Lord, it is such a matter of perspective. Some saw it as waste; we see it as a great treasure. We are thankful, Lord, that You are that great treasure poured out. You gave completely; You did not hold anything back.
And Lord, because of that, we can freely continue in Your presence now. We know that You have made provision for this time in Christ Jesus, and by faith we step into the fullness of all You have for us.
As we consider this matter of church history, as we prayed before and as was said before, Lord, we are not just looking at facts. We want to know Your ways, really understand Your heart, and really understand the lessons, Lord, that we can be encouraged and strengthened in the days that we are living in.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Turn again to Matthew 16. This is our Lord’s precious testimony, and this is the promise that we have: Matthew 16, starting in verse 17.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona:
for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee,
but My Father who is in heaven.
And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter,
and upon this rock I will build My church;
and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
The precious promise we have in that verse is this: “I will build My church.” As we look throughout the testimony of Jesus throughout church history, we are thankful that we have this precious promise upon which we can rely.
As we considered this together last time, we saw how the church had a very good and healthy beginning. The birth of the church was really a very precious testimony. At the right time, at the fullness of time, our Lord Jesus came; and at the fullness of time, the church was born on the Day of Pentecost.
We also considered that the key issue is the battle over the testimony of Jesus. We see the intensity of that battle in the early church, throughout history, and today. We just mention the name of Jesus, or the testimony of Jesus, and there is an immediate battle—an immediate attack—particularly in the culture in which we find ourselves.
As we left off last time, we were at the end of the first century, really the end of what we call the New Testament. Even though there had been a good, healthy birth, there was already some decline and some issues within the church. As you look at the letters to the churches in Revelation 2–3, we see things that the Lord is noticing, pointing out, and giving people the opportunity to repent of and return from.
A couple of people asked about the PowerPoint sent out by email. If you did not receive it, just let me know. I will send it out each Saturday, and it will also be on the CTM website if you want to download it from there. That is enough administrative business.
Our overall outline for today is how the church spread throughout the Roman Empire, how it suffered severe persecutions, how it encountered serious internal problems, and how Christianity, so-called, became legalized under Constantine—and the impact of that.
It is amazing how what the enemy could not do through persecution, corruption within was able to do in bringing real damage to the testimony of Jesus.
Overall, we know that the spread of the church was obviously by the divine and sovereign hand of God. That is the overriding thing. But the Lord uses practical things upon this earth throughout history.
Because of the Roman government, there was an excellent road system and control of the sea, allowing safe movement. There were many trade routes and much movement between the cities of the Roman Empire. This opened the way for the gospel to go forth in many precious ways.
There was also a common language: Greek. Today we have English as a common language. It is interesting: when we go to Brazil or another country, they ask, “Do you know what language they are going to speak in heaven?” They say, “English, because Americans are too lazy to learn anything else.” The whole rest of the world learns English! But anyway, that is beside the point.
A common language really benefits things, and we are thankful for that. But when you come down to the primary reason—the hand of God working—the gospel was a new, fresh offering to people. It offered unbiased hope to everybody.
People also saw the lives of believers. There was a living testimony coming forth through the lives of various ones, as well as the testimony of the martyrs. There is the phrase, “The blood of the martyrs waters the seed of the gospel.” Through many lives that were laid down, the gospel went forth in a powerful way.
The gospel offered unbiased hope to all. This was such a new teaching, given the society of the Roman Empire at that time. It offered an unbiased and applicable gospel to everyone, anywhere, at any time.
Whether you were male or female, free or slave, noble or poor, Jew or Gentile, Roman or foreigner, this gospel was there for you. The gospel offered hope and comfort. It offered this new thought: eternal life.
Most other religions had such prejudice. There was prejudice toward women; slaves and free men were separated. Things could be open to Romans but not to foreigners. The Jews had certain privileges but would not associate with Gentiles. But here was a truth coming forth for all mankind.
