Don't Be Satisfied with Certain Status Quos in Your Church History
Last year of October 31 was the 500th anniversary of the blessed Reformation as part of the long events in Church history. The Reformation proved that the gates of Hell can't prevail against the true Church. Roman Catholicism pretended to be that true catholic church founded by Jesus Christ when it wasn't. How could such an institution claim that it gave the world the Bible when in reality it forbade it? Yet today, the average Roman Catholic is purposely left ignorant of these historical facts and fed with fear and false assurance. Now, it's already the 501st anniversary of the Reformation and the truth is still marching on! So should the Reformation stop at 500? Should the Christian church stop at 2000 when it reached 2000? The answer is no - the Church should never be satisfied with the status quo!
The true Church was founded on 33 A.D. and I'm not talking about the Roman Catholic institution. I'm talking about the holy apostolic Church that has the Scriptures as its foundation and authority. The Church is the body and pillar of truth (1 Timothy 3:15) because it is the body of Christ. How can the Roman Catholic institution claim itself to be that body and pillar of truth when it teaches a lot of doctrines not found in the Bible and they quote verses out of context to justify it? The Church itself exists as the very body of Christ - the very body of believers. There was no name for the Church back then but the Church. The believers were first called Christians (Acts 11:26) and not as Catholics in Antioch. The word catholic derived from Acts 9:31 means "all throughout" and the Church is catholic in the sense it's universal but not Catholic in its official name. Nowhere in the Bible is the Church called Catholic Church in name and denomination.
You can think of the very mission of Peter as he was ordained as the first pastor and not as the first Pope. In John 21:15-17 we read that Jesus is talking to Peter once more. Do you remember how Peter backslid and Jesus restored the latter to fellowship? We could think about how Peter is repeatedly told to feed the flock. Peter soon executed his first Sunday sermon in Acts 2. It was a fiery sermon that converted thousands of people into Christianity! Yet, was Peter satisfied with the status quo? He definitely didn't stop at his first Sunday. Instead, he kept going on and on! He continued the apostolic mission until the day he died. The same was true for the rest of the apostles. They kept preaching even if it meant meeting martyrdom.
The other person we could think of not being satisfied with the status quo is the Apostle Paul. I remembered how he was used as an example of determination. As a persecutor of Christians - he was determined to do what he did. After he got converted when Jesus unconditionally chose him as a missionary for the Gentiles - he became the most powerful soulwinner. I could imagine how he went into the greatest lengths. Reading the Book of Acts on Paul's journeys show that he had a lot of struggle. But he wasn't satisfied. Not satisfied with Romans - he ended up writing the 13 letters which is termed as the Pauline Letters. He became the big missionary to the Gentiles. He just never stopped preaching. He was always going on and on and no wonder he said that 2 Timothy 4:17-18 that he had fought the good fight. He was about to be executed late in Nero's reign but he knew he was definitely going home to be with the Lord Jesus.
The Church didn't die with the apostles because it's built on the solid rock that is Jesus Christ. The Church may no longer have the apostolic signs and wonders but it still has its characteristics of being apostolic. How can a church be considered apostolic? It's not because its authorities claim to succeed the apostles like how the Pope claims that it succeeded beloved Peter. No, a local church is apostolic when it upholds the doctrine of the apostles based on their pen or epistle in 2 Thessalonians 2:15. Paul gave a warning that they are to hold to what the apostles taught. If Roman Catholics (or any pseudo-Christian cult) uses it to justify rejecting the Scriptures as the sole source of authority or to justify their traditions then they are wrong. The only tradition Christians should follow is if it's based on the Scriptures. Besides, to say that the apostles didn't have their own Bible back then is stupid. They quoted from the Old Testament and the writings of the apostles. They had the writings of the Old Testament which is referred to as the Scriptures. They quoted from Scriptures as their source of authority when they were writing the New Testament!
No amount of dark times in Church history shook it either. You can think of how the Church suffered persecution under the Roman Emperors but it only made Christianity stronger. The Book of Revelation from chapters one to three talk about the seven periods of Church history. Revelation was written during the time of yet another tyrant known as Emperor Domitian. Persecution was hitting the churches but that just never stopped the Church from growing. After the Roman emperors we have the Roman Catholic institution. The Dark Ages finally came yet the true Church was still there. It never apostasized. It didn't have to wait for Martin Luther. There were already several Christian groups such as the earlier Baptists and the Waldenses to name a few. Although Baptists are not Protestants (and neither did they descend from John the Baptist as Briders claim) but they were already there before the Reformation. They just didn't stop soulwinning one way or another. Besides, pre-Reformation Christian martyrs such as Jan Hus and Girolamo Savonarola were burned at the stake but that didn't stop the Church from growing.
