Celebrating Freedom
CLEVELAND, TN–In celebration of Independence Day, Tim Hill, General Overseer of the Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee, offered the following comments:
“Since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, Americans have used picnics, parades, fireworks, and a host of other ways to celebrate our nation’s freedom. Now 241 years later, we can never stop remembering – and celebrating – the freedom that we have in this nation. With over 7.5 billion people in the world, many live in repressive societies where they do not have the freedom that we as Americans so often take for granted. Even more concerning is the fact that it is estimated that almost 5.3 billion people living today have not experienced the freedom that comes with knowing Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The scripture clearly tells us that ‘if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’ John 8:36 (NIV)
Our freedom as a nation can never be sacrificed, nor can we forget that many brave and courageous soldiers have given their lives over the past couple of centuries that we might stay free as a nation. So as we cook our hamburgers and hotdogs, and as we celebrate the day with our family and friends, I hope that you will join me in not only thanking God for the great nation that he has allowed us to live in, but I pray that you will ask God to allow you to participate in the end-time harvest of souls as we join together in our FINISH Commitment to fulfill the Great Commission in our lifetime, bringing a different – and eternal – freedom to a lost world.”