God’s love was without prejudice. Sin is sin, regardless of who you are. In the old times, if you were a rich man, you never sinned because you had money; the poor people were the sinners. But no, this gospel called sin sin.
The same was true of forgiveness. Forgiveness was there for anybody—not merely rich people who could pay for something, or those who could offer something. By the blood of the Lamb, you were cleansed of all your sins and forgiven.
This was a hope so revolutionary that it captured people in a mighty, powerful way. Plus, it was not trying to create something so-called new. It maintained family relationships, honored work, and taught people to respect their masters. It showed people how to live upon this earth in their day and time.
The lives of believers were one of the greatest means by which the gospel went forth, because the testimony of Jesus was seen in their lives. As we have been praying for the gospel on Wednesday nights, I really believe this is one of the greatest ways the gospel goes forth.
The gospel goes forth in teaching; I am not downplaying that. But it also goes forth in the lives of believers. People saw those they knew living transformed lives. They knew that these people had been sinners, but when Jesus Christ came into their lives, He changed them.
They were living moral lives in the midst of an immoral society. They were not so self-centered. They were caring for others and caring for the poor. The practical application of the love of God was being lived out in their daily lives.
This had a tremendous impact, and it will have a tremendous impact in the days we are living in. Many are out there in fear, scared about what is going on and what is going to happen. When they see people loving and caring without prejudice toward anybody, what a glorious gospel that is. That is what goes forth.
They saw family life strengthened. They saw a new respect for women. Women were not second-class citizens anymore; they were respected and honored. Within the church, women and men were flowing together and serving together. What a precious testimony that was.
People looked upon this diverse group and saw unity. There were free people and slaves, nobles and poor, men and women, Jews and others—all worshiping this one God, Jesus Christ. That impacted their lives, and the gospel went forth in a powerful way.
They actually walked the talk. They did not merely talk about it; they walked it. It was seen in their lives. Is Christ seen in our lives? That is our desire—not just to talk about Him, but for Him to be seen in our decisions and interactions.
When we go to the store and somebody cuts in line, or somebody does something to us, do they see the fragrance of Christ coming forth from us in a way that gives a testimony in the days we are living in?
One writer gave this testimony describing the lives of believers. I thought it was precious, and I really could not cut any of it out.
They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners.
As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners.
Every foreign land is to them as their native country,
and every land of their birth is a land of strangers.They marry as do others; they beget children, but they do not destroy their offspring.
They have a common table, but not a common bed.
They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh.
They pass their days on earth, but are citizens of heaven.They obey the prescribed laws and at the same time surpass the laws in their lives.
They love all and are persecuted by all.
They are poor, yet they make many rich.
They are completely destitute, and yet they enjoy complete abundance.They are reviled, and yet they bless.
When they do good, they are punished as evildoers.
Undergoing punishment, they rejoice because they are brought to life.
That sounds familiar: doing good, yet punished as evildoers. They rejoiced under punishment because the life of Christ was seen in these dear ones. That is a precious testimony, and that is really what we desire in these days and times.
We have to keep in context that these believers were living in the Roman Empire. They were not living in a great free society of democracy. There was a Caesar over them, and they faced many challenges.
Their challenges can be divided into two categories: external challenges, such as persecution by the Roman Empire and paganism; and internal challenges, such as heresies, wrong concepts of man and God, disputes over church government, and disputes over the Lord’s Supper and baptism.
Many external challenges came from Greek intellectualism, particularly Gnosticism. In essence, Gnosticism taught the existence of two gods or two principles: good and evil, light and darkness.
They would try to infiltrate the church with this teaching. They would say, “Jesus is light and the enemy is dark,” using the name of Jesus but not recognizing Who He truly was. They said spiritual things are good, while material things and matter are evil.
There was such intellectualism associated with this teaching that it sounded lofty. People thought, “These people are so smart. They know so much. What they are saying must be true.” But it was false teaching.