How did the Reformation expand the Church when it happened? The Bible was but hidden from the sight of the people. People were not allowed to read even from a Roman Catholic translation of the Bible - not even from a Latin Vulgate. Yet, all the Reformation needed was Luther to read from the Latin Vulgate. The great William Tyndale who was part of the earlier Baptists took the great risk - he translated the Bible into English even if it meant the end of his life. The Reformation took part in church expansion. Although we may have different Protestant Christian denominations yet we can have this illustration. They may be organizationally divided but there is the unity in Spirit and in Truth. The Baptist Christian embraces non-Baptist Christians as part of this one big apostolic Christian family. They are upholding the truth of the Bible together as one. The Reformation plays a vital role in crumbling down the Dark Ages when the printing press (which was invented by a Roman Catholic known as Johannes Gutenburg but it was said to be later condemned by his religion) was used to print more Bibles in different vernaculars to get people to read the Word of God.
Now let's think about the Church's long journey as it goes on to its mission to bulldoze the gates of Hell, to be a hospital for repentant sinners, to become a museum of redeemed saints and to be an army that fights Satan and his minions. There were other events such as state atheism, various religions and not to mention the Islamic Empire's expansion. They all tried to crush Christianity but it didn't stop. The Christians were not satisfied with the status quo. It reminds me of what's going on in China right now. Chinese Christians aren't satisfied with just thousands of Chinese getting to know Jesus. They want more than just thousands reached out to. Right now, the Christian church in China is mightily adding unto the Church in spite of atheistic Communist persecution. We can see Christianity expand mightily in the Muslim countries. It's also because by God's grace - Christians aren't getting satisfied with just a few handful of converts. They want to win the whole nation and the whole world to Christ! They didn't want to stop with one year. Not satisfied with just a year they want a decade. Not satisfied with a decade they want more decades until Jesus Christ comes again!
See also:
The true Church was founded on 33 A.D. and I'm not talking about the Roman Catholic institution. I'm talking about the holy apostolic Church that has the Scriptures as its foundation and authority. The Church is the body and pillar of truth (1 Timothy 3:15) because it is the body of Christ. How can the Roman Catholic institution claim itself to be that body and pillar of truth when it teaches a lot of doctrines not found in the Bible and they quote verses out of context to justify it? The Church itself exists as the very body of Christ - the very body of believers. There was no name for the Church back then but the Church. The believers were first called Christians (Acts 11:26) and not as Catholics in Antioch. The word catholic derived from Acts 9:31 means "all throughout" and the Church is catholic in the sense it's universal but not Catholic in its official name. Nowhere in the Bible is the Church called Catholic Church in name and denomination.
You can think of the very mission of Peter as he was ordained as the first pastor and not as the first Pope. In John 21:15-17 we read that Jesus is talking to Peter once more. Do you remember how Peter backslid and Jesus restored the latter to fellowship? We could think about how Peter is repeatedly told to feed the flock. Peter soon executed his first Sunday sermon in Acts 2. It was a fiery sermon that converted thousands of people into Christianity! Yet, was Peter satisfied with the status quo? He definitely didn't stop at his first Sunday. Instead, he kept going on and on! He continued the apostolic mission until the day he died. The same was true for the rest of the apostles. They kept preaching even if it meant meeting martyrdom.
The other person we could think of not being satisfied with the status quo is the Apostle Paul. I remembered how he was used as an example of determination. As a persecutor of Christians - he was determined to do what he did. After he got converted when Jesus unconditionally chose him as a missionary for the Gentiles - he became the most powerful soulwinner. I could imagine how he went into the greatest lengths. Reading the Book of Acts on Paul's journeys show that he had a lot of struggle. But he wasn't satisfied. Not satisfied with Romans - he ended up writing the 13 letters which is termed as the Pauline Letters. He became the big missionary to the Gentiles. He just never stopped preaching. He was always going on and on and no wonder he said that 2 Timothy 4:17-18 that he had fought the good fight. He was about to be executed late in Nero's reign but he knew he was definitely going home to be with the Lord Jesus.
The Church didn't die with the apostles because it's built on the solid rock that is Jesus Christ. The Church may no longer have the apostolic signs and wonders but it still has its characteristics of being apostolic. How can a church be considered apostolic? It's not because its authorities claim to succeed the apostles like how the Pope claims that it succeeded beloved Peter. No, a local church is apostolic when it upholds the doctrine of the apostles based on their pen or epistle in 2 Thessalonians 2:15. Paul gave a warning that they are to hold to what the apostles taught. If Roman Catholics (or any pseudo-Christian cult) uses it to justify rejecting the Scriptures as the sole source of authority or to justify their traditions then they are wrong. The only tradition Christians should follow is if it's based on the Scriptures. Besides, to say that the apostles didn't have their own Bible back then is stupid. They quoted from the Old Testament and the writings of the apostles. They had the writings of the Old Testament which is referred to as the Scriptures. They quoted from Scriptures as their source of authority when they were writing the New Testament!
