But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 

II Corinthians 3:16-17. ESV 

 

I recently enjoyed one of the best movies I have seen in years, "A Great Awakening". It is the account of George Whitefield, as seen through the eyes of his friend, Benjamin Franklin. Whitefield was a defrocked Anglican preacher who was essentially run out of England and who subsequently came to America. Whitefield was one of the most powerful orators of his time, with a thunderous voice that could literally be heard by many thousands of people at one time. However, it was not his gift of speaking that set him apart among the preachers of his ere, it was the message he brought when he spoke.

 

And George Whitefield's message, was a message of freedom!

 

It was a vital message for the struggling colonies. They were certainly a religious people (after all, many of them and their ancestors had come to America for religious freedom) but their religion had become beaten down through the years. In many ways it had grown cold, and they needed someone to remind them of what true religion was. In stepped George Whitefield who preached a message of liberty in Christ. He taught a Scriptural freedom, however, for as he taught the people that they could be freed from their sins if they would turn to Christ, he also taught them that they were to then live for Christ.

 

Contrast that to the religious dogma that is often preached today. Modern religion is often a watered-down version of the truth, selling people on the freedom they can have in Christ, but failing to preach that this newfound freedom is not a license to continue living in sin. The message was an important one, for it was in essence the same message that the Apostles preached in the New Testament times. Consider the following passages, the first by Paul, the second by Peter, but both inspired of the Holy Spirit:

 

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Galatians 5:13, ESV

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a coverup for evil, but living as servants of God. I Peter2:16, ESV

 

The message that brought freedom in Paul and Peter's Day, was the same that Whitefield passed on in his day. It was a message of freedom in Christ, but not a freedom to do whatever a person wanted. Rather, it was a freedom that was to be used in serving Christ while walking according to His will. Compare that to the preaching we often hear today where people are told of the freedom in Christ but are not told of the requirement to stop sinning. Many people today honestly believe that they can live in willful sin and that God's grace will allow them to do so. It is a perversion of what has really been taught. Consider the following inspired statement by Jude, the brother of Christ, as he was writing to warn the church of this very thing:

 

For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. Jude 1:4, NIV (1978)

 

But Whitefield, did not make this error. He preached from the Word the freedom that was in Christ alone - a freedom that allowed people to escape the bondage of sin and now live for Christ Jesus their Savior. It was in large part this message of liberty that changed the direction of America. Once people realized the liberty they could have in Christ, they savored that newfound freedom, and it was a catalyst that helped prompt them to want that same liberty in their relationship with England. This relationship that had been one of crown and colonies had turned into a form of enslavement, and once these people tasted the freedom from sin in their spiritual lives, they were no longer content to live as slaves to a despotic king who had usurped his proper authority and turned it into a tyranny. Most of us are familiar with the rest of the story, but it is not that story that I want to emphasize. What I believe is important for us in our own modern times is the same thing that was important in colonial times. 

 

It is the need for freedom!

 

It was this message that Whitefield and the other preachers of his time brought. It was a message that people no longer had to live as slaves to their sins, but that they could be freed through the blood of Jesus Christ. This offer of freedom was a gift - it was not something that they had earned, nor was it something they could earn in the future. It was a gift! 

 

But, as the inspired writers of the New Testament so clearly revealed, this was not a gift that could be misused while still allowing people to enjoy the fruits of this gift. The people were granted the opportunity to be freed from their bondage of sin to become servants of Christ! They were not permitted to pollute this gift by returning to their sins and claiming that this was what they were given their freedom for in the first place.

 

For freedom from sin has never been intended as a freedom to sin.

 

And this, in a nutshell, is why the Great Awakening was so successful. The people were taught from the Bible to leave their sins. By doing so, they would be freed from the consequences of their sins. They freedom was now to be devoted to a service to Christ and their fellow man. Contrast that to the perverted, so-called gospel that men are preaching today - a freedom from the penalties and consequences of sin as well, but with the "freedom" to continue to sin. In far too many instances, modern men have turned God's grace into a license to sin. By doing so, instead of bringing a new Great Awakening, they have lulled their listeners into that ancient sleep of death!

