Christian history that you should know about, leading into the 4^th of July.

A Timeline would help:

1730’s-1740’s – Our Nation’s First Great Awakening
1775 – Revolutionary War Begins
1776 – We Declare our Independence
1783 – Revolutionary War Ends
1789 – George Washington Sworn in as our 1^st President 1790 – A Second Great Awakening

Did you notice the frame around our nation’s independence?

In the 1730’s-1740’s the greatest revival in American history, the Great Awakening, spread like wild fire throughout the colonies. The Gospel of Jesus Christ turns hearts, prepares hearts, and sets hearts free. And in that point and time in history, it also turned a soon-to-be country to seek salvation from the one true God. This revival was so far reaching that the culture of the colonies were radically changed. You could say that after the people declared their DEPENDENCE upon the Lord and Savior–Jesus Christ, they declared their Independence for their own country.

It’s always: first things first–Dependence, then Independence. Isn’t this the way it is for our individual lives regarding eternal life? Proclaim your dependence upon and in Jesus Christ and He will set you free!

After that initial generation in early 1700’s declared their independence, they won their independence, and then they established a government. Then God sovereignly ushered in a second awakening around 1790. George Washington was still our President during this second revival, which lasted into the 1800’s (possibly well into the 1840’s). This is an eternal perspective of the birth of our nation.

From these two great awakenings came the birth of our country, a God fearing nation, but more importantly the Gospel of Jesus Christ reached untold numbers of men, women, and children. Heaven rejoiced with the sinners who repented and put their trust in Jesus for eternal life.

Salvation belongs to a sovereign God.