A new church started up on the East Coast not too long ago. Using market research and focus groups, this church has designed weekly services that deliberately de-emphasize Jesus Christ. One of the founders of the church said, “The sad fact is the name of Jesus Christ has become for many people exclusionary.” Using Hindu and Zen, intermingled with a few verses from the Bible and recorded music by Willie Nelson, the leader of this group is quoted as saying, “We’re enabling people to discover God themselves, maybe through Jesus, maybe through Buddha, maybe through any number of ways.”

Some, obviously, believe that the church needs to expand the boundaries of salvation; otherwise, people are just not going to be drawn to church. But before we come down too hard on those who want to de-emphasize the importance of Christ, maybe we should take a closer look at the message that the typical evangelical church in America puts out.

Instead of calling people to faith, repentance and submission to the supremacy of Christ, many of us who occupy the pulpits in this country tell people that what Jesus wants to do is give them a happy marriage or a stress-free life. While Jesus will certainly change our lives, our marriages, and our stress levels when we bow before His preeminence, we must move away from “What Jesus can do for me” to “Am I living in light of His lordship?” We don’t simply “add” Jesus to our lives; we adore Him with our lives through our obedience.

It’s time we asked ourselves this important question: Is our faith influenced more by the culture than it is by Scripture? Francis Schaeffer was not far off the mark when he said, “Tell me what the world is saying today and I’ll tell you what the church will be saying in twenty years.”

The church has always had to contend with the influence of the culture around it—which is why our upcoming sermon series from the book of Colossians should prove to be helpful. Much of the false teaching taking place in Colossae had to do with the minimizing of Jesus. Many people thought He was important but not essential. They had given Him a place in their lives, without recognizing that He demands first place. Jesus was prominent to them, but certainly not preeminent.

Colossians lifts up Jesus, so that our view of him is expanded, so that we may know him better and live for him more wholly, and through that, experience a life of fullness. That’s why we need this book. It’s a vision of the supremacy of Christ