The Church Triumphant

When Jesus established His worldwide church,
He said that hell would never it defeat;
It has survived years of Satan's besmirch,
Smitten and battered, yet with grace replete!
Sail on! Dear ship of love, through flood and drought;
Schism, and Spirit-quenching chill within;
Take heart! Through constant attacks from without,
Or betrayal by her own apostate men!
Nothing will stop the church from sailing on
To join the Savior in the eastern sky,
Bringing Him the millions that are His own,
His bride-to-be, to reign with Him on high!
Overwhelmed and outnumbered though she be,
The church will prevail triumphant and free!

"I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it." (Matthew 16:18)

Jesus announced to His disciples that the "church", a new kind of institution, was to be established by them on earth to organize and proliferate believers by preaching His teachings. When you see a local church, whether Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist or Lutheran, remember that it is God's way of winning people to Himself and foiling the devil in his opposition to Christ. Also, remember that a single local church is but an "outpost" or a branch of the worldwide church instituted by Jesus. The amazing thing is that they have spread from a ragtag group in little Israel in 2000 years to cover the entire world; despite fierce opposition from Satan and his demons, it has grown in numbers and strength.

Because there are numerous and serious differences in interpretation of the Bible among theologians, different "denominations" have developed, which is undoubtedly confusing to the uninitiated, with some candidates for belief in Jesus forever lost because of it. For convenience, society has lumped Christian churches into two categories---Catholic and Protestant. Please understand this: Despite conflicting claims, the particular brand of church you participate in makes no difference to your salvation, the most important reason to belong; if you believe in Jesus as divine and living because He was resurrected, YOU WILL BE SAVED in any church, or out of church. The reason you participate in a church is not to be saved, but to carry out Jesus' command to seek and save those that are lost. You can multiply your own efforts by joining with others; this is an example of the sum being greater than all its parts together.

Warning: There are organizations masquerading as churches which are so influenced by Satan's lies and perversions of truth that those attracted are led down wrong paths; celebrity gurus, for example, promote a delusion such as that "All religions lead to heaven"; "God dwells inside each of us; find His will for you by meditation; follow it, and you can't go wrong". etc. Remember this; if salvation is presented to you in a prescription that omits belief in Jesus in whatever words, it is a deception of the devil!

Now, a word about the future. The Bible tells us that as we approach the "last days", meaning the time that Jesus Christ will return, the church will decline. Whole congregations will turn en masse to a different belief; individual Christians will drop out in large numbers. If this happens during your lifetime, do not panic and join the exodus. Stand firm in your faith, that Jesus is God, the true Savior of the world. Even if your whole church abandons God, you must stand alone and worship according to your 'first love'.