The Gospel of Jesus Christ is Unstoppable

(Philippians 1:12-14)

There is talk in the world that the church is dead or dying. They say that church attendances in the western world are falling and that Christianity has become a thing of the past.

And yet at the same time we also see stories saying the exact opposite; that Christianity is the fastest growing religion in other parts of the world, especially in those places that have suffered under oppressive and repressive regimes.

What is the truth of these things? Is the church dead or alive, dying or growing? This scripture today gives us an insight.

The Unstoppable Word

If we look at the scriptures under review today we se that regardless of circumstances the word of God is unstoppable.

12 I want you to know, brethren, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ; 14 and most of the brethren have been made confident in the Lord because of my imprisonment, and are much more bold to speak the word of God without fear. (Philippians 1:12-14)

Paul had been imprisoned and dragged from Jerusalem to Rome under guard for the sake of the gospel.

The governing authorities of Paul’s day had attempted to shut him down from speaking the gospel of Jesus Christ. The religious authorities of Judaism were pleased to have Paul taken away to Rome just to get him out of their hair.

But they failed miserably.

As the scripture above tells us, even though Paul was imprisoned and under guard as he travelled to Rome, he continued to preach the word to the extent that many of the members of the Praetorian guards became Christians. Those who were charged with keeping Paul under chains became Christians and the word continued to spread.

Furthermore, we see that during his imprisonment and travels to Rome, Paul continued to preach the gospel to those he came into contact with and many were converted.

Even when the ship he was travelling on with his guards was shipwrecked, Paul preached to the people they came across on the island of Malta where they had been wrecked. Paul healed the sick on the island and the people showed Paul and those with him unusual kindness during their time there until another ship was found to continue on to Rome.

So what can we say about all of these things?

Just that the word of God is unstoppable. The power of the gospel to save and to bring people to Christ is unstoppable.

So why is the church dying?

That’s a very good question. The truth is that the church is NOT dying. There are parts of the western church that are certainly in decline, especially the very traditional Catholic and Protestant churches that are steeped in the traditions of men rather than the ways of the gospel.

Those churches that are in decline have drifted away from the path of the truth. They teach the precepts of men rather than the word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. They have allowed the truth of the gospel to be displaced by the lies of the devil over the centuries and as such have strayed from the straight and narrow path that leads to life.

There are so many things that have infiltrated these modern churches that are not of God it is no wonder that the churches are in decline. After all, is God going to bless a church that does not follow His ways? Of course not.

And even the modern evangelical and Pentecostal churches are struggling as they too drift from the gospel and the truth.

The modern churches accept idols into their churches. They twist scriptures on tithing to plunder their congregations. They hold to worship of saints. They preach from men’s books rather than the Bible. They promote financial wealth above spiritual wealth. They ignore or twist the purpose of water baptism, if they even preach it at all. They reject the receiving of the Holy Spirit and the gifts associated with it: prophecy and speaking in tongues. They promote so-called Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter, both of which are based on and filled with pagan icons and rituals and both of which have no biblical or scriptural basis at all.

With the western church filled with all of these false teachings and lies it is no surprise that the church is in decline for God will not bless a church built on falsehoods and lies. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

But in spite of these things, the gospel is still the most powerful word on earth and the gospel of Jesus Christ remains unstoppable. In spite of the failures in the modern church, we know that God has His people amongst these churches. We know this because the Bible tells us this is so.

Even the church depicted as Babylon in the end times described in Revelation will have some of God’s people in it for the word says:

4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; 5 for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. (Revelation 18:4-5)

Even this evil church depicted in these words that is so filled with sins and iniquities that the wrath of God will come upon her, there will be people of the Lord. This Babylon will suffer greatly for her foul ways, but there will be beacons of light amongst her people, and the Lord warns them to get out before the wrath of God comes upon the church and they get caught in His wrath.

Be Encouraged

So what should we take from all of this?

Just that the word of the Lord and the gospel of Jesus Christ are unstoppable and that His words will prevail over all other things. The church is not dying, that is, the TRUE church is not and will never die.

And we should note that just as the religious and governing authorities attempted to shut down Paul from preaching in his day, so too they are still trying to shut down Christianity today.

Recently, an article on the BBC stated that Christianity was the most persecuted religion in the world. It is being bombarded in the western world by opposition from governments to remove all things Christian from western society. And in eastern and middle eastern parts of the world Christians are being persecuted and harassed, even being executed for their profession of Christianity.

But all of this is not a reason for dismay. We are to be encouraged when we see these things for they were prophesied thousands of years ago and we have been told in the Bible that those who seek to follow Christ would be persecuted.

The church will not die because the gospel will continue to grow strong and will change those who come to Christ. And in these last days we are told that the truth of the gospel will be announced to the whole world before Christ returns and all those who receive the words of the truth will find Christ.

All of the attempts to stop the gospel will fail because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is unstoppable. The word of God is unstoppable and there is nothing that can overpower the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So as for all of the issues mentioned above in the churches today, there is still hope because the Lord has His people in amongst those churches. And He is working with those people as individuals in spite of the errors in the teaching of the modern church.

Jesus through the Holy Spirit is working with every person as an individual and He will take His people where they need to be at their stage in their walk with Him. As they learn and grow He will teach them what they need to learn next to continue a walk to maturity in Him.

The truth of this is that the people of the Lord are not being taught by man but are being taught by God, as the scripture tells us it must be. They have the words of the Lord imprinted on their hearts and minds through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.

So this is cause for joy and encouragement because if anyone, you and I included, want to find the fullness of the truth, He will lead us into His truth.

It is up to us all as individuals to seek the truth and the promise of the Lord is that if we seek, we will find.

So be encouraged because the church will never die because the gospel of Jesus Christ is unstoppable.

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