Category : Articles

Sub Category : Spirituality

I do not know when this foolish concept commenced, but many seem  to have the thought that the church ought not to have any problems. But do not forget that from  the time of the early apostles the Church of God has encountered  many  difficulties. Do not fancy such difficulties as being abnormal  for the local church. 

The Church since the apostolic days has been  marked by many, not a few, tight situations. Let us recall that not long after the day of Pentecost, there occurred the affair of Ananias and Sapphira. This was followed closely by the matter regarding the Hellenistic widows. Not many days after that, Stephen was martyred; and then Peter was jailed. Such problems  have continued on without ceasing. 

So that from ancient times till now, the history  of the Church has been full of obstacles and problems. In this regard, we need to look  more closely at the seven Asian churches mentioned in Revelation: five of these local churches were corrupted and seemed to have no difficulty; yet one of  them received no reprimand—even the church in Smyrna, but it was a suffering, “martyr” church; and there was  one church among them that was praised by God—Philadelphia; but interestingly, the Lord said to it, “Thou didst keep the word of my  patience” (Rev. 3.10).  That  is the word of the Lord the Church of God is always to keep—not the word of  success, but the word of  patience and “steadfastness”  (margin). 

A local church must pass through many difficult times requiring patience in the face of many problems and hardships. Only a worldly church will meet with less hardship. A true church will encounter many problems and some defeats. So never say if a local church is always peaceful and uneventful that that is  the sole evidence of the blessing  of the Lord.

What usually happens is that  it is blessed on the  one hand and encounters difficulties on the other. A church  may undergo many hardships, yet still have the Lord’s blessing.