As a 2000-year-old institution, the Church is far from ready to be mothballed. On the contrary, she is alive and well and expanding. In the intervening years, there have been periods of great growth followed by lackluster times. There have been times when the teachings of Jesus held center place, and times where he was relegated to a mere mention in history books. There have been further times of searching for holiness in the pages of Scripture and others when mission drift threatened to derail her altogether. She has weathered centuries of widespread goodwill and more centuries of opposition, some virulent. Regardless of era or popularity, the Church has been persevering and thriving, if, at times, underground!
The birth of the Church was explosive with Holy Spirit power. Ordinary men and women were glowing with a brilliance that drew people to the beauty and promise of the Gospel message. Those first ‘honeymoon’ days were filled with glory and amazement with many signs and wonders performed. Within just days of startup, thousands were welcomed into the fellowship.
It was the searing honesty of the message of Stephen that led to his martyrdom and was the launching of a hate-filled mandate to destroy all those adhering to the message of Jesus. This simultaneously caused the dispersion of believers, and the spreading of the beautiful message of Jesus to new places, new peoples. It seemed the more vicious the fight against the Church, the greater the multiplication, the wider the ‘fishing net’ was cast.
The 21st Century Church in the Western World faces opposition, too, but perhaps an opposition more subtle than that of the first Century. Our brains today are literally bombarded with information distractions. Never in history have people had more information so urgently, so unavoidably, so unceasingly, even annoyingly, thrust at them. Voices are loud, strident, demanding a response, demanding we join a cause, have an opinion, be angry. Beyond this storm, there is the allure of modern convenience, the insistence on climbing that proverbial ladder, the personal need for luxurious ‘me’ time. This storm, too, makes heavy demands on brain power. We’ve created a new acronym, FOMO, meaning ‘fear of missing out,’ generated by addictions to social media. Truly, finding time and/or space for enough quiet to listen to the voice of the Spirit feels out of reach for many, especially for young adults.
In the face of these challenges, what are we to do? How is the Church to survive? We have the Holy Spirit in residence to draw on and He’s so eager to show us next steps. He is not fatigued. He is not frustrated. He lovingly invites us beside still waters to refresh our souls. Yes, even today. Amid the above-mentioned distractions. He is more than enough. He fills up the joy tanks of our souls. And the Church can advance one more day. PD
Don graduated from Regent University in 1988 and moved to France for seven years, coming back to the US briefly to marry Sue in 1990. The work in France included working in a Christian School and helping plant a church before returning in 1995. He’s been pastor of Peninsula Vineyard since 1999. He enjoys counseling, especially married couples, traveling back to France (with Sue), reading, doing Sudoku puzzles and sleuthing out good, dark chocolate. Don serves as the senior pastor of the Vineyard Church Peninsula, in Newport News, Virginia.