I am standing outside Independence Hall, where the famous Liberty Bell resides. Of course, the bell has been cracked for years. And because of the damage it has sustained, it can no longer give a distinct sound. It cannot celebrate victories, warn of danger, or call people to action.

Similarly, the bells of freedom in America have been greatly damaged. In recent decades, many of the liberties we have enjoyed in this grand nation have been systematically eroded away. When we sing, "From every mountainside let freedom ring," it doesn't sound the same as it once did.

A few days ago, I spoke at "Camp at the Old Mill" (Brandamore, PA). Two people whom I did not know came up to me and said, "Where have you guys [Life Action] been? We remember America, You're Too Young to Die! from twenty years ago. Our high school gym was packed and overflowing for that program. We need it now! Where is it?"

Those comments make me want to stop everything ... to do whatever I can to halt the erosion and to protect the freedoms our forefathers sacrificed to obtain.

Others Stopped Everything

I came to Philadelphia to reflect on the price of freedom. The price tag for liberty is exorbitant. It necessitates faith, courage, and sacrifice. Sometimes it requires major sacrifice.

Forty Years Ago Today, My Brother Paid the Price for Freedom

My time here coincides with the exact day forty years ago when my brother, Lt. Robert D. Paulus, paid the ultimate price in Vietnam. He wasn't alone. Our nation was founded with that kind of sacrifice.

The 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence at this very location were not wild-eyed pirates. They were successful men. They had homes, families, and occupations ... just like we do. They enjoyed the beach. They liked sports and entertainment. They enjoyed quiet sunsets and morning walks. Yet they counted freedom of such importance that they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor for it. And that is how our freedom was born.

I know the following account may seem long. But this week we celebrate our nation's liberty. And since these men paid such a huge price, the least we can do is express our gratitude by taking time to remember their investment.* Of the 56 signers ...

• Five were captured by the British as traitors and tortured before they died.
• Eighteen had their homes looted and burned.
• Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary War.
• Nine died from wounds or hardships of the war.
• Carter Braxton, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and he died in rags.
• Thomas McKean was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family five times in five months. He served in Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding.
• Lewis Morris lost his entire estate, ravaged and destroyed by the British, sending his family fleeing with nowhere to go.
• Thomas Nelson's price for freedom was $2 million in 1776. He died bankrupt and was buried in an unmarked grave.
• John Hart was driven from the bedside of his dying wife. Their children fled for their lives. For more than a year, he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

         *Sources: Fox News; Huntington News; Ring All the Bells of Freedom by Derric Johnson (Copyright 1976 by Dimension Music).

While you enjoy this 4th of July holiday, why don't you take some time to thank the Lord for the patriots who invested everything they had for the freedom we will be celebrating?

Sadly, Others Value Freedom More Than I

As I looked around Independence Mall, I noticed that 90% of those visiting this memorial are of foreign descent. It could appear that others value our freedom more than we do. As I wrote this sentence, a Chinese woman handed me a newspaper disclosing how 38 million people are abandoning the Chinese Communist Party in her homeland. Many will suffer because of their subversive acts in a land of "no choice." Here was a lady who truly values liberty ... around the world.

I want to value freedom more.

A few moments ago, I called my friend in Lubbock, TX, who knew my brother in Vietnam and has been wearing a bracelet with my brother's name on it ever since. He said he did not want a single day to pass without remembering the price my brother paid for his freedom. How many days do I remember the price others have paid for my freedom?

I urge you to always remember that liberty is not free. As someone said, "To be born free is a privilege, but to die free is a responsibility."

Sitting here right now, admiring the courage and faith of those who signed the Declaration, I know I am glad they assumed responsibility, and I am glad my brother was willing to assume responsibility. Will I be equally responsible?

Finally, I believe the greatest investment for true freedom that I can make is to proclaim spiritual revival. It is the road to true liberty.

Right Here, 20 Years Ago Last Month

En route downtown, I passed the hospital where our founder was told he had just six months to live. That was twenty years ago. I passed the place where I was asked by a ministry friend, "What now? What will happen to Life Action?" I simply replied, "I don't know what will happen, but I will be the last one to lock the front door behind me if it does not continue." In other words, I will do whatever it takes to keep Life Action going.

Perhaps I was naïve. But on the other hand, by God's grace, it is that kind of commitment that many of you have embraced. And, as a result, millions of American's have discovered true freedom in Jesus Christ--the one liberty that can never be lost!

Thank you for being "freedom fighters" with me.