Politics
In 1866, Arabella Katherine Hankey, an evangelist, wrote a poem entitled “The Old, Old Story.” One year later, in 1867, Dr. William Howard Doane wrote the music for the hymn entitled “To Tell the Old, Old Story.” The hymn itself reads,
Tell me the old, old story of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love.
Tell me the story simply, as to a little child,
For I am weak and weary, and helpless and defiled.
Tell me the story slowly, that I may take it in,
That wonderful redemption, God’s remedy for sin.
Tell me the story often, for I forget so soon;
The early dew of morning has passed away at noon.
Tell me the story softly, with earnest tones and grave;
Remember I’m the sinner whom Jesus came to save.
Tell me the story always, if you would really be,
In any time of trouble, a comforter to me.
Tell me the same old story when you have cause to fear
That this world’s empty glory is costing me too dear.
Yes, and when that world’s glory is dawning on my soul,
Tell me the old, old story: “Christ Jesus makes thee whole.
Refrain
Tell me the old, old story, tell me the old, old story,
Tell me the old, old story, of Jesus and His love. (1)
Ultimately, the words to Dr. Doane’s hymn have touched many lives throughout the years. Also, as indicative of the anointed words, “To Tell the Old, Old Story” has been instrumental in influencing many people in the United States and around the world to seek forgiveness of their sins and to accept Jesus Christ’s blood-bought plan of salvation.
However, despite the Judeo-Christian heritage given to America by its founding statesmen, people in postmodern America have forgotten the message contained within this Christian song. Instead, many Americans from every arena of the private and public sector have given up on Christendom and the teachings of Jesus Christ and they have replaced it with the anti-Christ spirit of humanism, atheism, and occultism. Humanism glorifies man instead of God. Atheism purports that there is no god. Occultism glorifies Satan. As a result, many Americans have violated the dictates of Jesus Christ. Obviously, they have also rebelled against God. Of course, since they have turned their hearts toward Satan, it has been extremely easy for them to commit acts of abomination toward the Holy Trinity. In fact, according to Proverbs 6: 16-19, there are seven things that God personally hates and are considered by Him to be abominations. It reads,
16These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19A false witness that speaketh lies and he that soweth discord among brethren.
Sadly, many Americans who have forgotten the old, old story of Jesus and His love are guilty of some or all of these seven sins against God. Therefore, they have no use for God and His Son Jesus Christ. In fact, the mere mention of the name of Jesus Christ in private and public settings causes consternation for many people.
But, why should mentioning the name of Jesus Christ cause people to have confusion and distress? According to Dr. Michael Green in his book entitled Who Is This Jesus, people look at Jesus much different today than they did fifty years ago. Sadly, too many times the name of Jesus Christ is used as a swear word when someone gets mad. In fact, some people even place the F-word in front of Jesus’ name. However, these same people would not say the same thing about Muhammad, since an upset Muslim would act differently than an upset Christian. Needless to say, anyone who uses the name of Jesus Christ as a swear word is actually blaspheming the Son of God. Of course, since God does not want His name used in vain, He would naturally feel the same way about His Only Begotten Son. In fact, as stated in Exodus 20:7, one of the Ten Commandments states, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain. (2) As a result of the intended message within this scripture, it is obvious that at some point in time God will deal with those who blaspheme Him and His Son.
