Awsome God

At various different times, in various articles I've written and You Tube videos I've made, I have quoted Filipino General Carlos P. Romulo who said, “Never Forget, Americans, that yours is a spiritural country. Yes, I know that are a practicle people. Like others, I have marvelled at your factories, your skyscrapers and your arsenals. But underlying everything else is the fact that America began as a God-loving, God-fearing, God-worshipping people.” General Romulo served alongside General Douglas MacArthur in the Pacific Theater of World War Two.

In recent years I have found it ironic that a Filipino General had acknowledged that fact that America began as a spiritual country. I also found it interesting of the order of the description of the American people being, “God-loving, God-fearing, God-worshipping.” You cannot be God-fearing (meaning a deep devotional reverance) and God-worshipping without first being God-loving.

Many, including some Christians will say that General Romulo's statement was not true and point to various injusticeses committed throughout our history. They point to the Founding Fathers and early American settlers as being racist and genocidal. Some may have fit that description. However, the vast majority of them fall into the description of being flawed men and women. Many of the people in the Bible, including those in Hebrews chapter eleven, what is typically called the “The Faith Hall of Fame,” were deeply flawed individuals. The thing is, they knew they were flawed and recognized they needed to be fully dependant on God to rise above their flaws to fulfill what God called them to do. The same is true of the Founding Fathers and the early American settlers. Last time I checked, the Founding Fathers, early American settlers and Christians in general do not have the corner market on being flawed. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).” That includes even those who had injustice committed against them. That includes those who self-righteously point the finger at the Founding Fathers, American settlers, and Christians in general.

The sad thing is, as a whole, Americans in general, and many Christians have not taken heed to General Romulo's admonition to “Never forget.” We have forgotten that we began as a spiritual nation. We still are a spiritual nation. The problem is, we are of the wrong spirit. Some people want to be of the wrong spirit. Others have no clue that we are of the wrong spirit due to apathy. Some might say I am being judgemental. To that I say, I judge myself. The only judging that the Bible and Jesus says not to do is to judge unrighteously, which is to judge others to make yourself feel superior. If we judge righteously, by the Spirit and the Word, first examining our own hearts, then we are on safe ground. Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruit (Matthew 7:16).”

This very morning, during my private time with the Lord in prayer, reading the Scripture and worshipping God's presence, I listened to a praise and worship song by a Christian praise and worship leader named David Ruis. The song is called Awsome God. It was performed live at a Christian conference in Kansas City in the mid 1990's. It is as relevant today as it was back then while revival hit several areas in Canada and America. It is a hard rocking song, but the hard rock aspect fit the song perfectly. It was not entertainment hard rock, it was hard rock demonstrating the power of God and the seriousness of the message of the song. Here's a sampling of some of the lyrics:

“Why do the heathen rage, and all the people imagine a vain thing? Each is living their own way, denying You and casting off restraint. Why oh why can't they see? You are God, alone You reign, robed in power and majesty. You are Lord, the only King, awsome God of sovereignty, oooh oooh.

You Who sit upon the heavens, You who laugh at the plans of men. Give to Jesus His inheritance. Release the time when nations turn to Him. Father God help them see, that You are God, alone You reign, robed in power and majesty. You are Lord, the only King, awsome God of sovereignty, oooh oooh.”

Later in the song David Ruis sings, “Be wise, worship the Son. Tremble, fear the Anoited One. Forever reinging on His throne. With joyful fear, serve Him alone.” During the instrumental David Ruis prays and in the midst of the prayer he says, “Oh God stop the vain thinking of men. Seize their hearts Oh Lord God we ask you.”

Listening to this song made me remember the last You Tube video I did, “Behold Your King.” Every time I pray, every time I worship and spend time with the Lord, “Behold Your King” intensely resounds within my being. At one time, for almost two hundred years, imperfections and all, for the most part Americans were a God-loving, God-fearing people. The early founding documents are ample evidence of this. Letters written by many of the Founding Fathers and early American settlers prove this. When I was growing up in the 1960's and 1970's, if people weren't Christian, they at least had a Biblical world view. But even in those years, there was subtle erosion going on.