The Lord’s Supper began to take on special spiritual powers and sacrificial powers instead of remaining in the simplicity of the table and cup by which we remember the Lord. Likewise, teaching began to arise concerning infant baptism and the baptism of unbelievers.
As we look at persecution, it is interesting that, underneath it all, because of the Lord’s love for His testimony, He allows persecution to purify and strengthen people. Throughout history, in times of purification, the testimony of Jesus is strengthened.
When times become peaceful and very laid-back, laxity and conformity begin to work their way in. We mentioned the persecution under Nero last time. The underlying reason for persecution was that Caesar was regarded as a god.
Roman citizens were expected to honor Caesar as god, bow down, worship, and burn incense to him. Of course, believers would not do that. Therefore, there was an immediate conflict.
We mentioned Domitian last time, the one who had John the Apostle on the Isle of Patmos. Under Trajan, many persecutions were sporadic. During this time, a great distinction developed between Jews and Christians. Judaism and Christianity were now recognized as separate, and while Jews continued to receive protection, Christians increasingly suffered persecution.
Under Septimius Severus, matters became more serious. Conversion was literally forbidden. Around 202, Christianity became a crime. This was the first time that Christianity was declared illegal.
Under Decius, around 249–251, there was the first empire-wide persecution. Everyone had to have a certificate proving that he had sacrificed to Caesar, or he would die. You had to have the mark or face death.
The worst persecution was under Diocletian. Churches were burned, Bibles were destroyed, and believers lost all civil rights. Over 400,000 were killed. It was really very tragic.
Many of the stories are difficult because they concern martyrs. It is not appropriate to go into all the details, but if you look at Foxe’s Book of Martyrs or other history books, you will find explicit accounts of what took place.
For many years, I had Foxe’s Book of Martyrs beside my bed. I would read a story at night before going to sleep. That may be my weird way of thinking, but whatever problems I had in life seemed to go away. I did not have any problems compared with what they went through.
Through these martyrs, the seed of the gospel was watered. In spite of persecution, Christianity—the testimony of Jesus—continued to spread.
Let us look at a couple of martyrs: an old one and a young one. The first was Polycarp. Polycarp lived in Smyrna, and he was over ninety years old. Nobody is exactly sure how old he was, but he was called the bishop there at Smyrna—the leading brother.
An arrest warrant was issued for him. Soldiers came to arrest him at a farmhouse outside the city of Smyrna. The brothers in the farmhouse said, “You need to escape and flee. They are coming for you.” But he said, “God’s will be done,” and chose not to flee.
When the soldiers came, he welcomed them in. He asked if they would like food or something to drink, and they accepted. Then he said, “I have one request: would you give me the opportunity to pray for one hour before you take me?”
They agreed. These soldiers were not really sure whom they were arresting. They had an arrest warrant, but then they found themselves looking at a man over ninety years old. They felt bad about it.
Polycarp went into the next room and poured out his heart in prayer. They could all hear him, and their hearts were moved. Even the soldiers were crying—not enough to let him go, but they were sorry they had to take this old man.
They brought him into the city, into the amphitheater where Christians were being martyred. The Roman official said, “Look, you are an old man. I really do not want to have to do this to you. Would you just bow to Caesar, burn some incense, and let us be done with it?”
Polycarp answered:
Eighty-six years have I served Him, and He hath done me no wrong.
How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?
The Roman official became more upset and said, “If you do not, I am going to burn you with fire.” Polycarp responded:
You threaten me with a fire that burns for a time and is quickly quenched.
You do not know the fire that awaits the wicked in judgment to come, in everlasting punishment.
Why are you waiting? Come, do what you will.
He was not backing down. He was ready to go. He was standing his ground for the testimony of the Lord.
They tied him to a post. Normally, people’s hands would be nailed to the post, but he asked to have his hands free so that he could praise the Lord during that time. They put wood around him and lit the fire.
