Sometimes, before there can be a Great Awakening, there needs to be a Rude Awakening. After a video went viral showing the killing of a defenseless black man, George Floyd, by a white Minneapolis police officer, the past few days of rioting has certainly shocked all of us. Both the killing of George Floyd and the aftermath of destruction have been a troubling sign of the condition of our nation.
Satan is alive and well in America. He is bent on destroying this nation. All forms of injustice are Satan’s strategy to demean and destroy the image of God in every human being. Satan is no discerner of color or ethnicities. He hates us all. The Bible makes it clear that his plan is to systematically “steal, kill and destroy,” (John 10:10 a). Satan’s crosshairs are always aimed at people, the “imago Dei” or “created in the image of God,” whatever their race. He especially hates the People of God and the Church and he will stop at nothing to see its complete subjugation and destruction. This was his plan in the First Century and it’s his same plan today. The methods may have changed, but the mission of Satan remains the same since time immemorial.
A persecuted group of Separatists, Pilgrims and Puritans founded this nation. Their original vision was that America would be a “Light on a Hill” for all nations. Later, this vision was inscribed in one sentence of the Declaration of Independence:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
These words were penned by men with a biblical worldview. These words were crafted from a deep-seated passion that America would be a unique nation, with unique laws formed under the rubric of a unique, loving and benevolent God. Theirs was a conviction that every man, woman and child have been given three rights that could not be transferable to another or not capable of being taken away or denied. These “unalienable rights,” under our Constitution, would be that every person, regardless of color, ethnicity or socioeconomic background, would be granted “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” These rights were to be protected by the Government.
Much has changed since August 2, 1776. We can talk about the many sins of our land, from slavery to abortion. We have never completely lived up to the original vision. But I believe God is moving in our land. I believe there is more good in our land than bad. I believe God is offering us another opportunity to renew our vision. I believe God longs to bring a Kingdom of God Revolution through the Church and the People of God to our country.
A Kingdom Revolution is when each of us starts living out the First Commandment. Jesus said that all of His commands were summed up in this:
‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39).
You know what this is? It’s a Revolution of Love! If we would live out the “Immortal Declaration” and the “Greatest Commandment” we could change society in America! Let’s live it out in our marriage, our singleness, our family and in each and every person we come in contact with today.
Believing in a Revolution of Love,
Steve
Steve Holt M.A., D.D.