For whatever reason, many people in the United States and other countries in the West get embarrassed by the mere mention of the name of Jesus Christ, too. In fact, if a person at a company party mentioned Jesus’ name, it would trigger a reaction that would change the festive mood of the party to a more somber mood. As a result, some postmodern Americans would treat the name of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, with disrespect and disdain. However, if the name of any other person of royalty was mentioned, such as Queen Elizabeth II, the party-goers would treat that name with more respect and reverence. But, for some apparent reason, the name of Jesus causes many people in a public and private setting feel very uneasy and threatened. Therefore, the person who mentioned the name of Jesus would find that the other party-goers would distance themselves from him or her in a very short period of time. Possibly, it could be in the blink of an eye. Needless to say, the person who dared to mention the name of Jesus would be made to feel uncomfortable, too. (2)
Unfortunately, the name of Jesus is not only disgraced at a company party but also in America’s main institutions, such as the government, public education, the military, and the media, since they have forgotten the story of Jesus and their Judeo-Christian heritage. At present, the United States government is at war with terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq. But, at the same time, it is at an all out war against the Lord God Jehovah and His Holy Son Jesus Christ. However, what is the rationale for the United States government’s blatant rebellion against God, Jesus Christ, and Christianity? Simply-speaking, it is humanism. In other words, many of America’s leaders are worshipping the false god of man’s reasoning. The story of Jesus Christ and dependence on Him does not fit into their overall plans for the operation of the federal government. Apparently, the words to “Tell Me the Old, Old Story” do not resonant in their minds and hearts. Of course, the main reason is that many of America’s leaders today have never accepted the message that this song so aptly purports to all mankind. Fortunately, though, their forefathers did. Prior to every Constitutional Convention session, America’s Founding Fathers would read the Bible and pray for God’s sovereign guidance. Now, that sounds like an extremely wise and fruitful approach to making governmental decisions. Maybe at some point in time, America’s elected leaders would learn from their predecessors.
Why don’t America’s current leaders believe as their forefathers, who prayed to the Lord God Jehovah before making decisions that affected all American citizens? Basically, it is because they depend on their own abilities, just like those who were responsible for building the Tower of Babel in ancient Babylon. Evidently, many of America’s leaders have forgotten more than the message behind a popular gospel hymn. They have also forgotten the reality that occurred when God got tired of the rebellion toward Him by those who attempted to build a tower to Heaven. Of course, their main problem was that they placed their human abilities above the sovereignty of God. They were given different languages to speak and dispersed throughout the known world at that time. If America’s humanistic leaders would wake up and smell the roses, they would realize that their way of doing things based on their reasoning is not working either. In fact, America is falling apart. The economy is crumbling, the culture is becoming more and more immoral, and faith in the United States government is at an all time low. Just maybe, the decision-makers who represent around 300 million people should once again return to the safety of God’s love, mercy, and grace, which is obtained through Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross of Calvary. Then, and only then, America would return to the glory that has made it the most blessed nation in the world.
Needless to say, America’s public education system is faltering, too, as a direct result of the federal government’s unwise decisions made since the early 1960s. When the federal government by way of the Supreme Court mandated that prayer and Bible-reading be eliminated from the daily routine in America’s schools, the quality of public education began to decline. Also, when God and Jesus Christ were banned from the public school classroom, students would no longer be permitted to hear the “greatest story ever told” outside the four walls of the church. Since some students never went to church, the Christian teachers in public schools would possibly be the only other chance for them to hear about the old, old story of God’s love and Jesus’ blood-bought plan of salvation.
Inevitably, Satan knew that he had to do something to stop the mentioning of God and Jesus’ name in public schools. Unfortunately, he was successful with the Supreme Court’s assistance. However, now public schools have become training centers that are contrary to what the Founding Fathers intended. The purpose of the early pubic schools was to teach students to read and write so that they could read the Bible. The reading of the Bible would show them the way to Heaven. Today, public schools are basically breeding grounds for humanism, for brainwashing students to accept homosexuality as an acceptable moral way of living, and for promoting other religions, specifically Islam, over Christianity. Therefore, the federal government’s attack against Christianity has successfully spread to America’s public schools but with a high price, the price of losing its preeminence as the number one educational system in the world.