With historical accounts, you are never quite sure of every detail because there are varied reports. It is not like the media we have today that tells the truth and reports everything accurately! But the common account is that the fire came up around him, burning all around him, but did not burn him.
The Roman official saw it and commanded a soldier to kill him. The soldier went in with a sword and killed him.
Polycarp had said that he knew he would be burned for Christ. A few days earlier, he had dreamed that his pillow caught fire. He said, “Oh, I am going to be burned for Christ.” Yet he did not shrink back.
That is a precious testimony. Sometimes the lives of these martyrs can be overwhelming, but grace was among them. They were simply brothers and sisters who trusted the Lord at that moment in time.
When we find ourselves in difficult situations, there is grace for that moment. We do not know how we would act. None of us can say, “If that happened to me, I would act like this.” No, we do not know. But we know Him, and He is the One who keeps us. Praise God for that.
There was also a younger sister, Perpetua. She lived in Carthage in North Africa. She was twenty-two years old, married, and nursing a young baby when she was arrested.
Five young people, all about twenty-two to twenty-five years old, were arrested. Perpetua’s father was a pagan, and he came to plead with her. He said, “Think of your daughter. Just worship Caesar, bow down to Caesar, and you will go free. Your daughter will have a mother.”
He also appealed to her respect for him as her father. He said, “Please honor my gray hair, and just say that you are not a Christian.”
Her response was this. She said, “Do you see this vase?” He said, “Yes, I do.” She said, “Could it be called by any other name than what it is?” He said, “No.” Then she said, “So too, I cannot be called by anything other than what I am: a Christian.”
The five young people were taken away. First, the three young men were put into the amphitheater, and wild beasts were released upon them. Bears, lions, and leopards devoured them quickly.
The women were treated differently. Perpetua and another sister, Felicity, were placed in a net and exposed to an enraged animal that knocked the net around, almost killing them. Once they had been beaten badly and trampled, the soldiers would finish them off.
The soldier came to Perpetua, the last one living. He had his sword in his hand. She literally took the sword and put it at her throat, saying, “Finish what you need to do. God’s will be done.” He killed her, and she went into glory.
Nobody knows what happened to her husband or her child; it is not recorded. That is an emotional story. You think about a mother choosing between her child and her life. But there was a relationship with Christ, and something they saw in Christ, that caused them, even at a young age, to stand for the testimony of the Lord.
That is enough martyr stories. But you can see how their faith sent a message to others and encouraged many.
During this time, many heresies and false teachings were arising. The term often used is “early church fathers.” I do not really like that term, but it is used for historical purposes. These brothers were used by the Lord to stand for truth as false teachings tried to come in.
Yet these were just men. Some of the decisions they made concerning practices within the church eventually caused much harm and created problems that are still around today.
The first was Clement. Some say he is probably the one mentioned in Philippians 4. One thing he began to stress was apostolic succession.
As the church came into a weakened condition, one person often began overseeing a local assembly. This leading person, called an apostle or bishop, would appoint his successor in order to make sure that someone spiritual would carry on.
There were ambitious people seeking leadership for the wrong reasons, like Diotrephes in 3 John. Clement was trying to protect the church because some brethren were not as spiritual as others, and some people sought leadership out of ambition.
It was a good thought and a good intention, but it went about things the wrong way. At first, it looked as though spiritual leadership was being preserved. But eventually it grew into something it was never intended to be.
Ignatius distinguished between bishops and elders, and he opposed the Gnostic heresy. Polycarp, the dear one we spoke of who was martyred, confronted the heresy of Marcion.
Marcion taught that the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament were two different gods. He presented the God of the Old Testament as cold, judgmental, and associated with bondage, while portraying the God of the New Testament as love, forgiveness, liberty, and the freedom to do whatever one wanted.
This brought much confusion among the assemblies. Thankfully, men like Polycarp could clarify these matters.