 

I believe it is time for America to experience another Great Awakening! However, this can never be accomplished as long as we are accepting the lie that freedom in Christ means freedom to sin. If we are to ever taste the freedom that is in Christ, we are going to have to be in Christ. That means we are going to have our faith and belief in Christ, make our good confession in Christ, and then repent and be baptized into Christ in order to have our sins washed away and taste the new birth. It is a simple but powerful message. It is the message that transformed the people on the day of Pentecost some forty-nine days after Christ was resurrected from the dead, and some 1,700 years later when the seeds of the Great Awakening were sown in America.

 

I believe we are in desperate need of a Great Awakening in our day. It is not a popular message - leaving our lifestyle of favorite sins never is. But on the flip side, the message of freedom is a popular message, just as it has been for some 2,000 years. We can choose that freedom that is in Christ and thereby escape the bondage that we currently have in our present sin, but it will come at a cost. We will first have to wake up and, once awakened, we will have to then arise to serve our Lord and Savior. It is only then that we can escape the bondage of our sin and become truly free men and women.

 

Are you ready for a Great Awakening?  

 

 

 

 

 

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity. 

Psalm 133:1. ESV

 

Have you ever thought about the blessings that we have in life when we have unity? Just think about a good church family, when everyone actually seems to like each other - in fact, when they love God and each other in that order. King David said that such a situation between brothers was both good and pleasant.

 

I have been very fortunate to have experienced a close-knit church family wherein people had a genuine affection for one another. It was so pleasant when we gathered together for Bible study and worship, because there was a bond of love that existed between us. There was a unity that stemmed from a joint desire to find out what God expected of us, combined with a desire to do that. Anyone who has been on a good team will understand. It's akin to eleven guys being on a football field, all working towards the same goal, and none particularly concerned with his own success nearly as much as the team's success. Championships often spring from such unified desires and actions.

 

When we take it to a more serious plane - those things which lead to eternity - it is all the better. To have a group of men and women who genuinely want to serve God and who really want to help one another get to heaven, well, that is a rare thing indeed.

 

I think of my own relationship with the church. I think of How many Sundays have I stood on the steps leading to the church building and seeing one person after another approach with a smile on their face that stemmed from the joy they had in seeing people they loved - people who shared a common goal - as well as from the anticipation of the worship. I wonder how often we take such instances for granted, for they are more and more rare in our day and age. 

 

It seems like these are the times of the perpetually offended. Did you vote for someone different than they? They are offended! Are you of a different race or economic situation? They are offended. Do you have a smile on your face when they have a frown on theirs? They are offended. We have a nation that seems more and more divided as each day goes by, and it not only distresses us, but sometimes it just makes us mad. So, what is the problem? It is that we are not unified! We seek to determine every difference in appearance, in status, and even in opinion, long before we stop to consider the things we share in common. When things get like this, you have to admit, the times are far from good or pleasant. In fact, they are usually more often bad and unpleasant.

 

It does not, however, have to be that way. Obviously, unity is the key, but how do we attain that unity? 

 

The answer to that is one of the true secrets to every virtue from peace to contentment, and it is just this: When you are seeking to find out how God wants you to live, and the person next to you is seeking the same thing, then we are first and foremost seeking to have an agreement - a unity if you will - with God! And when you agree to do God's things in God's way and I agree to do the same, then we will not only have unity with God, but we will also have unity with one another.

 

And, as that wise king said some 3,000 years ago, such a state is good and pleasant!

 

I don't know about you, but I think we could all use a little more goodness and pleasantness in this mean old world in which we live. And the interesting thing is that these blessings are there for the taking. All we have to do is live in unity with our brothers. It may seem like a difficult thing, but it is far easier than the alternative life filled with badness and unpleasantness that we will experience otherwise. Do you wish for a better life? It begins with a unity with God. That will lead to a unity with one another that will enhance the quality of our lives, in fact the entire world, if we will only let it. 

