Seeking American Revival? On Primary Election Day, some needful, timely reminders.

At the recent taxpayer-funded “Rededicate 250” event, citizens expressed a sincere desire for national revival and the rededication of America to God. Government officials prayed and spoke. The president did not attend; he was at Trump National Golf Club. He sent a prerecorded message and read the 2 Chronicles 7:14 text (“If my people will humble themselves … I will heal their land.”) Mr. Trump posted on his social media: “I hope everybody at Rededicate 250 is having a good time.”

The patriotic hymn says, “America … God shed his grace on thee.” My church history professor noted that virtuous fruits from the Great Awakening may have spared America’s 1776 Revolution from the guillotines and firing squads of the atheistic Enlightenment-inspired French and Russian Revolutions. We pray “God mend our every flaw,” but acknowledge the American republic has received many kind providences, including the privilege of all citizens to vote in free, fair elections.

“Revival” is often misunderstood, and is more than civic or cultural renewal. Ministers must “correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction.” (2 Timothy 4:2). As we vote, here are some reminders, based on Jonathan Edwards’ classic explaining of genuine revivals, A Narrative of Surprising Conversions.

‣ What is Revival? It is God’s gracious intervention and remarkable work, to renew those who have become dormant, lethargic, ignorant, or cold hearted to the life and truth of God. Seasons of revival bring renewal like a spiritual springtime, by Christ’s resurrection power.

‣ How and when does Revival happen? It is entirely God’s gift and work. But, as Jonathan Edwards notes, authentic and extraordinary revival is preceded and accompanied by repentance and prayer. When God purposes to revive his people, the Holy Spirit moves them to pray, to repent of their corrupt ways, and to seek his Presence by faith. So there is both sovereign grace (to give revival) and human agency (to seek revival).

‣ Who is Revived? Herein is the greatest confusion. God does not revive nations, but God’s people. The world’s nations will benefit from God’s work of revival. See Psalm 67:7: “God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.” But God sends revival to his own people (“if my people”). In the Old Covenant, God renewed Israel. And in the New Covenant, God revives the church of Jesus Christ. But the USA is neither God’s chosen people nor a covenant nation.

We acknowledge the 17th century Puritan colonialists’ aspirations. But our 18th century Constitution allows free expressions of faith, with no state church. To claim the USA was founded as a Christian nation is untrue to historical fact. That is Christian nationalism (Southern Confederates modified the US constitution in that direction).

Americans can enjoy a government that permits individual religious liberties, with checks on state power. That was an idea derived from both 18th century Protestants and Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke. No government should wrap the cross in a flag, or confuse Plymouth rock with the Rock of Christ. Iran claims to be an Islamic theocracy. Russia seeks Eastern Orthodox endorsement of military aggressions. But the USA gives freedoms to all legal citizens, who come from various faith traditions — or with no faith.

‣ The Point: For our Republic (no theocracy) to experience civic, cultural, moral renewal, Christian citizens must repent of seeking godly goals by corrupt worldly means. We seek spiritual revival as God’s people, resident foreigners, preserving salt, who live in the light of truth. Churches need revival as local embassies of God’s kingdom, attracting fellow Americans to the righteousness, peace, and joy of the Holy Spirit. For our beloved America to be good and great, American Christians must not seek partisan prayer groups, but be God’s exiles, seeking the common civic good of our Babylon.

“Even angels long to look into these things.” (1 Peter 1:12) This verse has intrigued me for a lifetime. What do celestial creatures yearn to perceive and understand? What do angels lean down from heaven to ponder? What on earth attracts their attention? Angels are usually God’s messengers. But these are silent cherubim, guardians of God’s throne. They gaze with apparent wonder.

The context of 1 Peter is helpful. Old Covenant Prophets inquired about the specific details of God’s plan of salvation. Did terrestrial prophets and celestial messengers search out the same thing? When … Where … and How … would God’s plan be fulfilled?

Angelic pondering is also portrayed in some Exodus passages, that describe the construction details of a tabernacle. Where was the tent of meeting between the holy God and God’s sinful people?

He made a mercy seat of pure gold … he made two cherubim of gold … on the two ends of the mercy seat, one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat he made the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat were the faces of the cherubim. (Exodus 37:6-8)

God gave Moses a detailed schema with the command to make everything according to the LORD’s precise pattern (Exodus 25:40). The earthly tabernacle in the wilderness was designed to be a copy or a shadow of realities in heaven (Hebrews 8:5).

