There is only one remaining bulwark that can save America from the tsunami wave of godless secularism, anarchy and falsehood that is engulfing the land, and it is not a politician or a political party. Only the church can save America from total ruin. The church, however, must awaken to its God-given role in this hour. It is not here to be liked, accepted or applauded by contemporary culture.
The church is here to proclaim Jesus Christ as the epitome and personification of all truth. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the beginning and the end. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together (Col. 1:17). No one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:4).
Paul understood this centrality of Christ as the essence of the gospel, and he reminded the Corinthian believers that when he first came to their pagan, idolatrous city, he did not seek acceptance from them, “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2, NASB).
His Christ-centered message was foundational, for in 1 Corinthians 3:10b he says, “I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it.” What was the foundation Paul the apostle laid for the church in Corinth? He says, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11).
In 1 Corinthians 1:17 (NIV), Paul says that Christ did not send him to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, “lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” Paul seems to be saying that if we go too far in trying to make the gospel more hip, cool and attractive to contemporary culture, we run the risk of preaching a gospel that has been “emptied of its power.” Has there emerged an American gospel that is empty of power?
It is the undiluted, Christ-centered gospel message that possesses the inherent power to transform lives and society. The early church conquered ancient Rome, not with swords and spears, but with a message. As Paul said in Romans 1:16 (NKJV), “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”
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The church must call this generation not to itself, but to Christ. This is its raison d’etre. Only when the church returns to its reason for being can it be the bulwark against the ungodly forces that are out to destroy this land. C.S. Lewis said it well when he wrote:
“The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men to Christ, to make them little christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time.”
This Christmas season, I pray that we all will receive a fresh revelation and understanding of who Jesus really is and proclaim Him unashamedly. {eoa}
Dr. Eddie Hyatt is a historian, Bible teacher and revivalist. This article was derived from his new book, “Discovering the Real Jesus,” available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com/.
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