The 2016 Presidential election has left me feeling like we are ONE BIG JOKE. I fear that very soon if we as citizens do not open our eyes, America will cease to be great. But I recently listened to a message that I feel very strongly needs to be shared. Here I have compiled what I heard, food for thought, so that maybe we can restore this great nation.

First off, we must answer the question.

Is America great?

Is there something we must try to restore or preserve? Let us look at facts:

America is the most economically prosperous country in history. (If we look at overall GDP as reported by the International Monetary Fund and Bureau of Economic Analysis 2016 data)

America is the most opportunistic country (which is a freedom that many countries don’t have). America, the land of the free, has even coined a name for our ability to go from rags to riches “the American Dream”. With enough determination and hard work you can go from rags to riches. Google “Howard Schultz rags to riches” (CEO of Starbucks) if you don’t believe me.

We are the most generous and accepting nation. America gives more foreign aid than any other country. The top ten humanitarian organizations in the World are all American. Additionally, we are the most generously accepting. Anyone can come to America, go through the process of immigration, get a job, and start working. It is written on Lady Liberty “give me your tired, your poor,

After we defeated Germany and japan in WW2, we went to help them with our own people and money.

We flew 500,000 tons of food into West Germany and even parachuted in candy for the kids during the Berlin Airlift, landing planes every 90 seconds. This is part of our international conscience

We’ve done more for human rights than any other country.

That isn’t to say that America is perfect and has never experienced dark times, we certainly have. Slavery is a dark part of our past. But it was Christians that stood up to say, “This is wrong!” We have shed more blood in this nation than any other has to eradicate slavery.

We are the only abstaining superpower that has existed. In other words, we go in to help people rather than take them over. And once we are done helping we leave, unlike other imperialistic countries.

Athletically we dominate, too. America has the highest number of Olympic medals than any other country, at 121, nearly doubling the runner-up China at 70.

We perfected democracy and then exported it. France, Spain, Britain, and all over the world have followed in our footsteps to use democracy, as we now know it.

English is the world language. And America is home to the invention of the light bulb, airplanes, automobiles, GPS, Internet, movies, baseball, football, jazz, blues, rock and roll, cell phones, smartphones, iPhones, and chemotherapy among many other.

There is no doubt that America stands out on a global scale. Over the past 240 years, America has been able to do something so distinctly different than any other Nation.

What made America great?

It is not size, democracy, or geography.

If that was the case then Russia would be great because of size, Western Europe would be great because of democracy, or Mexico would be great because of geography.

But that is not the case.

Let me convince you that the reason America is so great and has distinctly flourished is because of the moral foundation it was built upon; Christianity.

Let us look back at what this country was built upon so that we can restore it, and not fall.

In large the founders of our nation were Christians, not just in name, but also words and actions.

Alexander Hamilton said in his dying words "I have a tender reliance on the mercy of the Almighty, through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am a sinner. I look to Him for mercy; pray for me."

George Washington Our first president, wrote in his prayer book:

“I beseech thee, my sins, remove them from thy presence, as far as the east is from the west, and accept of me for the merits of thy son Jesus Christ,” “Bless my family, kindred, friends and country, be our God & guide this day and forever for his sake, who ay down in the Grave and arose again for us, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.”

Benjamin Franklin (a self-proclaimed deist) even asked for prayer at the constitutional convention so that when they wrote the constitution of America, their time, and the country would be blessed. He said “I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?”

It is so undeniably clear that America was founded deeply with Christian views, and the very fabric and DNA of our country is the moral foundation of Christianity.

Not only were the founders Christians, but also it appears that even the public was deeply steeped in such faith.

The first ever celebrity in our country was George Whitfield…a traveling bible pastor.

The French nation even sent someone in the 1830’s to discover the reasons for the incredible success of America. They sent Alexis de Tocqueville, and in his report he wrote “there is no country in the world where the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in America, America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

We believe that everyone has dignity and rights, and that is something we have been taught because of our Christian values.

Were you ever taught the “golden rule” as a child? Treat everyone how you want to be treated.

Matthew 7:12New Living Translation (NLT)

The Golden Rule

12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.”

Even more recently, China has asked their sociologists to study America and learn our key to success.

David Aikman the former senior foreign correspondent for Time magazine, wrote a book called Jesus in Beijing where he wrote “we have realized the heart of your culture is your religion” "We studied everything we could from the historical, political, economic, and cultural perspective. At first, we thought it was because you had more guns than we had." That was the simple answer. "Then we thought it was because you had the best political system. Next, we focused on your economic system. However, in the past twenty years, we have realized that the heart of your culture is your religion: Christianity. That is why the west has been so powerful."

Even China has learned that the reason for America’s success is Christianity!

Christianity is what has allowed America to flourish, and will allow America to be restored. But we are falling further and further from our faith, and if we do not stand up as the Church to love one another, speak, and act in Truth… then America will fall.

Why will America fall?

Paul tells us in Romans 1:18 that God reveals his wrath to those who suppress the Truth. “18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.”

America is running after vices, sins, and is suppressing the truth. But God allows us to keep running.

Romans 1:24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired.

It can also be argued that God would allow us to run from him, and that is how his wrath will be shown. Because when we run from Him we head towards wickedness

Romans 1:28-29 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness.

Paul just told us how a person falls. By running from God. Running from the Creator to the created. Maybe jobs, money, relationships, or addictions, but God in his wrath allows people to run from him, and towards the wicked.

How will America fall?

America will fall because of democracy. Democracy is a government of the people, and by the people, a bunch of people. And when the people run from God, they will fall. That is the problem with democracy.

If a democracy is only as strong as the people that make it up then the democracy is the worst form of government because people are too corrupt to handle it.

But America has defied that because America’s people led democracy with something stronger and greater than themselves.

John Adams (second president of the United States) once said, “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other. He is saying that if we (America) get rid of religion, then we will self-destruct.

The founding of our first amendment was because of rebellion from a state church, our founders believed that if law enforced religion or faith then it was not true religion. They believed that true faith required freedom. And as long as we continue to eradicate faith in our society we continue to eradicate freedom.

We are already a more divided Country than ever. We can already see a decline in debt, prostitution, and the disintegration of the family unit in the last 50 years. Did you know that one in three American kids grow up in poverty? The porn industry in America is more successful than that of the NFL, NBA, and MLB combined. It is also more common today to be raped than to be a smoker.

THAT IS SCARY.

As we continue to run from god, we continue to spiral, and will continue to fall; if we do not restore what has been removed.

Our political leaders are a reflection of the culture around us, they have said and done horrendous things. Is it any surprise?

So...How do we restore America?

As Christians, our hope is not in America, but as the Church of Christ, you are the hope of America.

Will we rise up and be the Church so that everyone can know their Jesus that loves them so much that he died for them? Or will we stand by and let this great nation fall?

Jesus did not come to take sides, Republican and Democrat, but he came to take over every town, city, state, school, and country. And YOU are the means by which He does that. If we do not restore our Country then we will continue to fall. YOU are the hope of this country as you live your life in application and reflection of Jesus Christ.

Everything may still look pretty but as a rose cut off from its roots, if we do not go back to our own origins in America, we will wilt and die.

We must re-establish the America we love; the Christian culture. We must live as a light and reflection of God. Not just claiming Christianity, but speaking and acting the Truth of it. That is how we will restore America.

Listen to the original message HERE

The content of this article is solely in agreeance with my own opinion.

I support the first amendment and freedom to exercise religion.