No amount of dark times in Church history shook it either. You can think of how the Church suffered persecution under the Roman Emperors but it only made Christianity stronger. The Book of Revelation from chapters one to three talk about the seven periods of Church history. Revelation was written during the time of yet another tyrant known as Emperor Domitian. Persecution was hitting the churches but that just never stopped the Church from growing. After the Roman emperors we have the Roman Catholic institution. The Dark Ages finally came yet the true Church was still there. It never apostasized. It didn't have to wait for Martin Luther. There were already several Christian groups such as the earlier Baptists and the Waldenses to name a few. Although Baptists are not Protestants (and neither did they descend from John the Baptist as Briders claim) but they were already there before the Reformation. They just didn't stop soulwinning one way or another. Besides, pre-Reformation Christian martyrs such as Jan Hus and Girolamo Savonarola were burned at the stake but that didn't stop the Church from growing.
How did the Reformation expand the Church when it happened? The Bible was but hidden from the sight of the people. People were not allowed to read even from a Roman Catholic translation of the Bible - not even from a Latin Vulgate. Yet, all the Reformation needed was Luther to read from the Latin Vulgate. The great William Tyndale who was part of the earlier Baptists took the great risk - he translated the Bible into English even if it meant the end of his life. The Reformation took part in church expansion. Although we may have different Protestant Christian denominations yet we can have this illustration. They may be organizationally divided but there is the unity in Spirit and in Truth. The Baptist Christian embraces non-Baptist Christians as part of this one big apostolic Christian family. They are upholding the truth of the Bible together as one. The Reformation plays a vital role in crumbling down the Dark Ages when the printing press (which was invented by a Roman Catholic known as Johannes Gutenburg but it was said to be later condemned by his religion) was used to print more Bibles in different vernaculars to get people to read the Word of God.
Now let's think about the Church's long journey as it goes on to its mission to bulldoze the gates of Hell, to be a hospital for repentant sinners, to become a museum of redeemed saints and to be an army that fights Satan and his minions. There were other events such as state atheism, various religions and not to mention the Islamic Empire's expansion. They all tried to crush Christianity but it didn't stop. The Christians were not satisfied with the status quo. It reminds me of what's going on in China right now. Chinese Christians aren't satisfied with just thousands of Chinese getting to know Jesus. They want more than just thousands reached out to. Right now, the Christian church in China is mightily adding unto the Church in spite of atheistic Communist persecution. We can see Christianity expand mightily in the Muslim countries. It's also because by God's grace - Christians aren't getting satisfied with just a few handful of converts. They want to win the whole nation and the whole world to Christ! They didn't want to stop with one year. Not satisfied with just a year they want a decade. Not satisfied with a decade they want more decades until Jesus Christ comes again!
See also:
- A Warning Against Watered Down Evangelism
- Be More Christlike, Be Ready For More Persecution!
- Beware of Being "Politically Correct" Over Being Scripturally Correct
- Christianity Has NEVER Been About Having Your Best Life Now!
- Christianity Is Not About Being Happy, Happy, Happy but Being Holy, Holy, Holy
- Continue the Reformation By Not Replacing Daily Righteousness With Mountaintop Experiences
- Continue the Reformation, Expect Only Persecution!
- Continuing the Reformation Daily Also Means to Keep Preaching Against Those Sin-Loving False Converts!
- Continuing the Reformation Also Means Preaching Against Quack Evangelical Pastors
- Continuing the Reformation Means Taking the Risk to Get the Gospel Out!
- Dear Christian, It's Foolish to Expect Yourself to Be Treated Better Than Jesus Christ
- Declare a Spiritual War Against the Heresy of Teaching the Possibility of a Fruitless Christianity!
- "Easy Baptists" Are Insulting Old Fashioned Christianity!
- "Easy Christianity" Churches Are Also Leading People
- "Easy Christianity" Churches Are Also Leading People to Hell
- "Easy Christianity" Seeks To Separate Itself From Sound Doctrine!
- How to Continue the Reformation Until Jesus Christ Comes Again
- Modern Day Reformation Also Protests Against the Heresy of Religious Ecumenism
- Modernization is Not an Excuse to Dismiss Badly Needed Old-Fashioned Revivals
- Part of Continuing the Reformation is Maintaining Peacefulness While Preaching the Truth!
- Part of Continuing the Reformation is Sorrow For the Lost
- Preach the Gospel Seriously and Expect to Be at War with the Whole World!
- Repentance Must Start First in Your Local Churches!
- Should Churches Welcome Professing Believers Living Sinfully as True Christians? Absolutely NOT!
- The Born Again Christian Legacy is Wrongfully Hated by the World!
- The Church Is a Hospital for REPENTANT Sinners and NOT a Haven for Unrepentant Sinners!
- The Church Was NEVER Designed to Adjust to the Times!
- The Dangers of A Watered Down Repentance
- The Desperate Need For Reformation in the Modern American Churches
- The Evangelicals and Catholics Together or ECT Movement is Part of Continuing the Counter-Reformation
- When Fighting Against Sin and Heresy, Don't Expect to Come Out Unscathed!
- You Can't Expect Christianity Without Enemy Attacks!