Is it a pivotal moment in history that makes a man or woman great, or is it a great man or woman who brings about a pivotal moment in history?
In the predawn light of April 19, 1775, Captain John Parker called the roll of his militia company on Lexington Green in front of the town meetinghouse. He ordered his small group of about 60 men to charge their guns with powder and ball and stand ready for the British troops who were making their way towards town by the soft light of a waning moon. In the gray of the early morning, the scarlet-clad British soldiers appeared, and halting not far from the line of Minutemen on Lexington Common, loaded their muskets. The patriots stood firm. As the Minutemen did not immediately obey the command to lay down their arms, the British commander wheeled his horse, and waving his sword, shouted: “Press forward, men! Surround the rascals!” At the same moment some random shots were fired over the heads of the Americans by the British soldiers, but without effect. The Minutemen had scruples about firing until their own blood had been spilled. The British leader was irritated by their obstinacy, and drawing his pistol, discharged it, at the same moment shouting, “Fire!” A volley from the front rank followed the order with fatal effect. Some Americans fell dead or mortally wounded, and others were badly hurt. There was no longer hesitation on the part of the Minutemen. The conditions of their restraint were fulfilled. The blood of their comrades had been shed; and as the shrill fife of young Jonathan Harrington set the drum a-beating, the patriots returned the fire with spirit, but not with fatal effect. The blood of American citizens stained the green grass on Lexington Common.
So ended the opening act in the great drama of the American Revolution. The bells that were rung on that April morning tolled the end of British domination in the old thirteen colonies. When the firing began, Samuel Adams was lingering on a wooded hill nearby, and when the air was rent by the first volley on Lexington Common, he uttered these remarkable words: “What a glorious morning for America is this!” With the vision of an inspired seer at that moment, the sturdy patriot perceived in the future the realization of his cherished dreams of independence for his beloved country.
There’s something amazing about a man or a woman with a Reformer’s Spirit. Sam Adams, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Paul Revere, John Parker, and the handful of men whose names we have forgotten were all inspired by a desire to see true change and transformation in the government of their land. They were reformers, one and all; they possessed a different spirit.
Down through HIStory, God has anointed men and women “for such a time as this.” The Holy Spirit IS the Spirit of Transformation. He has kindled His fire in hearts inspiring His servants to activate change and bring about transformation in the Church, in governments, in education, in business, and in all the other realms impacting the daily lives of humankind. Like those few men who stood shivering with chill and anticipation on Lexington Green that fateful spring morning, those anointed with the Reformer’s Spirit understand that shifts in history come only through sacrifice and action. They are willing, inspired by Grace, to lay down their lives for a cause larger than themselves…the Cause of Christ. They’re not scared. They don’t run. They realize they are sent to take back all the enemy has stolen or caused to be withheld. They make History.
Consider this: Jesus is the ultimate Reformer. You have His spirit within you, if you are born again. That Reformer’s Spirit will challenge the status quo of religion and tradition and stand willing to bring about change for the sake of the Kingdom. That spirit causes HIStory to be made.
The bells are ringing, the enemy is on the march… shoulder the weapons of warfare you have been given and stand ready for the fight. God has called you into His Kingdom for such a time as this. You are a great man or woman who is destined to make HIStory!