You want to talk spiritual? This past summer I read several articles on the Woodstock festival that took place on Yasgur's Farm in upstate New York back in 1969. This is when the Counter-Culture Revolution, Sex, drugs and Rock N Roll gathered much momentum. I found out, after all these years, that Yasgur's Farm was located in an upstate New York town named Bethel. Do you want to know what the name Bethel means? It means “house of God.” Ironic, isn't it. That event was spitting in the face of God. This was no accident. I'm sure a vast majority of people didn't realize it back then. But we're taking about the spiritual. What goes on in the spiritual, manifests in the natural.

Before the American War of Independence began in 1776 (some say it actually began in 1775 with the battles of Lexington and Concord) while Americans were trying to work out things with Great Britain during the course of ten years prior to the war a man named Sir Richard Sutton read a copy of a letter to the government of America rom a Crown appointed governor in America that said, “If you ask an American, 'Who is his master?' He will tell you that he has none, nor any governor but Jesus Christ.”

The morning after the famous ride of Paul Revere, he rode to Reverand Clarke's home to let them know that the British were coming. When the British arrived at Reverand Clarkes home, British Major Pitcairn called out to the regiment of Minutemen and said, “Disperce ye villans, lay down your arms in the name of George the Sovereign King of England.” Reverand Clarke responded back with, “We recognize no Sovereing but God, and no King but Jesus.” Reverand Clarke became the leader of the militia in Lexington.

For just over two centuries Jesus Christ, for the most part, held the rightful position of King in this nation. As stated before, the erosion of His Kingship was very gradual from the early 1900's on, but during the 1960's things began to change a bit more rapidly. In the 1980's the erosion was held somewhat at bay, but then in the 1990's an acceleration began, and now we have what we have because we did not heed, “Never forget, Americans....”

During periods of erosion, there were revivals that occurred. The 1970's saw a revival of salvation and a reintroduction to the baptism of the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spiritual gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12 came about in a greater way. The recent movie, “The Jesus Revolution,” was about that movement. The movie primarily focused on what happened in California, but there was the Charismatic movement in Long Island, New York which my wife Deborah and I were effected by.

In the mid 1990's there was another revival that had more to do with the renewal of the Church at large. God was pouring out His Spirit to bring healing and restoration to Christians that had deep hurts and wounds in their soul. God was calling back and healing those who were “prodigals” as it were. I, myself had much deep inner would healing take place in my life.

There has been much talk about another “Great Awakening” in America. It's been spoke of more and more since 2020. It looked like the beginning of the “Great Awakening” was going to start at Asbury College last February. Revival began to break out in various places across America but by summer things died down. Just because it hasn't happened yet does not mean it won't.

This next “Great Awakening” or revival that is going to take place will be different than the revivals of the 1970's and 1990's. It's going to be different that all the revivals that have taken place since Pentacost until now. We keep thinking of Jesus as being the Lamb of God. He certainly was the Lamb of God. He wasn't a Lamb in the sense of our common way of thinking about being meek and mild. He was the Lamb of God in that He was the perfect sacrifice, the spotless perfect Lamb that lifted off our sins from us and had it placed on Himself. The next move of God, the next “Great Awakening” or revival is going to be Jesus Christ reclaiming His rightful place as King in our lives individually, in the American Christian Church at large, and in this nation. We are about to see just how awsome God is, in a way that right now, is incomprhensable. That is why so many words have been going out about a great shaking taking place, and particulary for Christians to get on their knees and fall prostrate on their faces and spend copious amounts of time in prayer, worship and adoration of the Lord. We need to spend as much time as possible in His presence. We have to make the time.

Love and God bless, Pastor Paul.