A third United States institution that has fallen prey to the anti-Christian movement is the military. Recently, the United States military joined forces with the federal government in its effort to force the anti-Christian homosexual agenda on the American people. As a result, gay and lesbian military personnel can now serve openly, since the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy has been repealed. In essence, this repeal will further demoralize the United States military forces. In fact, the marriage of homosexuals by some branches of the military on federally-funded, taxpayer-supported military bases is definitely demoralizing, plus it illegal, too. But, it is amazing that America’s mainline defense organization, which has not won a war outright since World War II, would spend more time promoting the homosexual agenda than strategizing how to win a war, specifically the two current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Also, it is evident that those high up military leaders who are forcing straight military men and women to serve side by side with their homosexual counterpart have not read about the old, old story of Jesus Christ and His love or they just flat out forgot the story. However, if America’s military leaders don’t come to their senses and stop leading America’s military in this current abominable direction, that is, promoting an ungodly agenda versus a true military agenda, the United States military might lose its preeminence as the world’s greatest military force. Needless to say, if God is against a nation because they have openly rebelled against Him, that nation, as is evident throughout the Old Testament of the Bible, specifically Leviticus 18: 24-25, that nation will ultimately lose against their enemies. Hence, as stated earlier, America has not truly won a war outright in the last 66 years and it possibly will never win another war outright if its rebellion against God continues. Of course, since homosexuality is viewed as an abomination to God (Leviticus 18:22) and is condemned as a lustful sin (Romans 1:26-27), it is therefore obvious that the support of the homosexual agenda in the military would be a prime example of open rebellion against God and Jesus.
Lastly, the media, television programs, movies, and news broadcasts, is probably the worst anti-Christian institution in America. In fact, the media has a “no holds barred” approach to Christianity and the story of Jesus Christ. Basically, the media’s main approach is to say or imply negative, abusive, and abominable statements about Christianity. Most television programs made in Hollywood regularly degrade the name of Jesus Christ. While at the same time, more and more television programs promote sinful living in America, specifically premarital sex and homosexuality, and occultism. Where are the positive programs that were promoted in the early days of television, such as Ozzie and Harriet, Leave It to Beaver, the Roy Rogers Show, the Gene Autry Show, and many more? Sadly, there are all but gone except for the reruns of yesteryear that are shown on some retro networks.
Of course, big screen movies are even worse. In fact, most movies have too many scenes with explicit sex and demonic activities. In reality, these are the type movies that make movie companies extremely rich. But, probably the worst anti-Christian problem in the media is the words used by so-called stars of Hollywood in their effort to openly degrade and defame God and Jesus Christ, His Sovereign Son. Finally, news broadcasters promote every religion in the world in a positive manner, except Christianity. In fact, Christianity is portrayed often in a negative light as an offensive religion of egotistical bigots who promote their religion as the only way to Heaven. In reality, though, it is the only way to Heaven. Read the truth in John 14:6. Also, read the entire story of Jesus Christ in the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Needless to say, many of these people in the media have not been told the old, old story of Jesus’ love, they have never read the old, old story of Jesus Christ and or they have forgotten the story of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and the reason that He died on the Old, Rugged Cross.
In conclusion, many Americans have forgotten the story of Jesus Christ and the Message of the Cross, as given in the hymn “To Tell the Old, Old Story” or within the pages of the Holy Bible. As a result, they no longer remember what Jesus Christ freely offers to fallen mankind. He freely offers through His death on the Cross the following eternal blessings:
1. Unconditional Love
2. Redemption from Sin
3. Comfort and Peace in an Ungodly, Violent World
4. Spiritual, Physical, and Emotional Wholeness
However, for those who reject the old, old story of Jesus Christ, they will sadly be given the following eternal curses that their master Satan freely gives:
1. Unconditional Hate
2. Eternal Damnation in the Fiery Pit of Hell
3. Fear and Doubt
4. Spiritual, Physical, and Emotional Deterioration
Finally, Americans who have not accepted Jesus Christ’s plan of salvation should take a moment to read the scriptures in the Bible related to salvation or to read once again the words of comfort and peace contained in the 1867 gospel hymn entitled “To Tell the Old, Old Story.” In doing so, they will insure that on the Day of Judgment that they will hear God say the words recorded in Matthew 25:21, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” However, for those who have never learned the true story of Jesus Christ and His plan of salvation or for those who have forgotten the true story of Jesus Christ and His glorious plan of salvation, now is the day to learn of it, since no one is promised tomorrow. Therefore, it is extremely urgent that unsaved Americans get someone to tell them the old, old story of Jesus Christ and His Love today and then accept His eternal, blood-bought plan of salvation.
References
1. “To Tell Me the Old, Old Story.” Hymnal.Net. 2. Dr. Michael Green. Who Is This Jesus (Nashville: Oliver Nelson, 1992), p.1.
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