6/3/13- The Destruction of the Church

3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. (Acts 8:3) 

15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[c] will not overcome it. (Matthew 16:15-18)

Thoughts: Many people have talked about how to destroy the Church.  Pilate set the pace for the persecution of the Church by condemning Jesus to crucifixion at the behest of others.  Nero in 65 AD had Paul and Peter killed.  Diocletian (early 4th century) tried to kill all the clergy, burn the church buildings, and burn the Bibles in order to exterminate Christians.  But the next emperor, Constantine, legalized Christianity- in part because they knew it was too big to stomp out.  Voltaire (d. 1778) tried to eliminate Christianity in France by trying to eliminate the Sabbath and writing scathing critiques.  He said the Bible would be dead in 100 years.  For over 100 years the French Bible Society met in his former home.  The Soviet Union, Republic of China and Cuba tried to eliminate Christianity by eliminating the Sabbath and substituting work, atheism, and elevating the state.  Muslims have forced many Christians to leave their lands.  But Christianity is the only religion with adherents in every country in the world,  and is still numerically and conversion-wise the fastest growing religion/philosophy in the world. 
     This is because the church is not just a poorly run- institution.  The Church does not consist solely of the visible Church but also the invisible.  The Church is more than a building, a denomination, or a set of dogmas.  The Church- in a sense- is not even just the people who make up the Church.  The Church is formed by faith- which is a gift of the Spirit.  So the declaration "You are the Christ" is the key to forming the Church. When people can find a way to kill off the Holy Spirit, then they will have found a way to kill off the Church.  

Prayer: Lord, preserve your truth, preserve your Church.