If you love the church, you want it to do well. You eventually realise that when the church does well, you do well.
When we were baptised, we were added to “God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1Tim.3:15). But where the truth abides, Satan, the father of lies (Jn.8:44), is bound to come a-knocking.
Thus, camped outside of every congregation is a death-squad of demons carrying on Satan’s warfare. However, the Christian need not concern himself with their endless volleys of fiery darts if he holds his shield of faith firm (Eph.6:16).
Death! Death! is their battle cry. They may not be able to kill your soul, but they will wound you with discouragement and temptation if you let them. Though times of weakness and frustration will come, you must never take off that helmet of salvation (Eph.6:17)—that is spiritually lethal!
But your greatest demonic persecutions will come upon you as you go forth to fight with the Sword of the Spirit—the Bible (Eph.6:17). Sharing the gospel will draw to you, and expose to you, opponents of God that you never knew were there. Some will reject you and walk away, but others will come after you.
This is nothing new. Jesus would not stop preaching and was crucified by the very people who were supposed to have recognised him as God’s Son; he left us this example that we might follow in his steps (1Pet.2:21).
Paul was beaten, stoned, run out of town and imprisoned, and it phased him not. He instead embodied God’s outlook for his life—his life was a living sacrifice to be poured out unto death in service to the Saviour (2Tim.4:6).
Enemies of the cross continue to believe that by pain, confinement, or eradication they can kill the church. Of course, they are mistaken, because neither persecution, nor imprisonment, nor death, will halt the spread of the gospel—”For the Word of God is not chained” (2 Timothy 2:9).
John Staiger
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