I Remember America

In Bible times, Rome ruled the world with an iron fist, but Rome crumbled under its own corruptions and lies on the ash heap of history. Let me ask you, friend, do you fear an Italian army today? No, it's laughable. What if I told you America is absent from end-time prophecy? It no longer exists.

Is it because we, like ancient Rome, America will self-implode because of sin? My Bible says in Proverbs 14, 34, righteousness exalted the nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. Is America a sinful nation? It didn't used to be this bad. Listen, friends, when I was a little boy in the 1950s, things were different in America back then.

I remember this country when Hollywood had censors, politicians had a conscience, and America had a moral compass. Hemlines were lower and morals were higher, and sin was called sin and not social disorders. Of course, we didn't have the technology that we have today.

Back then, if you said Microsoft, they thought you were referring to your mattress, and we didn't have Wi-Fi. We had hi-fi. It was a time when only women wore earrings and only sailors had tattoos.

I remember in America when it still had a strong worth ethic, and business abounded in honesty and integrity, and a man's word and handshake was as good as gold. And I remember in America when a parent did not have to worry about what their children saw on TV, and marriage was between a man and a woman. There was such a thing as shame in society back then.

I remember America when the church still had authority, and there was still a fear of God in the land. I remember a nation that stood on biblical principles and looked to God for guidance, and to the church for direction. It was okay to pray in public schools back then, and the Ten Commandments were publicly displayed.

And if any atheist cried out against it, there were more than enough Christians to shout that person down, because God held the majority in the nation back then. And I remember an America that was looked up to by other nations, and we were a country that held on to the principles of our founding fathers. And old glory was never stomped on or set fire to, because we respected too much what it stood for.

Back then, there was such a thing as a weekly prayer meeting in the church, and people actually came to pray, and they weren't embarrassed to cry when they prayed. And they prayed loud and long, and did so until they grabbed hold of God, and the fire fell, and consumed the sacrifice. The church back then didn't operate on money and manpower, but by God and Holy Ghost power.

Back then, the church influenced society, instead of society influencing the church. And I remember preachers who preached about the blood and the cross, and they warned that hell was hot, and a future judgment awaited all mankind. Those kind of preachers weren't afraid of men, but they sure feared the Almighty.

I keep using the word remember, because all I have is my memory of these former things. Today, America is facing ruin, and only a heaven-sent revival will save this nation from complete destruction. You see, Christianity was always meant to be counter-cultural.

In the New Testament, when the church met the world, there was a clash, because the church went in one direction, and pagan society went in the other. Now, they just travel side by side, and there is just a rub between them. We wanted to reach the world, so we brought the world into the church.

Where has that gotten us? It has only corrupted the house of God. When the people of God begin to drift away from God, that's when we need revival. At this critical juncture today, friends, this is what we need.

We need God to send us men like these. The Apostle Paul, Luther, Wesley, Whitefield, Knox, Edwards, Finney, Spurgeon, Moody, each shared a common denominator, a fire in their belly. They each were so eaten up with the gospel, and thirsty for Christ, and filled with the Holy Ghost, they could not stand idly by while others perished.

They saw nothing but eternity, worshipped the Holy God, and served the risen Christ, living not for earth nor its gains, but living only for heaven and its rewards. When they preached, they linked the devil with sin, and the cross with salvation. They preached hell and its fire, and Christ in them crucified.

Not one of them feared king, queen, or pope, and not one of them sought the compliments of men.