Cherubim are angels who block sinful humans from direct access to the tree of life (Genesis 3:22-24). Mortals must not be doomed to live forever as broken, perishing, wanderers on earth. It is these flaming guardians who peer down on the ark of the covenant. “Above the ark … the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover…” (Hebrews 9:5)

So God had a plan, though not yet fully disclosed. Mortals die as wanderers on earth. But the LORD would come down to earth to dwell with broken people. The tabernacle was the tent of meeting at the center of Israel’s families and tribes. Suggestively, Judah encamped on the east, toward the dawn of a promised new Day.

But access to God’s presence continued to be restricted. Only once a year, the representative high priest entered the holiest place. Inside a chest, the ark of the covenant, was God’s moral law. On the chest’s lid [atonement cover or mercy seat] the priest sprinkled the blood of a sacrificed lamb. It was on this cover that the cherubim gazed — where a lamb’s blood covered human transgressions.

The Sovereign rules in glory above. Blood Sacrifice is made below. “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.” (Isaiah 37:16)

Do winged cherubim look down on the mercy seat to shield their faces from God’s Glory? No, as the hymn says, “downward bends their wondering eye at mysteries so bright.” (1851, Matthew Bridges) One who came from above, even God’s own eternal Son, would be incarnate on earth to make final, full atonement for sinful people.

So the cherubim gaze in awe at this mystery. And also should we. With an incomprehensible love for sinners, God’s own Son was incarnate, tabernacled, pitched his tent among us, as Jesus Christ our perfect Kinsman-Redeemer. “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)

“Judgment against sin is preceded, accompanied, and followed by God’s mercy … The paradox of the cross demonstrates the victorious love of God for us at the same time that it shows forth his judgment upon sin … Jesus the Son of God does not just offer a sacrifice; he himself becomes the sacrifice because he offers up himself.” (Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, p. 282)

Priest and Sacrifice became one and the same in God’s incarnate, crucified Son. As we enter Holy Week, and come to Good Friday, let us pause with angels and prophets to marvel at Agnus Dei. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

Does the spirituality of the church permit the silence of Christians?

I spent my adolescent years in 1960’s Mississippi. The leaders of theologically conservative churches often invoked “the spirituality of the church” as the reason they remained silent in the face of abhorrent societal sins like Jim Crow era racism.

I myself believe in the doctrine of the church’s “spirituality.” But I do not believe in silent Christians. Jesus calls churches to be local embassies of God's kingdom, citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20), entrusted by God with ministries of the Word, the Sacraments, and Prayer. So churches are not political entities with partisan agendas. There are followers of Jesus across the whole political spectrum. When churches do not wrap themselves in politics and ministers do not endorse politicians, it is not to preserve their tax-exempt status, but to stay faithful to their distinctive calling from God.

BUT … while churches are distinct from partisan parties, Jesus calls individual followers to influence and permeate society as preservative “salt” and truthful “light” (Matthew 5:13-14). If Jesus’ followers stay silent in the face of moral corruption and social decay, they become complicit. Christians, as John Stott observed, must remain “spiritually distinct, but not socially segregated.” Maintaining the church’s “spirituality” with Christian citizens’ “cultural engagement” was exemplified by the early 20th century Dutch Minister / Theologian / Prime Minister Abraham Kuyper.

Some examples of Christians who engaged in the political arena:

• William Wilberforce (1759-1833) led the fight in the British Parliament to overturn the Slave Trade. He was influenced by two evangelical Anglicans, George Whitefield and John Newton, who urged him to stay engaged in the political fight to eliminate slavery.

• American Patriot Patrick Henry (1736-99) was raised an Anglican, but was influenced by the Great Awakening and the Presbyterian evangelist Samuel Davies, one of the first non-Anglican preachers in Virginia. Henry credited Davies with inspiring his own oratory (“Give me liberty or give me death.”)

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-45) warned the German state church about the political idolatry of the Nazi dictatorship. He argued that Christians should not retreat from the world but act within it. Bonhoeffer was martyred during the Nazi collapse.

• Kuyper’s influence is evident in Ben Sasse, in recent interviews, as Sasse nears death from pancreatic cancer.

What do you want — a personal BRAND, or a good REPUTATION?

We live in a time of Influencers who seek Followers, but there are not enough servant Leaders. Influencers build a personal BRAND, but Leaders want a good REPUTATION. Influencers seek a Platform. Leaders choose a Posture. You build a BRAND for yourself. But a REPUTATION is received from others. This distinction is important if you want a good Name that will last beyond social media clicks, spaces of influence, and even beyond your own lifetime.

