Acts 4:12; Matthew 10:21–22, 24:9, 13; Hebrews 3:14; Matthew 16:17–19; Hebrews 11:35–40; Acts 14:19–22; John 4:38.
Christianity today is practiced with a considerable amount of liberty in most countries. Even in some countries where the Christian religion plays second fiddle to a major religion, the right of citizens to freely choose to be Christian faithful is recognized and protected. What a privilege! But it was not always this way from the beginning. In fact, we can rightly say that the freedom of association with the Christian faith was purchased with the blood of millions of men, women, and even children who chose to die a painful death in defence of their faith in Christ as man’s only hope of salvation (Acts 4:12).
The early Christians prevailed, not with the arms of flesh, but with uncommon sacrifices and patient endurance. They were not religious zealots, fanatics, or extremists, as some unjustly accuse them. They didn’t want to die. Most of them had children, aged parents, or relations to care for. Some had barely started living their lives, but they were faced with a choice—either to renounce Christ and live or to pledge allegiance to Him and die.
Before this happened, Jesus Christ had already warned His followers in advance when He said:
“……And brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parent, and cause them to be put to death.
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake; but he that endureth to the end shall be saved…….”
“Then shall they deliver you to be afflicted, and shall kill you; and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake……But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Matthew 10:21, 22; 24:9, 13).
There was no mention of any help. No promise of any exemption. The stakes were high, and the consequences grim. The decisions were carefully made, and the determination firm.
“For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end” (Hebrews 3:14).
We shall consider this teaching in three parts, namely:
1. Creating a foundation for an enduring church.
2. Sustaining the legacy of Christ the Saviour.
3. Maintaining the standard until Christ returns.
For the two thousand and some fraction of years the New Testament church has been in existence, we can roughly estimate that 3½ years were spent by Christ in building the church (Matthew 16:17–19).
For an estimated period of 1,467 years, the early church, through much trial, persecution, and loss of lives, sustained the legacy of Jesus Christ, the meek and selfless Saviour of mankind (Hebrews 11:35–40; Acts 14:19–22).
For the remaining 500 and few years that have spanned the time of the Reformation of the church to date, we, the contemporary Christians, have had the task of maintaining the Christian standard thrust upon our shoulders.
Today, there is a relative calm and quietness; no Sanhedrin, no Inquisition. Nobody dominates us to our hurt with regard to the Christian faith. We are reaping what others had sown with their lives and watered with their blood. Jesus said:
“I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labour” (John 4:38).
1. CREATING A FOUNDATION FOR AN ENDURING CHURCH
“And I also say unto thee that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
In conceiving a blueprint for the church, Jesus Christ had two things in mind, which are as follows:
1. That His church should be built on a rock. This typifies strength, ruggedness, and stability, which are characteristic of any structure with a solid foundation. See Matthew 7:24–25.
2. That the gates of hell should not prevail against it. This typifies resilience of character—that no matter how Satan, demons, or men rage and fight against her, the church will always come out victorious.
From the foregoing, it appears clearly that Jesus Christ foresaw that the church would be tried and tested, and that by her victory she would be proved worthy of the glory for which God has predestinated her. This is in line with the prophecy of Zechariah found in the Bible book of Zechariah 13:7–9, which indeed concerns Christ and the church. Jesus confirmed that this will be fulfilled.
“And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered…..” (Mark 14:27).
Now, from the above, we can state out the following facts as they concern God’s plan for the church right from the beginning:
1. That she is called to be different from the world and its system of doing things—John 17:16–19.
2. That because the church will be opposed to its system and practices, the world will hate and persecute her bitterly—John 17:14; Revelation 12:13, 17.
3. That the suffering arising from this persecution will actually help Christians in the following ways:
i. To put no confidence in the flesh—Philippians 3:3; 1 Peter 4:1–2.
ii. To help us realize that all the seeming good things that the world offers in return for a loose and carefree life are actually a snare; for why will it persecute the church if indeed the church is losing out on the good things it offers?
iii. That in realizing the above fact, the church should be focused only on heaven, having known she has drawn a line between herself and the world—Philippians 3:20–21; Colossians 3:1–2.
iv. That having made up our minds about getting to heaven and knowing it is our only hope of eternal life, joy, and lasting peace, we should strive to enter it, even at the cost of our very lives—Philippians 3:7–14; 2 Timothy 4:1–2, 5–8.
