A Note from Michael Gossett
A Note from Michael Gossett
“Freedom is Worth Celebrating”
On April 2, 1865, the Confederate capital, Richmond, Virginia, fell to the Union army. Abraham Lincoln insisted on visiting the city, and even though no one knew he was coming, enslaved people recognized him immediately and gathered around him. The Emancipation Proclamation liberated them, and Lincoln’s army set them free.
According to Admiral David Porter, an eyewitness, Lincoln spoke to the crowd around him: “ My poor friends, you are free–free as air. You can cast off the name of slave and trample upon it; it will come to you no more. Liberty is your birthright. God gave it to you as he gave it to others, and it is a sin that you have been deprived of it for so many years. But you must try to deserve this priceless boon. Let the world see that you merit it, and are able to maintain it by your good works. Don’t let your joy carry you into excesses. Learn the laws and obey them; obey God’s commandments and thank him for giving you liberty, for to him you owe all things.”
Lincoln understood that the freedom that America had to offer was a freedom to all who were born and was a gift from the Lord. This is something unique that no other government system had seen. Lincoln was fighting for the same thing our forefathers were fighting for a hundred years earlier.
Lincoln understood that this was the foundation of our nation. It can be summed up in one word: freedom. Our foundation was more than just a superficial thought in freedom; it was a freedom they knew could only be found in Christ. In fact, on May 17, 1776, Congress appointed a day of fasting and prayer for the colonies to “appease God’s righteous displeasure, and through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, obtain his pardon and his forgiveness through sincere repentance.”
At his inauguration, George Washington intentionally added four words to his inauguration: “So help me, God.” After this, Washington bent down and kissed the Bible to show that he would be submissive to the Lord. John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. For democracy to work, the majority of the people have to be religious and moral at their core, or it falls apart.” Adams understood that liberty in the world was only a gift from God Himself. Adams encouraged fellow patriot John Wilkes in the fall of 1769: “That you may be soon fully restored to your liberty, your family, your friends, your country, and the world; and enjoy all imaginable prosperity, is the ardent wish and fervent prayer of the Friends of Liberty in Boston.”
On February 11, 1861, Abraham Lincoln spoke in Springfield, Illinois, and said, while holding up his Bible, “In regard to this great book, I have but to say it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated to us through this book. But for it, we would not know right from wrong.”
Listen to the words of President Theodore Roosevelt in 1909. “After a week of perplexing problems, it does so rest my soul to come into the house of the Lord and to sing and to mean it, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.’ My great joy and great glory in occupying this exalted position as president of the nation is that I am enabled to preach the practical moralities of the Bible to my fellow countrymen and to hold up Christ as the hope and Savior of the world.”
From the beginning, our U.S. Presidents have never been afraid of displaying their faith in public. Much has changed, yet there is still much to celebrate. You and I, as followers of Jesus, have been given an even greater freedom. Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Throughout the centuries of American freedom, there have been many changes. Some were positive changes, and some were negative changes. As followers of Jesus, our absolute freedom can never be threatened, and our freedom will never be taken away. We get to live for a greater nation and a greater kingdom with a better King, who is Jesus Himself. We are citizens of His kingdom. The world may seem to fall apart, but the world is blossoming according to God’s plan for His glory. You and I get to be a part of it. Whether the President speaks plainly about Jesus as our Lord and Creator will never stop God’s people from being the salt and light of the world. Praise God for His unshifting foundation in a shifting world. Praise God that He will always be on the throne, and we will always be His people. Today, take heart knowing that you are free in Christ and we still live in the greatest nation in the world—the land of the free.
THIS SUNDAY! Come celebrate freedom with us at Green Acres Baptist Church. We will have a special time of worship and a time of intentional prayer for our nation. We will also continue in Hebrews 13:1-6. This week, we study “A Greater Love” to see how we are called to love those within the family and those outside the family of faith. Come and be a part of this GREAT SUNDAY!
Hebrews 13:1-6 says, “Let brotherly love continue. 2 Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it. 3 Remember those in prison, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily. 4 Marriage is to be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. 5 Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you. 6 Therefore, we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
Read through the passage, pray for God to speak to you, and be ready to worship this Sunday!
Exciting news! We have officially renamed the ROC! The Green Acres Sports Complex is more than just a place for sports and recreation. It provides a place for our community to participate in outreach programs like IMPACT Sports that allow us to share the gospel with families. It is our prayer that lives would be transformed with the truth of Jesus! We do this by using our sports and recreation ministry to Connect with our community, help others to Grow in His likeness, and Multiply His church for His purpose.
You are loved and prayed for!
Michael Gossett