 

If we were only willing to do these things, how good and pleasant life will be!

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it. 

Proverbs 22:6, ESV

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Romans 10:17, ESV

 

Have you ever thought how important it is for your child to develop their own faith? 

 

One of the greatest failures that many parents go through is allowing their children to go out into the world with the faith of Mom and Dad instead of their own. Now, I don't want this to be misunderstood, because I do believe that we parents need to share a common faith with our kids, and the best way to ensure that our children will know the truth that is taught in God's Word is for we parents to teach them that truth. And the only way we can teach them the truth is to know what it is ourselves.

 

When we look at these two Biblical truths above, we come to these conclusions: First, we understand that it is a duty of all parents to train our children in the way they should go, and that necessarily means God's way. Further, Jesus revealed that He is the way and that no man can come to the Father except through Him. Second, the process of training a child in the way he should go will involve an understanding of the child's own aptitude and personality. While it is true that there is only one truth contained within the Scriptures, each child will have his or her own personal strengths and weaknesses, so we need to be aware of that when we are training them.

 

It's akin to a baseball team. There are 9 different positions, from the infielders to the outfielders, and from the pitcher to the catcher. All have different strengths and different roles to play, but all are playing the same game by the same set of rules. In a like fashion, your kids will have their own special set of skills, but all must live by the same set of Biblical rules. So, we teach them these Biblical truths, but we also recognize our children's unique strengths and weaknesses, and we train them accordingly. A vital part of that training will involve their coming into contact with God's Word, so we start them out as infants by simply talking to them about God and perhaps reading sound Bible story books to them. We enhance this training by taking them to Bible classes at the church, as well as making sure that we are worshipping together with the church.

 

And while I believe that no child should be given the choice of attending the Bible classes and worship that the parents have determined are necessary, I also believe that this needs to be carefully approached so that the children will see this as something that is pleasant as well as needed for them to be obedient to their Father in Heaven. 

 

Here, though, is where so many of us make our big mistake: While it is true that we parents have the duty to ensure our children are worshipping with the church and reading the word of God, there must be something in that part of the training that makes our children want to do these things, and especially as they mature into their teen years. You will never have a problem motivating your kids to play the sports they want to play, but unless they have a passion for that sport, they might not want to go to all of the practices or put in the hard work necessary for them to excel at the sport. In this case, the ones who are the best at sports are the ones who not only have a talent for that sport, but also a passion and love for it that will motivate them to the practice and hard work needed to do their best.

 

Here comes the point, and the tricky part: In order for our children to develop their own faith, they are not only going to have to hear the words of God and Christ, but they are going to have to want to hear those words! In short, they are not only going to have to understand the basic truths about God, but somewhere along the line they are going to have to develop a passion for God's Word and a love for Christ. I'm not saying that this will be easy - it is not - but I am saying that this is a fundamental part of every parent's duty. And the reason for our understanding that duty is this: If you force your religion on your kids where it becomes an unpleasant thing, if you drag them kicking and screaming to the worship each week, if you give them a view of God that He is somehow unloving and cruel and that He is just waiting for them to step out of line so that He can crush them, then when that day comes when they leave your house to start lives of their own, do not be surprised when they not only leave your home, but leave God as well.

 

And the reason for this is simple: We have trained our children up not so much to love God and Christ, but to fear them! And while the fear of God is vital, if we only teach them the "terror part" and leave out the respect and duty and especially the love parts of service, then they will likely just leave a religion that they have come to know as cruel and unloving.

 

So, what is the solution? It begins with our own hearts - we must first love God and Christ and desire above all else to serve them as best we can. We will do that when we realize the depth of Their love for us! Remember, God loved you so much that He gave you life in the first place, and then He gave you His only begotten Son to die for your sins. And Jesus? Well, Jesus loved us so much that He was willing to die for our sins! Once we have fully understood and embraced these truths, it will be then that we can introduce our children to God and Christ - and we will do so with a passion! That passion for service that stems from a wholehearted love for God is infectious, and will certainly spread to their own lives if we train them in the right way.