Tertullian began to develop the teaching of the Trinity. We know that the word Trinity itself is not in the Bible, but the teaching is there. He was one of the first to clarify the relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—their oneness and the way They work together.
He also wrote against infant baptism, which was beginning to develop. Origen emphasized that only born-again people are in the true church. That may sound obvious, but certain people who were not born again were beginning to come in among them, and no distinction was being made.
Sadly, Cyprian began asserting the primacy of the bishop of Rome. These men were standing for truth, but some of their practices brought about changes that were not scriptural.
Many of the changes in church government were made for expediency—to preserve the testimony and make sure spiritual people were in leadership. As the church became weaker, there were fewer strong spiritual people. Some ambitious people wanted to step forward, while others wanted to step back.
It is best when brothers and sisters are all working together in the oneness we have in Him. There will always be people who want to step forward and who always have an answer. There will also be those who sit back and let others do it.
The Lord desires the universal priesthood of all believers, that we really function together.
In the New Testament, elders, bishops, and deacons served in local assemblies. Elders and bishops were essentially the same, with deacons serving alongside them.
Ignatius was the first to differentiate between elders and bishops. He taught that each assembly was governed by a bishop and also had elders and deacons.
But elders and bishops are actually the same person. On Friday night, as we were preparing for the letter to the church in Ephesus, we looked at Acts and the background of Ephesus.
In Acts 20:17, Paul sent from Miletus to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. Later, in Acts 20:28, he said:
Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock,
in which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers,
to shepherd the church of God,
which He purchased with His own blood.
The elders Paul called in Acts 20:17 were the overseers, or bishops, to whom he spoke in Acts 20:28. Elder and overseer—or bishop—refer to the same person. The bishop or overseer describes the function; the elder describes the person.
They were not separate offices as Ignatius differentiated them. From there, the system progressed. In the second century, each assembly originally had its own bishop, but later diocesan bishops oversaw several assemblies in a region.
The power of the bishop grew. A bishop would oversee an entire metropolitan area, and this continued to move further away from God’s original plan.
Later, in the third century, elders began to be viewed as sacrificing priests at the Lord’s table. The primacy of the bishop of Rome was asserted. By the fourth century, metropolitan bishops, or archbishops, gained ascendancy over country bishops.
There was always a power struggle. In the Roman Empire, there was a Western Empire and an Eastern Empire. The bishop of Constantinople wanted to be equivalent to the bishop of Rome.
Finally, Leo, in the fifth century, claimed supremacy for the bishop of Rome as the successor to Peter. It is sad how those who thought they were solving a problem and preserving something, by using man’s ways rather than God’s ways, opened the door for a great tragedy.
This is a great lesson. Whenever we are faced with problems or situations we are not sure how to handle, there is always a tendency within ourselves toward man’s ingenuity and expediency.
I am thankful for even little things, like the meals Kenny shared about. It was not simply, “Okay, we will do this.” There was a process over a couple of months, with different brothers’ meetings, of coming to oneness.
As it says in Acts concerning the council at Jerusalem, “It seemed good to us and to the Holy Spirit.” That is the process. It is not simply what man wants to do; we have to find the process of letting the Lord lead through.
We also see how the Lord’s Supper deteriorated. In the early church, it was like we have it: a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Early documents speak of a single cup and loaf shared by believers who were born again, as a testimony and remembrance of the Lord.
Then it started to take on a different character. It became not merely a sacrifice of praise but something presented as a sacrificial act.
Around 250, Cyprian began using the term priest. The bishop or elder was then called the priest, the place of celebration was called the altar, and the observance was called a sacrifice.
They were praying prayers concerning Christ being sacrificed up, and in effect they were redoing or reliving the sacrifice that the Lord accomplished once and for all. We see how this has permeated the Roman church to this day.
These were faithful people. Many stood faithful to the end and were martyred for their beliefs. They held to absolute truth in some doctrines, but in practices within the assemblies they leaned on their own understanding and fell back into old ways.
