Great changes are in store for our world as we race into the decade of the ‘80’s. Moral, social, political and economic uncertainties characterize the times. Many are threatened by the possibility that Americans may lose a way of life, that the material abundance of our nation is fading, that the lights may go out. A beleaguered sense of an old order dying grips people. Bitter moral issues—abortion, experimental sexual mores, altered family structure—trouble the nation. Inflation, the energy crisis, the arms race and the Middle East dilemma bring no cheer.

The National Association of Evangelicals has a message for this hour. God is still in control! The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is alive! God’s Word—The Bible—is relevant to this day.

The family is a diving institution which God established with the first man and woman, an institution for all time.

The divine institution of the Church was established by Christ as His body in the world. He has no alternative to the Church, no provision for a second choice, no other options as His instrument on earth.

God has spoken and speaks today to the Church, the family, the nation and the world through His Word. That authoritative Word is the inspired revelation of God to man, the infallible rule of faith and conduct.

Ministers are called upon to “preach the Word.” Individuals are called upon to study the Word. Parents are called upon to instruct their children in the Word. The nation is called upon to obey the Word. The power of God is linked to the sharing of God’s Word.

Christ left a mandate for the Church—“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

The gospel of God’s redeeming grace in Christ is the answer to the anxieties and dilemmas that plague today’s society. The Church must proclaim and explain the gospel with unflagging zeal. The mission is to present to every person a viable option translated into the medium of his understanding so that he will know what he is accepting or rejecting.

Every convert should be a witness and every church a center of evangelism. Total commitment and total involvement constitute the New Testament pattern. History indicates the when the Church is committed to the Scriptures, it is most effective in the contribution it makes to individuals, to the nation and to the world.

While preaching and teaching is the primary task of the Church, it has an obligation to make its presence fest as a force for god in other ways. Human rights are being violated and injustices abound in many parts of the world. The desperate plight of hurting peoples in places such as Southeast Asia calls for the response of Christians to help meet both their material as well as spiritual needs.

The National Association of Evangelicals calls on Christians to live holy lives in a crooked and perverse generation, to be faithful stewards of God’s blessings, to be alert to new opportunities and expanding ministries, to reflect a courageous faith, a Christ-like love and a steadfast hope. This is our day of greatest opportunity, not a day for fear, but for faith. Therefore, be Strong in the Word, to Serve in the World!