Yesterday, I quoted from the phenomenal book Killing America: Turning the Tide on the Tsunami of Darkness by Gene and Teri Bailey. I’m doing so again today. One of the chapters in the book is about drawing a line in the sand and saying, “No further.” We have reached that point in America: we must stop those trying to destroy the America God formed - NOW. One of the individuals from America’s history who modeled this was Peter Muhlenberg. You’ll love his story, as well as another regarding the great John Quincy Adams. Enjoy. Today’s title:
Drawing the Line
In the basement of the U.S. Capitol, there’s a statue of a man named Peter Muhlenberg. Most are not aware of who he was. Peter’s father, Henry Muhlenberg, was responsible for the Lutheran Church being established in the United States, and Peter was a Lutheran pastor as well.
The reason Peter’s statue is in the Capitol is because of his famous action on January 21, 1776. After he gave his sermon based on Ecclesiastes 3:1 (ESV), “For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven,” he closed his message with the words, “In the language of the Holy Writ, there is a time for all things. There is a time to preach and a time to fight. And now is the time to fight.” At that point, Pastor Peter Muhlenberg threw off his clerical robes to reveal the uniform of an officer in the Continental Army. Drums began to roll, men kissed their wives, and then walked down the aisle to enlist. Muhlenberg walked out that day, and 300 men connected with him, going to fight for the American Revolution. There was a pastor who drew a line and stood up.
Peter lived in Woodstock, Virginia, while his brother Frederick Muhlenberg, also a minister, was in New York. Frederick responded like a lot of pastors do today. He was like, “Oh, Peter, you’re kind of overreacting. We need to preach and stay in the church. We’re not supposed to cross the line. We’re not supposed to be in politics. We’re supposed to be preachers.”
And Frederick continued that way…until the British burned down his church. When they did that, suddenly Frederick decided he was going to join the fight. Frederick joined the military, then later ended up serving as Secretary of State and Speaker of the House. Peter Muhlenberg was a general in the Revolutionary War and ended up serving as a Senator and several key appointments in our government. But what’s interesting is that they were two pastors. It was highly unusual to step out of that position - and to wear a soldier’s uniform under your priestly robes was unheard of.
Peter Muhlenberg was so important to America that there’s a statue of him in the basement of the Capitol. There is a statue of him in a park in DC, as well. He was the founder of the Black-Robed Regiment.
That’s the essence of what we are doing through this book and Flashpoint Live. We’re motivating individuals, ministers, business leaders, and teachers to get out of their robes of complacency and stand up for what’s right. Again, this is not a call to violence, but to fight through the constitutional means available to us by making our voices heard.
Peter’s own brother didn’t agree with him until they burned down his church. And what was the outcome of his brother getting involved? He fought the fight in the American Revolution. Unfortunately, it seems like most people are like Peter’s brother—they don’t get involved until the battle comes into their backyard. The “What you do in your bedroom is your business” attitude has gotten us where we are today.
We have to understand our role as believers and as patriots who love and believe in America. There has to be a line that you won’t let someone cross, whatever the risks and costs.(1)
Duty Is Ours; Results Are God’s
Even though the founding fathers intended the United States of America to be a nation without slavery, this didn’t happen right away. One man fought tirelessly for the freedom of America’s slaves: John Quincy Adams. For twenty-eight consecutive years, he consistently fought for this cause - even when it seemed that he was making no progress at all.
One day, while he was leaving the Capitol building, a reporter stopped him and asked why he kept pushing for the emancipation of slaves when it seemed hopeless. Adams turned, looked at the reporter, and said simply, “Duty is ours; results are God’s.” He then walked on.
In 1847, a man who looked up to Adams came to serve in Congress as a freshman legislator. Soon, Adams took this man under his wing and became his mentor - they grew so close that this man was a pallbearer at Adams’s funeral. After one term in the legislature, this man went home, and Adams later died after serving 28 years in the legislature - seeing none of the fruits of his labor.
Sometime after Adams’ protégé returned home, he ran again for office, and again, and again. In fact, he lost multiple elections. But one of the elections he did win was the most important - the race for President of the United States. This man’s name was Abraham Lincoln. He went on to be one the most important presidents in our nation’s history - and the one who ended up freeing America’s slaves.
John Quincy Adams’ response to the reporter’s question was an extremely wise one. He understood that you cannot be distracted by what you see when working toward a goal; you have to live by faith and trust that God will bring out the fruits of your labor.
While we are leading the change, we must always remember to keep our eyes on the goal like Adams did. We must always remember that “Duty is ours, results are God’s.” The Lord knows what He is doing, and He knows when the day will come that Americans once again recognize God’s hand in the affairs of men.(2)
Pray with me:
Father, we ask that You please bring revelation to the church of our responsibility to pray and work for Your turnaround in America. We ask that the spirit of intercession come afresh and anew on us. May we see clearly where we are in history, and may we see just as clearly that we have what is needed to turn the tide. Awaken us!
We declare that Your authority is now being released over the government of America. You are dismantling the arrogant systems and political forces that have exalted themselves against You. All who have opposed You, along with the strongholds they have built, will be pulled down. And all unrighteous laws they have written will be reversed in the coming season of revival and reformation. Their evil ways and activities will be exposed. Your angels are on the move now to expose and dismantle.
Speak to pastors and leaders; reveal where we are in our nation and throughout the earth. Remove distractions from us and veils of deception that make us feel everything is fine. Make it clear that we are in one of the most critical times in history. Help us to see that our individual congregations, our careers, our personal plans, and dreams are not what matter most at this point in time. Please bring revelation, lest we miss our moment in history. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
Our decree:
We decree that evil carries no power, authority, or rights in our land or over our people, and America shall be saved!
Today’s post was taken from Gene and Teri Bailey’s book Killing America and used with permission. You can find the book and more about them at GeneBailey.com.
Click on the link below to watch the full video.
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Gene and Terri Bailey, Killing America, (Shippensburg, PA: Harrison House Publishers), pp. 97-99.
Ibid., pp. 116-118.
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