Rebuilding the Foundations of America
A lot of frontline Christian speakers, ministers, and pastors are given credentials, shown praise, and admired for their works, yet too many of them in these days have no godly fruit to show for their labor.
In Matthew 7:21–23, Jesus offers some very sobering words:
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
In these verses, we witness a group of people who performed great spiritual works, yet Jesus declared He never had a life of intimacy with them. Rather than being workers of righteousness, they were actually workers of lawlessness (a life not in submission to God’s Word or His Spirit). This group of people then argued their case, saying they did all sorts of wonderful things in His name. They prophesied in His name, preached in His name, performed miracles in His name, and even cast out devils in His name. Their defense focused on what they did, whereas Jesus focused on their hearts. They used the name of Jesus, but they did not know the One behind the name. This reminds me of Howard Pittman’s testimony when the Lord said, “You did all of that for yourself.”
The people just described were not “sinners” who renounced Christ and mocked God. These were like many people today in full-time ministry who pastor churches, run large ministries, conduct evangelistic crusades, and are called on to do Christian TV programs. Jesus never said that we will know people by their works. He said we will know them by their fruit. Gifts of the Spirit are like Christmas gifts placed under the tree. It takes no effort on the part of the receiver to obtain the gift. The gift is based on the generosity of the giver who placed that gift under the tree. Here is an important point about that Christmas scene. The Christmas tree has no fruit. It exists as a showpiece for the Christmas season. It is decorated with all kinds of lights and ornaments to make the tree look beautiful, but ornaments are not to be confused with fruit.
Let me use an apple tree to make my point. It’s from a very different line of trees than the varieties used for Christmas trees. The apple tree gets no flashy ornaments; it only exists to produce fruit. That apple tree is the result of being planted in good soil where it draws its life from nutrients and reaches deep to the waters that give it life. On the other hand, the Christmas tree is usually a dead tree or a fake tree used for a short season with gifts placed underneath.
In the same way, there are many in the world of Christendom who are dead or fake trees decorated with all kinds of flashy gifts and trinkets, but there is no visible fruit in their lives. The overwhelming love of God for His creation allows gifts to sometimes be placed around them for the good of the people, but those trees will be thrown into the fire one day.
I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers (John 15:1–6 NLT).
The gifts we have are not for us but for the good of others and to be used for the glory of God. The fruit we bear is not our own. It is the result of the master gardener who prunes and purifies us so that we can produce fruit to His glory. Both the gifts He gives and the fruit He produces are for His purposes and for His glory. If a branch is severed from the life source of the vine, it can no longer produce fruit, and such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. Faith is not merely teaching the Word of God; it is obeying the Word of God. The fruit is found in our obedience.
Having emphasized the fact that God is the giver of the gift and the fruit, we play a part in the process. God has chosen to use us in His great plans to build the Church (the Body of Christ) and to redeem the world. In 1 Corinthians 3:9-11, Paul refers to us as God’s building, and then Paul identifies himself as a wise master builder. He makes it clear that there is no foundation other than Jesus Christ. We must always remember that there is a part that only God can do, and there is a part that only we can do. When God and man work in unison, His work can be completed. When that unity is broken and man decides to go his own way, there is a steep price to pay that will cost dearly.
The sixth and final foundational doctrine mentioned in Hebrews 6 is the teaching on eternal judgment. We know that God is love. That is His nature. However, there is a price to be paid if one chooses to deny and reject God and go his own way. No one could possibly live a careless life if he truly understood that he will stand before the Lord and be judged. Hebrews 9:27 states, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”
Broken Gates
I taught a 20-part series from the Book of Nehemiah titled Rebuilding the Broken Places. It contains God’s blueprint to recover and rebuild your life. If you have ever suffered loss, setback, or devastation, this is God’s divine blueprint for rebuilding and regaining your life.
In this series, I present the seven strategies of opposition the enemy uses to try to stop your comeback. We see these seven strategies in the life of Nehemiah, and we watch him recognize and disable each strategy the enemy used against him. Once you identify these tactics, victory becomes possible. Nehemiah was given the impossible task of rebuilding and restoring the 10 gates of the old city of Jerusalem.