 

Though it will take time, these little ones will grow up with a love and respect for God that will motivate them to find out what they need to be doing to please Him. And while it is true that you will have already been teaching your kids about these very things, their love for God and Christ will further motivate them to want to serve them. That means that doing things like reading the Bible on their own and getting ready to go to Bible classes and worship, will no longer be things that they view as "have to do" but "get to do"! And by coming to this stage of maturity, they will be developing their own faith.

 

Then, they will be ready to go off into the real world, because they will have their own faith!

 

It is a hard thing to raise our children in such a way, but when you really think about it, everything truly worthwhile is hard! The reward, however, is worth it!

 

Do your kids have their own faith? It is a question we all must do our best to ensure that we can answer in the affirmative. Not only is it our duty, but it is also our privilege! And make no mistake, nothing less than our children's eternal souls are at stake, so we must do our best to answer this question in the right way. 

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 

II Timothy 2:15, ESV

 

There are a lot of theories as to what caused the period from the 5th to the 15th centuries to be referred to as the Dark Ages, but there is not much dispute as to the difficulties that mankind endured. The Dark Ages more than anything was hallmarked for its lack of any great advancements. It seemed to be a time of widescale backwardness, where education was mainly available to the nobility and priesthood, while the masses were intentionally kept ignorant. So, what brought about this period where the halt of mankind's intellectual progression was not only halted for a while, but actually regressed?

 

To understand that, one needs to know the things that were going on just before those dark ages started, and I believe this period of regression was ushered in by a suppression of God's Word. The religious leaders of the time seemed more interested in money and power (sound familiar) than anything and determined that the best way to safeguard their status was to keep the people ignorant. It has long been known that knowledge is a key to power, so these wicked men decided to keep as much knowledge as they could to themselves.

 

So, they declared the Word of God so special that it needed to be kept in its present form, having already been translated from its original languages of Greek and Aramaic to Latin. Since only the nobility and priesthood were considered worthy enough of serious education, the Bible began its trek to becoming a "closed book". Over the years, religious leaders even banned the reading of the Bible by those who were not part of "clergy". All the elements were now present to usher in the Dark Ages, and they remained "dark" for nearly a thousand years.

 

Then came the time of the Renaissance, also known as the enlightenment. It was an explosion of innovation and education. Instead of being discouraged, thinking for yourself was now encouraged. Education was now encouraged, and the masses began to become literate. It was a remarkable time, especially when one considers the times in which the world was escaping. 

 

But what happened?

 

Simply put, the Dark Ages ended when the Light returned!

 

And the Light, in this case, was the true Light of the World. John Wycliffe, the "Morning Star of the Reformation" with his team of scholars had translated the Bible from the special language of the elite (Latin) to the common language of the masses (known as Middle English). A short time later, Martin Luther translated the Bible into German, and then William Tyndale came along with his translation. Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press and the first book to roll off of that press was none other than the Bible.

 

The Catholic Church saw the dangers that were being created too late. They tried everything from banning the reading of the Bible by non-clergy, to the chaining of the Bible to the pulpit, but to no avail. The Light had already gotten out, and once it did it spread throughout the world.

 

And the Dark Ages were ended by the only thing that could combat darkness - light! And in this case, it was the Light of the world, and it had its effect of changing the world. After a thousand years, the world went from the Dark Ages to the Enlightenment in just a few generations!

 

Do you ever feel like you are going through your own "dark age"? If so, you might want to check - you may have misplaced your Light!

 

If it's been a while since you have seriously read and studied your Bible, I suspect you would be the first to admit that you often feel like you are stumbling around in the dark. The bad news is that this darkness has been self-imposed. No one banned you from reading God's Word. No one chained it to a pulpit. You did it to yourself! The good news is that the Light is readily available to bring an end to any dark age that you may be currently experiencing in your life. All you have to do is to open up your Bible and let its Light shine in your life once again.