America’s Trumpet Call: Awakening a Nation
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The message today is a continuation from last week, focusing on “America’s Trumpet Call.” The scripture from 1 Corinthians 14:8 reminds us that if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle? For decades, the church has been making an uncertain sound when it’s time to go to battle, to set people free, and to bring life to this world.
The Urgent Call to Action
Numbers 10:9 tells us that when we go to war against the enemy who oppresses us, we must sound an alarm with the trumpets, and we will be remembered before the Lord our God and saved from our enemies. It’s time to blow a trumpet in the nation, call people back to God, to worship and serve Jesus Christ, and believe that the Lord will remember us and deliver us from our enemies.
Last week, we discussed the shadow covering the nation, not just America, but globally. God is calling us to break that shadow with the light of God’s presence and the gospel of Jesus Christ. We talked about four steps to participate in God’s work:
- Fall madly in love with Jesus, filled with His Holy Spirit, and let no love be lukewarm or cold.
- Let His love possess our hearts, like Paul who said he would be cut off from Christ if it could save his fellow Jews.
- Rebuild the church, the epicenter of God’s work in the world, where we are trained, equipped, united, empowered, and sent out to bring nations into obedience to Christ.
- This week, our focus shifts to rebuilding the nation.
The Shadow Over the Nation
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I’ve been convicted that it’s time to blow the trumpet in America. I’ve awakened to the danger our nation faces and remembered the darkness in the fallen world. Many of us have followed cultural and societal changes for decades, and it’s like a light bulb went off. We saw this coming. When you teach people to hate America, at some point, they’ll try to destroy it. When you teach there’s no absolute truth, no right or wrong, people will act like animals.
There’s power in the church of Jesus Christ if we awaken to deal with it. That’s the absolute truth we want to tap into as God’s people. We’re praying for God to awaken the nations.
Understanding the Fallen World
The fallen world is dark without Christ. Many people in the church have been delivered from serious bondage, remembering what it was like to walk in darkness, hopelessness, and bondage. Often, they didn’t even know they were in bondage until God showed them. This broken world is destroying lives, but many Christians forget how dark it is as they enjoy God’s blessings.
When we forget how broken people are, we lose compassion, we stop praying, reaching out, and caring. The power of the Holy Spirit disappears. I’m asking the Lord to break our hearts for a broken world, to care for people living broken lives, and to teach us to love like He loved us.
A Dream of Urgency
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Recently, I had a dream. I’m not saying “thus saith the Lord,” but I believe the Lord is speaking to me. I’m usually very hopeful, and the Lord has spoken hopeful words about the future. He told me that America has two years to repent, or we could end as a nation. Since then, I’ve been praying daily, seeking what repentance looks like and how to bring it.
It’s not a word of discouragement but a word of hope. God’s heart is to deliver the nation. We’re facing a radical Marxist overthrow of America, intent on ending this nation. But God in His grace is calling the church to awake. It’s not us versus them; it’s a world lost in darkness, broken, hurting, needing God’s kingdom.
The Battle of Visions
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The heart of this battle is between two visions of liberty. One is an inheritance from our founding fathers, where liberty is freedom from sin, living in a world ordered by God. The other is a false vision, where liberty is doing whatever you want. This vision is at work on every political side, promoting liberty as freedom from restraint, law, and order.
Restoring the right vision of liberty brings the right law and order to society. We need to understand the biblical social architecture for a healthy nation. Without it, we have nothing to say to the world.
The Enlightenment and the Reformation
We’re seeing the harvest of two seeds: the Enlightenment and the Reformation. Both have different visions for the world, and America is an heir to the Reformation tradition. It’s a glorious tradition rebelling against the tyranny of church and state. Martin Luther lit a fire with his 95 Theses, bringing order to the world, like the sanctity of marriage.
The Enlightenment, however, led to a bloodbath in France, traced through Stalin, Lenin, and communist societies. It’s a secular, atheist rebellion against reason, against God, and everything falls apart. This is the storm America faces today.
Rebuilding the Nation
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We need to rebuild the nation by restoring the biblical social architecture. Our founding fathers understood the separation of church and state as God designed it. Abraham Kuyper spoke of three institutions with ordained boundaries: the church, the state, and the family. When these function healthily, the nation flourishes.
We must bring back healthy families and churches. The longing for liberty and the rule of law is stamped on creation itself. The ancient Greek philosophers, despite their idolatry, understood the need for reason over base passions. They saw that when reason rules, the nation flourishes.
The Call to Action
Christians need to activate their gifts. Every member of the church has a ministry. If you’re not fulfilling your ministry, the world suffers. Ask God to show you what He has for you to do. Look for passion, where you feel the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Seeing problems is a gift from the Lord. Criticism is from the devil. If you see problems, you might be called to do something about it. Step out of your comfort zone, trust God, and do what you’re uncomfortable doing.
Building Authentic Relationships
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Participation in church is mission-critical. Gather as the army of God to liberate the world. Build authentic relationships through life groups, prayer meetings, and friendships. Network, support, and encourage one another.
We need to reconnect with the vision of rebuilding the nation, heirs of our founding fathers. We must fill the world with the message that Jesus Christ is Lord of all, proclaiming liberty to the captives once again.
The Power of Prayer
Prayer is essential. If you’re not meeting the Holy Spirit in prayer, you’re not praying right. God answers prayer, and we must not settle for less than our full inheritance. Pray for the world, the church, and the nation.
As we pray, let us recognize life and settle for nothing less. Reconnect with the vision of our founding fathers and run with it. Fill the world with the message that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.
Awake, and blow the trumpet in America. It’s time to rebuild.
