1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the Gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the Cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

 

When George Whitefield came to the Colonies in 1740 he found the people to be lacking in the knowledge of Christ and enthusiasm for the Holy Spirit in their lives. Although the two universities, Yale and Harvard, were teaching Theology to the students the subject had diminished to that of philosophical studies and moral religion rather than what he considered to be “Essential Christian Doctrine.” 

 

When I read this fact it immediately became apparent to me that this is exactly what is happening in many Seminaries and Bible Colleges in America today. The emphasis is on psychology which, according to the dictionary is, the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline.

 

Psychology is actually the opposite of faith in God because it teaches the art of self-help. If we could help ourselves, we wouldn’t need God. The entire premise of the Gospel of Christ is to put off ourselves and trust the Holy Spirit of God to do what we cannot do.

 

Bible Colleges today are graduating far more psychologists and Christian counselors than they are true Preachers of the Gospel of Christ. My Bible says the Holy Spirit is to be our Counselor, Teacher, and Guide. 

 

For another Great Awakening to occur in America, it will take a mighty move of the Holy Spirit of God. People will have to stop trusting in themselves and start trusting God for EVERYTHING! For most, this would be a totally new way of life.

 

What would God have to do to cause people to close their self-help books written by philosophers and open their Bibles written by the Holy Spirit of God? George Whitefield’s message came against strong opposition by the leaders of Yale and Harvard. Nonetheless, because it was Holy Spirit-driven, it gained the support of the people and in 1741 the spiritually vitalized people started a new School of Theology and named it Princeton.

 

God sent George Whitefield to the Colonies of North America for this exact purpose. The Lord knew what was soon to come for the Colonists. For them to form the government that would lead the free world, they had to have the Essential Christian Doctrine in their hearts and minds. 

 

George Whitefield was an Apostle of God sent with a specific Message to a specific people. If he had not been obedient to make the long journey by ship across the Atlantic Ocean this country might not have taken shape the way God intended.  

 

Whitefield preached the same Message the Apostle Paul preached, the Message of the Cross of Christ for Salvation and Sanctification. He was not sent to baptize or preach formal sermons from stale pulpits. He was sent to preach the Gospel and ALL the benefits that accompany our faith in the Sacrifice Jesus made on the Cross. That my friends is Essential Christian Doctrine and that is what was missing in the Colonies. Here we are, some three hundred years later, and it is once again lacking in the Church in America today.

 

The Cross of Christ changes lives. The Cross of Christ will……..

 

Changed forever,      Doreen

 

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