Two thousand years have come and gone since the apostle Peter confessed Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Immediately on the heels of that confession Jesus Himself said, “I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:15-18 King James Version). Not that the gates of hell haven’t tried. The devil and the human agents and methods he uses to prevail against the church of Christ are relentless. From practically the birth of the church in Acts chapter 2 until this very day, the church we read about in the Bible has been scrutinized, analyzed, criticized, and at times pulverized, ostracized, and marginalized. She has been called obsolete, irrelevant, out of touch, and behind the times. Oh yeah – the devil has seen to it that foes and critics from outside and inside the church throw enough dirt on her to bury her once and for all. I am reminded of a story told by John McKay, famed coach of the USC Trojans in his book A Coach’s Story. The story illustrated the supreme confidence of the dead but legendary University of Alabama football coach, Bear Bryant. McKay wrote: “We were out shooting ducks, and finally after three hours, here comes one lonely duck. The Bear fires. And that duck is still flying today. But Bear watched the duck flap away, looked at me and said, ‘John, you are witnessing a great miracle. There flies a dead duck!’ ”
Some say the church is dead, but she is still flying! And that in spite of the ceaseless efforts of many to shoot her down. She takes shots for reaching Christ as a crucified, buried and raised Lord. And for teaching the Bible message of baptism for the forgiveness of sins. She takes shots for the the simple way she worships in spirit and in truth, including singing songs unaccompanied and unencumbered with instrumental music. Others shoot at her Scripture-grounded message that the church is in nature the singular and undenominational body of Jesus Christ over which He reigns as the solitary and undisputed and irreplaceable head. These and other distinctive apostolic doctrines are continuously challenged, criticized, and even ridiculed. Mind you now, if you study church history, or simply observe any local congregation, you see that the church does in fact at times wobble as she flies! Her history has not been one of perfect, steady, flawless flight. If honest, we have to admit her flight is a constant struggle to stay with the Divine plan laid out for her in the Bible (read Revelation chapters 2 and 3 for a microcosm of the church’s ongoing struggles in each generation). All that being true, that is a far cry from saying we have the right to rebuild the church to our own specs and put her on our own humanly-devised flight-plan (2 Timothy 1:13)! The church does not have to try to “be relevant.” As long as she faithfully serves as the body of Christ on earth – seeking out and sharing the gospel with lost people and demonstrating Christ-like love and compassion to relieve the needs of hurting people – the church IS relevant! So go ahead –take your best shot at the church. She’s been shot at before, and she will be shot at again. But if we faithfully do our part and hold to the Lord’s way, we have His word she is here to stay. Let each of us do our best to build and lift up the Lord’s church and help her fly, not shoot her down. Think about it.
Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN
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