Oh the times in which we live. Religious confusion is rampant. A very large portion of our society is characterized by such unworthy motives as selfishness and greed. We live in a world of atheism and agnosticism, skepticism, and just plain unbelief. I don't suppose any of us should be all that surprised that these sorts of things occasionally find their way into the church. The waves and breakers of postmodernism crash into the church, and many Christians are carried off in its tide.
Brethren who were at one time "enlightened, having tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come," have stumbled and fallen away-sometimes so far away that the gospel's purity and simplicity will never again be able to touch their hard and skeptical hearts. All of this leaves the strong and true Christians, left to gaze upon the shrinking backs of their retreating comrades, to occasionally cry out in times of sorrow and wavering faith, "How can the church survive?" That is a very good question.
In the past several years, the nation has absolutely fallen in love with the reality TV show, Survivor. I can honestly say that I haven't seen so much as a minute of that show, but I do comprehend the general idea behind it. A number of people on a deserted island compete with one another in an attempt to see who will be the last one standing. That person is the survivor.
I would like to suggest that the church our Lord established is the ultimate survivor. In all of mankind's long history, has an institution suffered even a fraction of the abuse and criticism leveled at the Lord's church? Has any institution been as persecuted, mocked, sneered at, disdained, held in contempt, spat upon, and just plain hated as the Lord's church? I certainly cannot name one; can you? Thus, when the grieving and wavering Christian asks if the church can survive amidst the corruption and confusion that so often infiltrates it, and yet maintain the simplicity and purity it must have to remain the church, another question should immediately follow--"At what point in its history has the church not faced such conditions?"
Let's give this some thought. Today's faithful Christians fight liberalism; the first-century faithful Christians battled Judaizers. Today's faithful Christians wage the same war against skeptics and atheists that the faithful first-century Christians waged against Gnostics and Nicolaitans (1-3 John; Revelation 2:6). The point is: the church today is facing the same kinds of problems it faced 2000 years ago. Perhaps their names have changed, and they've received fresh coats of paint; otherwise, there's no difference.
The church has survived abuse, persecutions, martyrdom, "the doctrines and commandments of men," extremist theories, men's opinions, and elders who became "grievous wolves not sparing the flock." The church has survived those from within congregations who rose up to "speak perverse things to draw away the disciples after them." The church has been attacked by wickedness, worldliness, ungodliness of every conceivable brand, misrepresentation, and every imaginable ism; yet, what do I see around me? I see within a couple hours of driving distance, countless congregations of the Lord's people maintaining "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:3)
I see Christians I am as proud as can be to call my brothers and sisters in Christ, because their sole priority in life is serving the Lord in all that they do, in the ways He has prescribed. All over and around the city of Cincinnati, I see congregations of the church that began on Pentecost (Acts 2). I see the ultimate survivor.
All of this precipitates another question: "Why has the church survived, and will it continue to survive? The question has a simple answer-the church did not come from man. It originated with God, and it is in the church that He manifests His wisdom to the heavenly beings (Ephesians 3:10). The church is God's purpose (Ephesians 1:4), and try as he may, man can never derail God's purpose.
In the second place, God gave us a kingdom that is unmovable and unshakeable (Hebrews 12:28). Men have employed every ounce of skill and power they can come up with in countless attempts to destroy it, but just as Daniel prophesied so long ago (Daniel 2:44), it will never be destroyed. It will be here until the Lord finally offers it up to His Father (1 Corinthians 15:24). This simply cannot be said about any other institution here on earth.
Third, the Word that governs and guides the actions of individual Christians, as well as the church, was given by the One who gave us the church, and it is just as indestructible as the church, which it governs and guides. Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away." (Matthew 24:35) In Josh McDowell's wonderful book, Evidence that Demands a Verdict, he sites Geisler and Nix for the following: "The noted French infidel Voltaire, who died in 1778, declared that in 100 years from his time, Christianity would be swept from existence and passed into history. Only 50 years after his death, the Geneva Bible Society used Voltaire's press and house to produce stacks of Bibles."
Men today believe and preach the same Word as those to whom it was originally given. While there may not always be as many preachers as we would like, someone will always be willing to preach the truth. So cheer up, brethren; as long as there are people to preach and teach God's word, and as long as people are willing to hear and obey (which they are, although we sometimes complain that they aren't), this blood-bought body isn't going anywhere. It is the ultimate survivor!
Brother Litmer reminds us that no matter what horrible choices they make, men cannot undo or destroy God's eternal plan. In the 21st century, the mega-church is the latest fad. Mega-churches are huge religious organizations with thousands of members. They own hundreds of acres of land that house huge beautifully designed buildings made of wood and stone. The contributions of the people who continually flock to these institutions enable them to raise large sums of money. They seem to be leaving the Lord's church in the dust. Sadly, men are deceived by their own human wisdom. When the Lord comes to redeem His own, not one member or minister in those churches will be among the saved. That sounds like a bold and arrogant statement, but listen to Paul. He said it much better than I can: "Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power." (1 Corinthians 15:24) Only those who are in HIS KINGDOM will go home to heaven. Now, how inviting and appealing are the so-called churches established by men? (KMG)