On the whole, we can conclusively say that God’s plan for the church is to have her refined. The death and resurrection of Christ are likened by the prophet Zechariah to the striking of the shepherd (Zechariah 13:7). After Christ’s ascension to heaven came the fulfillment of that context of the Scripture as a whole.
“And I will turn my hand against the little ones (compare with Luke 12:32) and it shall come to pass, that in all the land, says the Lord, two parts in it shall be cut off and die but the third shall be left in it (compare with Acts 8:1–4). And I will bring the third part through fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will test them as gold is tested: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them; I will say, they are my people: and they shall say, the LORD is my God” (Zechariah 13:7b–9).
What the natural man considers as weakness is indeed strength to the spiritual man. A church that is at the receiving end of the world’s hatred, venom, and whatever evil that fits its fancy, without so much as a cry of protest, may be considered by most as weak and unpopular. This, however, is not the truth. True strength lies in the church’s resilience of character; that is to say, come rain, come shine; come sword and burning; come bonds, come imprisonment; come what may! Yet the church remains invulnerable. She still towers above the gates of hell (Matthew 16:18).
This was the intent of Christ: to build an enduring church. He built one with His life:
“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps, who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. Who when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously..” (1 Peter 2:21–23).
And for those who would follow in His steps, the Holy Bible declares solemnly:
“For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake…” (Philippians 1:29).
Christ is the founder of the church and indeed the Head of the church. He laid the foundation for an enduring church, which no being may alter (1 Corinthians 3:11).
By His principle, only those who are ready to follow His steps are recognized by heaven as members of His church. This way, the issue of a mixed multitude in heaven is dealt with once and for all, without the slightest compunction.
“But ye are come unto mount Zion and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are written in heaven and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirit of just men made perfect…” (Hebrews 12:22–23).
We have discussed the first point of our topic, which was “CREATING A FOUNDATION FOR AN ENDURING CHURCH.”
We have identified the plan and purpose of Christ for the church, which we discovered to be as follows:
1. That it should be strong, rugged, and have a solid foundation.
2. That it should be resilient in character.
The above points being the “plan,” we subsequently outlined the “purpose” to be as follows:
1. That the church, just like Christ, should be made perfect through suffering (Hebrews 2:10; Philippians 1:29).
2. That the persecutions and suffering should make the church put no confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3:3; 1 Corinthians 9:24–27; 1 Peter 4:1–2).
3. That the world and its god, Satan, should be exposed to the church for what they truly are (1 John 5:19; 2:15–17).
4. That having thus crucified the flesh and kept itself apart from the world, the church should be focused on heaven and strive to enter into it at all cost (Colossians 3:1–2; Philippians 3:7–14).
Now, by the grace of God, we shall continue with the study by discussing the second point, which is:
SUSTAINING THE LEGACY OF CHRIST THE SAVIOUR
Before delving into this very important point, let’s ask ourselves these equally important questions:
1. What was Christ’s legacy for the early church?
2. To what extent was this legacy sustained by the church?
3. Are we, the latter church, in any way bound to this legacy?
This part of the teaching will revolve around these very important questions, as they hold the key to unlocking God’s mind and revealing His will for the church today.
A legacy is defined as a situation that exists now because of events, actions, etc., that took place in the past.
In answering the first question, we will simply fall back on the Holy Scriptures, which contain the Gospel of Christ, the Acts, and the Epistles of the early church. The Gospel is the basis of faith for the universal church of the living God, while the Acts and Epistles of the early church are the expressions of this faith.
Through the Gospel, we see the life of Christ—His vision, mission, and the passion with which He both began and ended His earthly ministry. This is the basis of our faith. Of this ministry, Peter would later say:
” …the word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus, He is Lord of all ….how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. And we are witnesses of all things which he did… whom they killed …Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who all ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead …” (Acts 10:36–41).
Apostle Peter says, “and we are witnesses of all things which He did…..”
