Donkeys and Elephants aside, the Church must focus on the Lamb
In the last few years in America, we have witnessed the unthinkable. We have seen division and unrest shake the foundations of our communities and challenged the values we hold dear.
Our culture has become increasingly polarized, divided by ideologies that run counter to the Word of God. Many in the Church have felt pressured to align more with political identities than our core calling in Christ.
The fallout of these events sparked controversy and conversation that cut our nation to the bone. It divided families, communities, and even the Church.
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On top of all of this, we’ve seen an undeniable rise in divisive rhetoric in our political discourse. All too often, the Donkey and the Elephant vie to be the ultimate force in our lives, and many in the Church have given in to that temptation.
We live in a cancel culture that silences genuine discourse in favor of echo chambers and moral relativism. Our world is increasingly characterized by a radical ideology that runs counter to the Spirit and Word of God.
What is the root problem? Many of the hardships we face — inside the Church and our society — result from our failure to remember that we serve the Lamb before all else.
When the Church loses focus on serving and following Jesus, we become easy prey to the forces of evil that seek to steal, kill and destroy. We lose touch with the light of the world and wonder why we’re wandering in darkness.
This is happening to communities and families across the nation. And it jeopardizes the safety and well-being of our children, who are most impressionable and vulnerable.
One of the areas we see this most is in our schools, which are being constantly infiltrated by woke ideologies and radical agendas that tell our children there is no such thing as truth or gender — realities that have underpinned society since its inception.
These are realities boldly declared and celebrated in the Bible and Christian tradition.
Still, many in the Church are losing sight of just how critical these fundamental realities are, choosing to ignore the responsibility to stand up and create a society that cares for and protects our children.
Today, we need a Church to rise up that has the courage, biblical conviction, and strength to stand up to the forces of evil that have corrupted our society, demanding in Jesus’ Name that they release their hold on our children and our culture.
We know that no evil can withstand the power of Jesus’ Name. Yet Christians often fail to take that truth as seriously as God intends. Instead, we naively give ground to the enemy, thinking it’s better to be quiet than speak out with the power and anointing God has given us.
It is time for that to stop. It is time for us to stand up and resist the evil that seeks to overthrow the Kingdom of God established here on earth. Only then will our churches and nation again be the light that shines in a world of darkness.
Only then can we truly be a city on a hill.
Understand this: the things of this world — the ways of our culture — are not neutral. They are not unbiased. They are bent and twisted toward destruction. The Word is clear on this. And in the face of all the pressure and influence the world pushes, our duty, our sacred calling, is to not conform to the pattern of the world.
Instead, we are to be transformed by the power of Christ and transform the world around us by the power of His name.
That is the kind of boldness our world, our culture, and our children need. And praise God that we are never alone. We are anointed and empowered by the one who has already finished the work. That is where our eyes must be fixed. Elephants and Donkeys will pass away. Their promises cannot and will not satisfy. That is why we must, once again, devote ourselves wholly to the Lamb.
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez is president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, executive producer of “Breakthrough” with 20th Century Fox and author of From Survive to Thrive: Live a Holy, Healed, Healthy, Happy, Humble, Hungry, and Honoring Life (Charisma House Publishing), and Your Mess, God’s Miracle (Chosen Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 2023). CNN and FOX News have called him “the leader of the Hispanic Evangelical movement” and TIME magazine nominated him among the 100 most influential leaders in America.
