save America." I took it very personal but also as a general call going out to every one who loves America that it is time to take a stand. I also knew it was a continuation of the call I received in 2010 to write God back into America's history. 

The 2010 call, which I delineate in this article, led to the writing and publication of the above five books on the topic. Since this recent call to "Save America," I have sensed a renewed incentive to get these books into the hands of as many people as possible, especially Christian and political leaders.

If America's future is to be saved, her lost Christian heritage must be recovered, for as George Orwell said in his classic, 1984, "Whoever controls the past, controls the future." I am not the only one addressing this topic, but I think my approach may be unique in that I have emphasized the role of the Great Awakening in both the founding of America and the ending of slavery.

I Thought God Was Through with America

Ever since my commitment to Christ over 50 years ago, I have been a student and proponent of Revival. I wrote the book, 2000 Years of Charismatic Christianity, which documents Holy Spirit revival throughout church history, and it is used in colleges and seminaries around the world. In doing this research I had studied the Great Awakenings in America and held out hope of seeing it happen again.

By 2010, however, I had given up hope of America ever seeing another great, national spiritual awakening. The revivals of the 1990s, it seemed, had become self-serving and powerless to stem the cultural and moral decline of the nation. Although I believed there could still be individual and local revivals, I had reluctantly succumbed to the popular eschatological idea that there would not be another great revival. I thought that America’s time in the sun was over and done.

Surprised by the Holy Spirit

That all changed, however, in the fall of 2010 when I experienced a seven-hour visitation of God that completely upended my thinking in this regard. It began on a sunny September day  when I began a two-hour drive from Tulsa, OK to Kingfisher, OK where I would be preaching the following day in a Sunday morning service.

Without any anticipation of such a thing happening, I suddenly felt enveloped in God’s presence. At the same time, the Holy Spirit began flooding mind and heart with thoughts of hope and faith that America “could” see another great, national spiritual awakening that would impact the culture, stem the tide of secularism, and alter the course of the nation.

As I drove along the highway, I was hardly aware of my surroundings. By the time I arrived at my hotel, my heart was so full I could hardly contain myself. I could hardly wait to open my notebook PC and began writing down the thoughts that continued to flood my mind. That experience lasted far into the night as I sat on the hotel bed and prayed, praised God and wrote.

The Fruit of That Experience

Two significant changes came out of that experience. Firstly, my hope for America was renewed and I knew that God was not finished with her. Secondly, I saw for the first time that the First Great Awakening had a direct bearing on the founding of this nation. I saw that America had had an overt Christian birth.

I knew this had to be put in writing but I also knew there was much research to be done. More than once I was  amazed at how I was providentially led to resources to confirm the vision I had seen, and to fill out the historical narrative documenting America’s spiritual birth. After two years of research and writing, I published America’s Revival Heritage in 2012 and it was very well received. 

When America’s Revival Heritage sold out, and I began an edit for republication, there was so much new material that it soon became obvious that a new book was emerging. As a result, I published Pilgrims and Patriots, which expanded the historical narrative of America’s spiritual birth and showed, in even more detail, the role of prayer and the Great Awakening in her founding. Then came a small 38-page volume entitled 5 Pillars of the American Republic.

In 2019 I began sensing a stirring in my spirit to take the research I had done and add a chapter on slavery, showing how the Great Awakening also had a direct bearing on the ending of slavery on this continent. I was again amazed at the historical resources that I discovered to complete this task and it soon  became clear that an entirely new book was in the making.

As I was writing, I read about the New York Times' 1619 Project supposedly to honor the 400 year anniversary of the first African slaves being brought to this land in 1619. The producers of this project claimed that America's true founding was 1619, not 1776, and that she was forever defined by slavery and racism. 

When I read this I said aloud, "No! No! America was not defined by 1619; America was defined by 1726." That was the year the Great Awakening began, which ignited a powerful anti-slavery movement at a time slavery was accepted and practiced in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and much of the world. I decided to entitle the book, 1726, with the subtitle, The Year that Defined America. Out of this research I then wrote and published a smaller book entitled America's Abolitionist Founding Fathers.

Why this is Important

Secularist and Marxist historians have re-written America's history leaving out the prominence of faith and prayer, and painting the founders as evil men who formed America to protect their wealth and maintain slavery. School children are being taught to despise and hate America. This is part of the bigger Marxist strategy for the takeover of a nation without firing a shot, for as Karl Marx said, "People without a heritage are easily persuaded." 

Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who spent eight years in a Soviet labor camp and observed how the communists sought to remove the Russian people from their Christian past, wrote, "To destroy a people you much first sever their roots." And the Pulitzer Prize winning historian, Carl Sandburg, said, "When a nation goes down, or a society perishes, one condition may always be found; they forgot where they came from."

These books are a stark reminder of where we came from as a nation.  These books will help us reclaim our Christian heritage and dispel the lies that are being propagated about America's origins. They will also stir our hearts to pray and believe for another Great Awakening to sweep across the land.

These books, and more, are available from Amazon and our website at www.eddiehyatt.com. I have also created an exciting PowerPoint presentation about America's birth out of a Great Spiritual Awakening. If you would like to schedule me to present this at your church, school or event, send an email to dreddiehyatt@gmail.com.