A legacy, having been defined as a situation that exists now because of events, actions, etc., that took place in the past, it follows then that the testimonies of Christ’s witnesses (the early church), as contained in the Bible book of Acts, and the Epistles, were the legacies of Christ for the church. These testimonies were the expression of their faith, on which their hope of eternal life through Christ was built.
Below are a few of these witnesses and their testimonies:
Paul the Apostle
” …for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes ..” (Romans 1:16; compare this with Acts 14:21–23; John 4:31–34).
He would not be persuaded to stay away from Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit revealed the fate that awaited him there (Acts 20:17–25; 21:8–14; compare with Matthew 16:21–27).
Apostle Peter
“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed” (2 Peter 2:1–2; compare with Matthew 23:13).
Peter went ahead to denounce the evils of false prophets and their doctrines (2 Peter 2:15, 18, 19; compare with Matthew 23:13).
These witnesses of Christ upheld His teachings and practices. True believers, though few, still do so today. This is Christ’s legacy for the church.
The second question now becomes easy to answer. The early church sustained this legacy to the extent that the world found them repulsive, as it had previously found Jesus Christ to also be (John 15:18–15). In narrating the ordeal of the early church, Paul the Apostle wrote these words:
“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not destroyed, always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh” (2 Corinthians 4:8–11).
They could have let down their guard and been at peace with the world, but then that would have been a betrayal of faith and a destruction of the legacy of Christ the Saviour of which they were the custodians. Jude confirms that this was the driving force behind the early church’s steadfastness:
“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints…” (Jude 1:3).
To “contend” simply means to “fight,” to “struggle,” to staunchly resist any attempt at destroying our faith. The Christian’s contention is not done with the arms of flesh—see 2 Corinthians 10:3–5; Ephesians 6:10–18.
In contending for the faith—the legacy Christ left for them—they drew the line of separation between themselves and the world. The result of this uncompromising stand was a severe persecution spanning about fourteen (14) centuries (Hebrews 11:35–38; 2 Corinthians 11:23–33).
They were not fanatics who wanted a shortcut to heaven by martyrdom. No! It was love for God. Consider the words of Paul the Apostle:
“for if we are beside ourselves, it is for God;…..for the love of Christ compels us, because we Judge thus: that if one (Jesus) died for all, then all (the church) died; and He died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:13–15; compare with John 15:13).
We shall answer the third question fully in the next part of the study, but suffice it to say now that we, the latter church, are bound to this legacy. We are its custodians today!
But what is wrong today? Why are there no persecutions like before? Has the present church tamed the kingdom of darkness? Is the god of this world now repentant? No! Satan will always be the enemy of the church until Christ returns. He gains nothing by being otherwise, for his condemnation is without a remedy (Jude 1:6).
Lest we be deceived, it is important to state that the devil has now adopted a new strategy because his experience with the early church seemed to have taught him a valuable lesson: that the blood of a child of God is seed. Where any is spilled, much more are born. He seemed to have realized that physical violence cannot kill faith because it is a spiritual element.
The devil still fights against the church today with even more aggression than before but, sadly, we hardly recognize his presence because he has changed his strategy. The devil has crossed the old boundary set by the early church and has mingled with the present church. He is now the enemy within. study
“…for such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works”.
(2 Corinthians 11:13-15).
Satan has joined himself to the church today. He has his own “anointed” ministers and prophets; Musicians and worship leaders, to mention but few. It takes a discerning mind to know who the “enemy within” is. More than ever before, the enemy, Satan, is claiming more victories over souls. These are evil days indeed! The Bible terms it the “Perilous Times”.
“But know this, that in the last days, perilous times will come; for men will be lovers of themselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy….having a form of godliness, but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
The gospel is hardly ever preached anymore: most of today’s preachers prepare their audiences for a life of abundance here on earth at the expense of their soul. The scripture brands this negative trend “Doctrines of Demons”.
“Now the spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron”.
(1 Timothy 4:1-2).
Today the rising cost of living and high rate of unemployment are no co-incidences. They were designed by Satan (the temporal ruler of the world, its commerce and economy) as a platform for the prosperity gospel that has now dominated most local churches. Satan’s strategy is simple- a people living in an era of economic uncertainty will readily accept a gospel that offers prosperity as a reward for all of its faithful. The irony is that this type of teaching is not the legacy that Christ left for the church.
