Page 29 - THE CHURCH BEFORE THE MOCKING WORLD

CHAPTER NINE
And The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail
When Our Lord Jesus Christ burst forth from the tomb, He did so as a Victorious One who was now bringing into being something that was greater and more powerful than all the empires of history; the Church Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Kingdom that is the outcome of the Church?s engagement with the world.
Sadly, in modern days rather than a ?theology of hope?based upon this victory we have been focused upon a ?theology of hysteria?. In some ways it is a reflection of the broader social ethos. Every facet of life is analysed through the idea that ?modern Western civilisation?, as an entity, is the last membrane between survival and oncoming disaster.
We see the headlines. The Church is being destroyed everywhere. Even Church leaders use words like extinction to describe the apocalyptic destiny of the Church.
Let it be said very loudly, nothing is further from the truth.
Here are a few thoughts to Re-engineer the panic.
The Churchisthe Body of Christ. We have to say that a little louder and more slowly. The Churchisthe Body of Christ and the Body of Christ is under His own sovereign authority.
The Body of Christ is made up of those He knows and who know Him. The Body of Christ is not protected by mortal institutions nor by responding to hysterical fear. The Body of Christ is the created, protected, and loved entity that is in the hand of the One who has ALL authority in Heaven and on Earth.
The Church is being built by Christ and nothing, nothing, nothing can prevail against it. The Gates of Hell, which is simply a metaphor for the full force of evil in the universe, cannot prevail against the Church because the ChurchisThe Body of Christ.
This does not mean that "local Churches", vis-a-vis Ephesus or Sardis, may not have their candlesticks removed from their piece of geography, but it does mean that the Body of Christ isspotlessand withoutblemishand will not, and cannot, be removed.
It also does not mean that the "Institutional-User-Interface" of the Church is not going through a major reshape in preparation for what comes next on the earth.
The reality is, that the visual representation of the Church as an institution is going through a massive paradigm shift. Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox are, as categories, becoming extinct. Emerging in all the historic traditions is something very new which is focused on devotion to Jesus Christ, rekindling of Tradition, love for the Scriptures, love for all those who love the Name of Christ, and a desire to serve the poor and the oppressed. This should not make us panic but rather rejoice.