Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…This has been a fun blog to write. It gave me the opportunity to combine history, politics and the Truth of God’s word, all subjects that I particularly enjoy, in one setting. I believe this will indeed lift your spirits.
In the 1700’s, a European philosophical movement known as, “The Enlightenment”, or “The Age of Reason”, was making its way across the Atlantic.to the American colonies. Enlightened thinkers emphasized a scientific and logical view of the world while downplaying religion. Over the years, this philosophy began worming its way into the churches. The effects of that maneuver could be seen in diminished congregations, a feeling of complacency – even within the ranks of church leaders, and disillusion with how wealth and rationalism were dominating their culture. During this time, the colonies were religiously divided and the message of God’s grace was slipping through the cracks as church doctrines butted heads.
No doubt, the stage had been set for a renewal of faith. In the late 1720’s, a revival began to take root as preachers began altering their messages to reemphasize the truth and power of God’s Word, and the love, forgiveness and mercy of God’s grace. There are two preachers that I would like to spotlight as leaders in this movement. One was Jonathan Edwards, an Anglican minister. His message centered on the idea that humans are sinners, that God is an angry judge, that individuals need to ask for forgiveness, and that justification comes through faith alone. He was known for his passion and energy.
Another impactful figure was George Whitefield, a preacher from England who looked at America and mourned the division he saw in the Body of Christ. His faith led him here by boat, then he purchased a horse and toured up and down the Atlantic coast. He preached boldly, passionately and theatrically on street corners and in fields, attracting huge audiences wherever he went. His message was for common people, slaves and Native Americans; no one was excluded from God’s grace. In one year, Whitefield covered 5000 miles throughout the colonies and preached more than 350 times. His style was so charismatic and expressive that he even attracted the attention of skeptic Benjamin Franklin.
I wrote this introduction because I wanted to compare the state of the culture 300 years ago with our culture today. Notice these points: a new way of secular thinking began challenging and gaining ground on the Christian message. As this “enlightened” message wormed its way into the church, its presence had a negative effect on the spirit and true focus of the church’s purpose This manifested itself in diminished congregations, a complacency and lack of zeal for the Gospel of Grace, and a feeling of despair that secularism was gaining momentum. This malaise was rendering the colonial churches ineffective.
Can you see satan’s game plan being repeated today? The Liberal Progressive Agenda, a subject I have written extensively about during the past few years, has been brewing in our country for decades. But within the last decade, it has reared its ugly head and has been progressing at breakneck speed. It is an agenda rooted in wealth, power and control, and has in effect become synonymous with the Democrat party’s platform. Its insidious effects can now be seen in many of today’s churches. They have adopted political correctness; they have succumbed to the pressure of being tolerant of various deviant behaviors, and they have yielded to the threat of censorship if the church’s message is contrary to the current political narrative.
Unfortunately, the message from today’s church has been, and is being, methodically muted while the voice of the worldly agenda is ringing “loud and clear”. At this point, it is important that we stand firm on the truth of Jesus’ words: “In this world you will experience trials and tribulation, BUT fear not because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) This reminds me of the victory celebration that must have surely taken place in the domain of darkness when Jesus’ body was taken down from the cross. What they didn’t know that fateful Friday was that “Sunday was coming” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the script for today’s cultural malady had the same exuberant ending? Well, “fear not, because Jesus has overcome the world.”
In the opening scenario about colonial America, the Church had become lukewarm, much like the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:4. They had abandoned their first love and their purpose. This travesty was recognized by the leaders of the First Grace Awakening, and their boldness and zest motivated other pastors to once again reemphasize the truth and power of God’s Word, and the love, forgiveness and mercy of God’s grace. That spark by committed leaders ignited a movement that was willing to stand against evil, and was willing to restore God to His rightful place in the minds and hearts of their culture. I am thrilled to say…such a movement is taking place among churches right now, and I’m proud to say that my former church, Grace Church St. Louis, and my current church, SeaGlass Church in Apollo Beach Florida, are among those leading the charge. Both churches are gifted with pastors who have the courage to stand against the political narrative that calls evil good and good evil, while at the same time standing strong on the Truth of God’s Word.
When you look at the moral and spiritual bankruptcy that is contributing to our nation’s decline, what you are witnessing is the result of Man’s best effort at playing god. As Albert Einstein stated: “you cannot solve a problem with the same mindset that created the problem.” Those words perfectly describe the malaise that has infected our culture. No political agenda, whether identified with a D, an R, or an I is going to restore our nation. “Why”, you ask? Because what we are witnessing is a spiritual battle between “good” and “evil”. “How can I make such a statement”, you ask? Well, fasten your seatbelt!
To the uninformed viewer, it might look as though the domain of darkness is pulling ahead. Therefore, consider this scenario. If you could follow the black brick road to the curtain, and then you could pull it aside, you would discover that the puppeteer pulling the strings that lead to chaos and degradation is none other than the “father of lies” himself…satan! His shenanigans and schemes have manifested themselves in minds and hearts of his victims for many millennia, so what you see coming to fruition in the physical realm is anger, hatred, jealousy, lying, cheating, stealing, addictions, suicide, violence and murder. (Do you see a prevalence of these traits in our culture today?) All of these despicable behaviors are wrapped in well-crafted lies that are intended to strengthen the devil’s hand. But the truth is, satan’s lies cannot stand against God’s Truth!
Satan has played this same game since the Garden of Eden, but inevitably God’s Will has prevailed. This bout of spiritual warfare that is holding our culture captive will be no different. “Why”, you ask? Because what our culture is desperately looking for is a relationship with Jesus Christ...they just don’t realize that. They have tried filling that “proverbial hole” in their soul with drugs, alcohol, boats, cars, sex, bigger houses, and more power and prestige.Those placebos have only resulted in sky rocketing addictions, divorce rates that are off the charts, higher incidents of depression and anxiety, and soaring numbers of suicides. Truth be told, there is only one “fix” that fixes, and that is a relationship with Jesus Christ!
I believe the reason more people haven’t accepted God’s Gift of Grace is simply because they are ignorant of The Truth. Perhaps their families didn’t raise them in church; perhaps their friend up the street convinced them that there are other gods to worship. Whatever the reason, they haven’t heard the truth about God’s love, mercy, grace, forgiveness and faithfulness. My experience has taught me that when anyone smarter than the average bear hears The Gospel of Grace and “connects the dots along the way”, their conclusion is almost always, “I believe this is true.” Therefore, I believe this same message will be welcomed by our culture just as readily as salve is welcomed for an open wound.
The stage is set for another Grace Awakening. I believe the masses will soon wake up to the fact that they put their faith in the wrong god; they were dupped! This will be not only a rude awakening, but a frightening awakening for most. Church, THIS IS OUR TIME TO SHINE. The harvest will definitely be ready. As it says in Romans 10:15: “How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim the Good News.” Thank you, Revival leaders, for your courage to answer this call. What could be more pleasing to our Heavenly Father?
Please feel free to respond to this message, and please share it with other social media friends.
May God Bless You abundantly,
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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