There were faithful ones who stood in the midst of all this. We start getting into all these funny names. The Montanists never called themselves by that name; throughout church history, these groups were generally labeled by others. They simply called themselves Christians.
The Montanists were mainly in Turkey and North Africa. They saw the decline and formality within the Roman church and called for a return to the biblical way.
These people were very charismatic in nature, sometimes to an extreme. Some historians look down upon them because they occasionally got too carried away. Most charismatics will get a little too carried away, but most fundamentalists will get a little too fundamental at times. There has to be a balance of life. The issue is His life.
They expected the Lord’s return and lived waiting for Him to come back. They rejected the growing power of bishops and rejected unbelievers in church membership.
At first, they remained within the Roman church and tried to reform it from within. Eventually they were thrown out, but they remained there for perhaps a couple hundred years.
Tertullian was one of the key brothers associated with them. Some say he was probably the most spiritual brother among the so-called church fathers. He saw many things with great insight.
He wrote, “Where but three are, and there the laity also, yet there is the church.” Even then, clergy-laity language was beginning to develop. But he was saying that if there are three ordinary believers gathered together, there is the church.
He was speaking against those who said that unless you came to a particular building or place and did certain things, you were not in the church. Some have taken his words out of context and said, “Wherever a couple believers are, there is a church. You meet at Starbucks, have coffee together, and there is the church.”
In one sense, that is true: you are part of the universal church, and you are all believers. But when we speak of the testimony of Jesus, the way that testimony is expressed is through the local assembly.
A local assembly is brothers and sisters gathered together. Even if there are only three gathered together to testify of Who He is, committed to Him and committed to one another, standing for His heart and purpose in these days, that is an expression of His life. That is what satisfies Him.
We are thankful for the universal church. Whoever is born again is part of that church, and we are one with all believers. But God has also chosen to work through the local assembly—the local testimony—where He builds us together and rubs us together.
There we learn to forgive one another, put up with one another, and even allow people from Bowling Green to meet with us. The Lord uses all of this to strengthen us.
There was another dear group called the Novatians. They were prominent from the third through the sixth century, mainly throughout Italy, and they came out of the Roman church.
Because the Roman church was emphasizing works, performance, and formality, the Novatians emphasized inner character. It is not simply a matter of going through rituals; the character of Christ must be within you.
You need the life of Christ within you—not merely outward ceremonies, going to meetings, or doing this or that. You need that life and character to be formed within you. This was greatly lacking in much of the Roman church at that time.
They also held a strict view concerning those who had lapsed during persecution.
Persecutions were severe at times. Some believers, under intense persecution, would deny the Lord. Later, when things became easier, they would genuinely repent and come back. That was not necessarily the issue.
The issue was that some fringe believers would step back immediately when persecution came and worship Caesar. Then, when the persecution lifted, they would return to meet with believers. When another persecution came, they would step back again.
There was no genuine repentance, but some churches had no discernment and simply welcomed them back. This is always a difficult matter, and we cannot be dogmatic about every situation.
Throughout history, people have denied the Lord, lapsed, and then come back. Probably everyone in this room has been in some place after becoming a Christian where we wished we had never gone. But praise God for the blood of the Lamb: we repented, came back, and were made right with Him.
The Novatians wanted to take a stand that you could not simply be a convenient Christian. They wanted to stand for the testimony and purity of the church. At times they carried it too far; at times it was a proper thing to do.
As we look back, we must be very careful about judging people in the days and times in which they lived. In general, these believers were faithful to the testimony of the Lord and wanted to stand for it when they saw so much other stuff going on.
Then came what we call the big change: Constantine enters the picture.
At that point, the Roman Empire had what was called a tetrarchy. There were two main rulers, one over the East and one over the West, with successors beneath them. These four men were rulers.