Satan knows that the church that trades spirituality for prosperity will gradually become complacent and rot away. This is the sad story of most local churches today. Whether we survive this perilous times or not depends on how each individual Christian obeys the words of Christ bekow:
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).
*3.MAINTAINING THE STANDARD UNTIL CHRIST RETURNS:*
We are now going to consider the last point of this study. We have treated the first two points, the highlights of which are as listed below:
– That Christ founded an enduring church (Matthew 16:17-19).
– That he laid an example for the church to follow by how he lived, preached and ultimately gave His life for the cause of God’s Kingdom and the salvation of sinners of this world.
– That Christ ascended back to God and left for the church a legacy of faithfulness, whole hearted commitment, patient endurance and holiness towards the cause of God’s Kingdom (Ephesians 5:25-27).
– That the early church sustained this legacy, even though for an estimated period of 1,467 years the church sealed its faith and testimony with the blood of those who fell among its rank (Hebrew 11:35-40; Acts 14:19-22).
– That Christ still demands from us (the latter church) the same commitment He demanded of the early church. (Revelation 2:8-11; Mark 13:34-37).
Even though we still have isolated cases of persecutions against Christians in some places, across the globe, we can still say with all sincerity and certainty that the church today is privileged to see the days of peace, which the early church had prayed, laboured and died hoping for. There are no more burn-fires to incinerate innocent Christian faithfuls to ashes. No more dungeons to rot in. No more swords that put to a painful end the blossoming lives of youths who dared to be different from the world and its sinful practices. More than ever before we are allowed to practice our faith without let or hindrance. More than ever before we stand a better chance of conquering the world for Christ.
Jesus said:
_“I sent you to reap that on which you bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and you are entered into their labour” (John 4:38)._
Others have laboriously built the church – some with their own lives. It’s like everything has been presented to us on a platter of gold. All we need do is to maintain the standard already attained to by the early church, for it is almost impossible to think anyone could improve on it.
However, the irony is that we seem to be doing the very opposite of what they’d expect of us- we are not improving, but degrading the standard set by the early church!
Due to her peace and prosperity (which could not have been made possible but for the early Church) the Church today is lazy.
The peace and freedom we have today should actually encourage the church to do more for Christ, but instead it would seem we are taking time off to share the loot of conquest. Such dangerous complacence! Would the gates of hell watch without seizing upon such foolish laxity? If the church is lazy then it should realize that Satan is not. A church feasting in the midst of a spiritual warfare is no match for the merciless, apostate angel, Satan. And in case we are slow of understanding, it is pertinent to say that today Satan has crossed the bounds set by the early church. He is now the enemy within. Our present condition can be compared to that of the church in Sardis, to whom Christ sent the warnings quoted below:
_“And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead…for I have not found thy works perfect before God…” (Revelation 3:1-2)._
Suffice it to say that our complacent state notwithstanding, God still demands that we maintain His standard. His banner must once again be lifted high; for the gates of hell should never prevail against the church! For this to be possible we must revive from our stupor and face up to reality. We must come to grips with the following facts, namely:
– That the church is still in the midst of war and therefore cannot feast now (Ephesians 6:10-13)
– That the Kingdom we seek is not of this world, and it is yet to come. Therefore we cannot risk the displeasure of Almighty God by embracing the god of this present sinful world, and his kingdom (Luke 4:5-7).
– That the primary objective of Christ is not to grant us an indulgence with the world, but to save us from the world (John 17:14-16).
– That God’s will for the church now is the evangelization of the world. After this will Christ’s Kingdom be established in the earth, and for a thousand years the church will rule and reign with Christ in this present earth. Only then may we indulge ourselves in feasting, merriment and to bask in the prosperity of Christ’s Kingdom (John 17:17; Matthew 24:14; Revelation 20:4-6).
The early church held unto the facts outlined above even unto death. And for them it was written (and to us, too, if we emulate them) in the Holy Scriptures:
_“And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, write, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them” (Revelation 14:13)._
THE END.