Wake Up and Take a Stand

America’s 11th Hour

I do not know whether you have noticed as much as you should, but we are now in a desperate condition. General Walt, a man who was commandant of the Marine Corps, and who led one of the first Marine divisions into Vietnam has written a book called, The Eleventh Hour, in which he makes reference to our desperate condition as a nation.

One of my Christian friends ran for Congress a few years back and was defeated. But what really disturbed him was that in the many, many churches he visited, he found that one-third to one-half of the evangelical Christians he met were not even registered to vote, not to mention actually getting out to the polls.

You are the salt of the earth. . . . You are the light of the world (Matt. 5:13-14).

Sen. Jessie Helms told a group of us in Washington, D.C., that there has never been an election in the United States that could not have been turned around by the people who stayed home. I believe he was right, and that is why it is so important to realize you are the salt.

What a tragic condition we are in. Looking at history, for better than 40 years, men whom we call liberals, by and large, had their way in operating the machinery of government. And more often than not, it seemed that many of their goals and the goals of the communists coincided altogether too much. Whether it was American disarmament, sanctions against Chile or South Africa, or the betrayal of Taiwan, too often an alignment existed between the so-called liberals who walk the halls of Congress and those who would destroy our churches and Christian schools, and who would wish to destroy this thing they call religion. Now, it is time for Christians to wake up and take a stand!

The historic, traditional foundations of America have been set at naught, along with the Biblical principles that condone personal responsibility and free enterprise. We have eliminated God to a substantial degree in the area of crime and punishment, in the home and family and in the schools, and I charge us Christians with being—at least in part—responsible for this devastating condition.

We have not done all that we should have done. We have not been the salt, we have not stood up and been counted, we have not taken a stand when we had the opportunity. We would rather sit and sing, “When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be!” and twiddle our thumbs! Yes, I agree, it will be a great day, but meanwhile, we are facing desperate times.

We are in a desperate time. We need the Lord, and we need Christians who will take a stand for the gospel and the things of Christ. We are not just talking here about political and national freedom. We are talking about a freedom that involves having a Bible conference, sending out a missionary, distributing Scriptures and praying in our schools. We are talking about the freedom to witness on the street, telling folks about Jesus.

Don’t you dare think that you can just twiddle your thumbs and sing little hymns and take no interest in what is happening in this beloved nation of ours. I am an American by choice. I was born and raised in Canada and that is a great country, but I tell you, I love this country. I have been a citizen since 1958 and a lump comes to my throat, and tears to my eyes as easily as anyone, when I see that “grand old flag” go up, and when the bands march down the street. There floods to my mind this vision of our tremendous heritage, and the fact that God and the Bible are so much a part of our history.

The United States has carried the ball in the Lord’s program to a large degree: Up to 85 percent of all the money and the personnel for God’s great worldwide program of calling “out . . . a people for His name” (Acts 15:14) comes from North America, and chiefly the United States. I believe that is why God has given us as much mercy as He has, because we are the last bulwark of freedom.

We need militant Christians devoted to Christ, dedicated to God’s Word, given to prayer, but also determined to be the salt of this earth! Be a restrainer and a preservative! Stand up and be counted for the cause of Christ!

Religion and politics—we should be active under God in both because we do not know how God might move among us. We do not have it all laid out. There is flexibility in God’s program. So let us dedicate ourselves, God helping us, that freedom might be preserved to preach the gospel, and that the drift we have been in for so many years might be stopped.

Friend, I challenge you as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ to take a stand in this beloved country, for the gospel and for the Savior!

Dr. Bruce W. Dunn (1919-1993) was a pastor for more than 50 years. After serving churches in Wisconsin, Iowa and Chicago, he held the position of senior pastor at the Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Ill., from 1951 to 1991. From there, he reached out to the world through his weekly radio and television programs called, “Grace Worship Hour.” The broadcasts were among the first in the nation to feature sermons recorded live before a congregation as the basis for a media ministry. Dr. Dunn was known for his clear and bold preaching of God’s Word. A herald of the prophetic Scriptures, he continually warned his flock regarding the growing dangers of these last days. Dr. Dunn authored numerous booklets and was a frequent conference speaker. What a privilege it is to list him as a member of the inaugural class of Revived Classics authors for Dispensational Publishing House.

This article originally appeared as chapter 2 in
How Long, O Lord? How Long?: What To Do While Waiting For the Lord’s Return
(Columbus, GA: Brentwood Christian Press, 2002), pp. 21-31.
Copyright © 2002 Dr. David B. Dunn. All rights reserved.
The article is reprinted here by permission of Dr. David B. Dunn.
For more information regarding Dr. Bruce W. Dunn, go to www.TimelessTruthMedia.org.