Constantine and Maxentius were fighting over who would become the main ruler of the Western Empire. In 312, they fought the Battle of Milvian Bridge, a battle between two rivals for control of the Western Roman Empire.
Maxentius had superior forces and the mightier army. Constantine’s army was much smaller.
As the story goes—again, there are varying reports—the night before the battle Constantine said he had a vision. He saw an inscription of the cross with the words, “By this sign, conquer.”
He used that as motivation for his men. He said, “By this sign, conquer,” and they went forth and won the battle. Constantine became emperor of the Western Empire.
About twelve years later, he conquered Licinius, who ruled the eastern part of the empire, and Constantine united the Roman Empire.
There is a great question as to whether Constantine was truly converted, because you never see a great change in his life. Or was he simply using religion to motivate his men? We see politicians doing that today, using religion to motivate different voting groups.
However, we see the damage Constantine did to the testimony of the Lord. After gaining power, he issued the Edict of Milan and proclaimed freedom of religion for everyone.
He restored church buildings and property, and even sent government money to cities to pay the clergy. Then you know whom the clergy had to obey.
The clergy were exempted from local laws, and the government had control over them. Soldiers received clothes and money for converting. Poor soldiers were told, “You can stay poor, but if you convert to Christianity, we will give you new clothes and a nice bonus.” How many people would not convert under those circumstances?
The impact of Constantine was the creation of an unholy alliance. Christianity became a state religion, and there was an alliance between the state and the church.
The emperor became head of the visible church while at the same time serving as high priest of an idolatrous pagan religion. He said he was head of the church, and he began making decisions about heresies and doctrine—though he did not have a clue what he was talking about.
The church, in this sense, became open to all. Christianity was popular and accepted, and many unbelievers came into the church.
What the enemy could not do through persecution, he did by corruption within and through this unholy alliance.
Up to this point, we could use terms such as the testimony of Jesus, Christianity, and the church somewhat synonymously. But after this, a great divide occurred. We will see that next time.
By the end of the fourth century, Christianity had spread mainly around the Mediterranean areas, through Turkey and North Africa, and a little into France.
During these times of persecution, we are thankful that there were people who stood for the truth. They loved not their lives unto death. It is good for us to pray, as we have been, that we would be prepared for whatever persecution may be ahead and that we could be strong in Him.
We need to maintain a fresh, personal relationship with Him and not fall into the traditions of men or what is expedient. Sometimes good intentions can lead to disastrous results.
What does the saying say? “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” A lot of these men had really good intentions. They thought they were preserving and saving the testimony, but it ended up being a disaster—perhaps not in their lifetime, but centuries later.
Something may look as though it works well when we make an adjustment or correction today, but in the long term it may not. We need to maintain that fresh relationship with Him.
We must also not become reliant upon one man. In those places where bishops were appointed, one person was regarded as the spiritual one. But as I look around this room, I see a room full of spiritual people.
Everyone has the Lord revealed in them. Everyone has the Spirit in them. We all display Christ in different ways, and everybody has a measure of Christ. We can receive from and hear one another.
This is one of our greatest protections and one of our greatest assets in the days in which we are living, and in what we may face in the future: listening, caring, and loving one another.
The more we can listen to the young and old, men and women, and different people—listening, caring, and maintaining an atmosphere in which we can share with one another and take matters back to the Lord to find His way through—this is a tremendous way of being kept by Him.
It keeps us from falling into some of the traps that those before us fell into. We are thankful for the faithful ones who have gone before us. We want to be those who are faithful and serve the purpose of God in our generation.
We can stop here today.
Lord, we are thankful—thankful for You and thankful for Your life. Lord, we are thankful for these people who went before us.
We do not want to fall into the trap of saying, “I do not see how they could do that. I would never do that.” Lord, we do not know ourselves.
But we know You, and we want to become more and more dependent upon You for the days and times in which we are living. You alone have the words of eternal life, and we want to walk in that way, Lord.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.