The gold standard for REPUTATION is found in Philippians 2:1-11. Here is the One who did not cling to high position, his essential equality with God the Father, or his high status, but served others with great personal self-sacrifice, and all for the glory of God. So, “God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the Name above every Name” to everlasting and universal acclaim. Jesus earned a well-deserved REPUTATION for nobility with a legacy of glory because of his humble, self-giving, costly sacrificial service.

God’s Son emptied himself of self to love others. He neither thought less of, nor more highly of himself than he truly deserved. Jesus Christ lived selflessly in the service of his Father’s glory, and the good of others.

By contrast, a BRAND name is not the same as a good REPUTATION. Recall how Mr. Trump said: “You’ve got to put your name on stuff or no one remembers you.” An obsession to build a personal BRAND is why we get Trump Steaks, Trump Accounts, Trump Gold Cards, Trump Rx, Trump Mobile Phones, Trump Center for the Arts, Trump Institute for Peace, Trump Towers, Trump Golden Fleet, Trump Bibles, Trump Casinos, Trump Resorts, Trump Bitcoin, Trump University, Trump Sneakers, Trump Hotels, Trump Golf Resorts.

BRANDS, even gilded and profitable ones, have a short shelf life and often go bankrupt. But a good REPUTATION will endure. “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.” (Proverbs 22:1)

The contrast between a BRAND and a REPUTATION is often observed in the behaviors of the “old money” aristocracy and the “new money.” Those with a secure identity can give of themselves, personally and sacrificially, to benefit the lives of others. But nouveau riche are often insecure. So they inflate themselves to project their own self-importance, and often demean the reputations of other people.

Every follower of Jesus has a God-given mandate: “Have this mindset among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:6) Those who follow and serve God in imperfect imitation of Jesus’ cruciform way of life will receive a legacy that lasts. “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” (Revelation 14:13)

This New Year,
Are you building your BRAND?
Or choosing a good REPUTATION?

The Presbyterian Church in America's 2024 national meeting saw detailed deliberations over its Rules of Operations, who may distribute the elements of the Lord’s Supper, who may serve on church committees, and procedures for discipline. But a weightier matter was shelved.

The 52nd PCA General Assembly voted to indefinitely postpone Overture #50 from Chesapeake Presbytery: Encouragement to Discernment and Compassion regarding Immigrants — click to read. The vote was 706 yea / 476 nay. *With charity toward all the commissioners, I have learned (since I was not present) that Overture #50 was received late, and was the last to be docketed. The indefinite postponement may have been due to parliamentary fatigue.

I have taught and preached on Biblical hospitality for decades. Recently, this online resource. I developed and led the PCA's hospitality-based ministry for international students, one of only two denomination sponsored international student ministries. So I am compelled to offer a gentle, respectful, but firm and insistent reminder to fellow PCA Elders.

Churches can only indefinitely postpone the practice of Biblical hospitality (filoxenia: redemptive, family love for strangers and foreigners) until the great Day when all opportunities to welcome and receive the Lord Jesus will be gone … forever.

Lord, when did we see you? (Matthew 25:35)

We are commanded to both practice hospitality (Romans 12:13) and honor the emperor (1 Peter 2:17). We can support immigration reforms without being callous to asylum seekers, refugees, or legal immigrants. We can care for our legal guests, like international students and scholars (fully screened and granted legal F- and J- visas).

Our politics (left, right, or center) must never control or corrupt our fidelity to God’s Word (Hebrews 13:2, Genesis 18:1-15). We were all once foreigners, but we are now, by God's grace, citizens of God’s Kingdom (Philippians 3:20-21).

The postponed Overture #50 seeks to encourage Gospel obedience: “The PCA encourages its churches to speak and act toward the sojourner in ways shaped not by political rhetoric but by the gospel, remembering our own identity as once-strangers, now brought near by grace.” (Ephesians 2:13)

Jesus, God’s ultimate resident-foreigner, stands knocking on our church doors. (Revelation 3:20). We must not close our ears to his voice because we are consumed by worldly media or political ideology. We must not harden our hearts to the gospel.

Jesus came as our Kinsman-Redeemer. (John 1:11-12) We cannot claim to fully obey our Lord's "Great Commission" if Christian hospitality becomes our "Great Omission," indefinitely postponed until Jesus Christ returns in glory.

A Renewed Opportunity

The PCA's next General Assembly is in June 2026, in Louisville, KY. The host committee has announced the theme for the week: “The Welcome of God.” My prayer: that our Welcoming God will make the PCA an increasingly Welcoming People.