In ancient times the strength of a city’s gates determined the strength of the city. Gates determined what came into the city and what was kept out. Besides the entrance to the city, gates were also a place where business was transacted, courts were convened, public policies were decided, and announcements were made. The gates of the city were the center of public activity.
American cities today do not have walls and gates as in ancient times, but there are places in our country that we can compare to the ancient gates, such as Washington, D.C., Wall Street, and Hollywood. These are the gateways into our culture. Our political systems, financial systems, entertainment centers, and educational systems determine whether our spiritual gates and walls are strong or weak. These systems have been called the seven mountains or spheres of influence. Bill Bright and Loren Cunningham were the first to speak of these mountains. Having lunch in Colorado in 1975 the Lord put on each of their hearts simultaneously the same burden. Their messages make the point that if we are to impact any nation for Jesus Christ, we must affect the seven mountains that are the pillars of society.
Ancient city walls were very tall and deep, and the gates were a place where the city elders or leaders would gather to determine policy and procedures. The parallel for modern-day America would be the laws that we pass in Congress which determine whether the gates of hell are opened or closed into our nation. When the gates—the policies and laws of our country—are based upon humanistic philosophy rather than the Word of God, then our gates are weakened, and the enemy can come in. When our laws are based upon the Word of God, the gates of Heaven are opened upon our nation, and we remain strong and secure.
Each of these gates recorded in Nehemiah is a revelation of the mind and purpose of God, and they are listed in a very specific order by God’s design. The key to restoring America is to rebuild and restore each of these gates consistent with the Word of God. Our nation was founded upon godly principles, and upon these godly principles we must rebuild.
David Barton has been called “America’s historian” and is the Founder and President of WallBuilders, a national pro-life, pro-family organization that presents America’s forgotten history and heroes with an emphasis on our moral, religious, and constitutional heritage. In an article by David Barton titled “Is America a Christian Nation?,” he points out that Barack Obama is the first American president to deny that America is a Christian nation. Then he lists quotes by other previous presidents regarding our being a Christian nation.
“The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were….the general principles of Christianity.”
“[T]he teachings of the Bible are so interwoven and entwined with our whole civic and social life that it would be literally….impossible for us to figure to ourselves what that life would be if these teaching were removed.”
“America was born a Christian nation—America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture.”
“American life is builded, and can alone survive, upon…[the] fundamental philosophy announced by the Savior nineteen centuries ago.”
“This is a Christian Nation.”
These excerpts reveal that we, as a nation, recognized and accepted our strong Christian heritage up until 2008 when we elected a president who wanted to “fundamentally transform America.” What has made our country strong is when our own laws reflect God’s law and not ours. Our country was built upon the laws of God. For example, most people do not realize that our three branches of government come right out of the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament: “For the Lord is our judge [judicial branch], the Lord is our lawgiver [legislative branch], the Lord is our king [executive branch]; he will save us” (Isaiah 33:22).
America being founded upon the laws of God has made our country exceptional and stronger than any other nation in the history of the world. As we have just read, our form of government is built on Christian foundations, and these factors combined make us truly a Christian nation.
This does not mean that everyone in America will be a Christian. God will never force Christianity upon anyone, and neither should we. But, because of these Christian foundations, we have secured our country with very strong gates and very secure walls. Yet over the years, we have watched a gradual and steady departure from God’s Word, resulting in our border walls crumbling (many are illegally pouring through our borders in unprecedented numbers) and our gates being burned (these are the political offices represented by the president, Supreme Court, and Congress).
This is not just hearsay either. An article dated October 9, 2020, in Charisma News outlined the details of how the Democratic Party made it official as to their rejection of God. In the article entitled How the Democratic Party Divorced God and the America of 1776, the first paragraph reads, “The Democrat Party’s divorce from God has become final. In 2019, the Democrat National Committee (DNC) unanimously passed a resolution affirming atheism and declaring that neither Christianity nor any religion is necessary for morality or patriotism.” In other words, “We don’t need God!” Even with this bold and brazen rejection of God, many Christians and “patriots” still stand with this party. And don’t think that I am here to defend the Republican party either. Some of them are actually worse than the Democrats due to their compromise and thirst for power. So many of them have put themselves up for sale to the highest bidder. I have a message entitled Preachers, Politicians, and Principalities that goes into greater detail and helps one understand what happens in these arenas on a spiritual plane.
