What Happens When The Church Is Under Pressure?
1. And Saul was consenting unto his (Stephen’s) death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the Church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
4. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the Word.
Acts 8:1, 4
The Pressure is On
How do you respond to pressure? Do you try to avoid it at all costs or do you try to shield and protect yourself from the pressures of life? All of us have learned that life will present pressures regardless of economic status, age, geographic boundaries, or social environment. Pressure happens, and when it happens it causes some reaction for anything that is within its reach.
The impact of the coronavirus has placed our nation under pressure to define who we are and our relationship and resolve as a nation. Will we become united or divided? Will we become self-focused for the sake of survival or will we become heroic and self-sacrificing for the good of others and those that need our help? The pressure is on. These times will either prove us to be cowards in the face of pressure or conquerors seeking to make life better for all. More than that, will this nation prove to be a leader in the fight for the survival of humanity or will we only be concerned with our own needs and aspirations. History will prove what we have done and how we have performed under pressure.
Our Cross Road Church is under pressure. None of know how long this will last. All of us are concerned as to whether our flock will scatter. How will the Church respond under pressure? Thank God Almighty that there is guidance from His Holy Word. First and foremost, this is not the first time that the Church has dealt with the pressure of threats. Secondly, the pressure always reveals and presents a new power and potential for believers to show themselves strong in the Lord and in the power of His Might. Lastly, the pressure always brings the body of believers to a new level of faith and dependence on God. How we perform under pressure is not just our testimony it is God’s Testimony of faithfulness on behalf of His People.
Our Scripture verse describes a time in the early Church where they faced tremendous pressure from “religious persecution.” Jerusalem was the birthplace of the Church and they had grown to record numbers through the preaching of God’s Word and the miraculous Power of God’s Holy Spirit. But there was one problem: they were comfortable staying in Jerusalem. They had gotten their schedule of meetings, their routines, and their Church practices organized; and then came the persecution after the death of Stephen. And at that time there was a great persecution against the Church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. The Church was now under tremendous pressure.
Power to Perform Under Pressure
This pressure of persecution was at first considered a tragedy that turned out to be an opportunity. It was an opportunity for the Church to mobilize and to fulfill its original purpose. The Disciples wanted to stay at Jerusalem when Jesus said that they would start at Jerusalem. The pressure drove them to the next step. The pressure sent them swarming out of Jerusalem. The Bible states, they all were scattered. Now this posed some threats that they would lose their identity. This posed some threat of losing their motivation to continue God’s work. This posed the threat that they would give up and shut down. But if God is working in the time of pressure, He always takes what looks bad and uses it for His Glory.
God took the slave boy Joseph and put him under pressure in Egypt. That pressure didn’t destroy Joseph even though he cried when the pressure was on. That pressure turned him into the ruler of Egypt.
God allowed the pressure to be applied when little David faced the giant Goliath in the valley of Elah. The pressure was on, but God used the pressure to show that God’s anointing is always greater than the enemy threat. Giants do fall under pressure.
Even Jesus was under pressure when He was tempted by the Devil in the wilderness. But at the end of the pressure, Jesus emerged from the temptation with victory over the Devil. He chased the enemy away with the Word of God. The Word will prevail even when the pressure is on. Could God have kept Jesus from being tempted? Of course. But that was not the original intent of going into the wilderness. It is stated clearly that He was led by the Spirit … into the wilderness … to be tempted by the Devil. Matthew 4:1. The pressure is applied in order that the Power of God will be revealed.
Metallurgist (scientist and technologist) that produce metal know that the only way to make steel is to put it under pressure. For instance, to make steel requires a combination of iron ore, coal, and limestone. Each element is first crushed, then thrown into an oven for long periods of time at thousands of degrees until it is thoroughly melted. Then it is poured out but before it can cool down it is poured into another oven where it is heated even hotter to burn off the dross. The final product is forged steel.
Some of you feel as if you have been poured from one bad situation into another in this oven that we call life. The pain is real. The struggle is real. The disappointment is real. But also, God is real. Through this process, God Almighty is refining you into something stronger; something more durable; something that will stand the test of use.
The Lord Jesus Christ had said to the Church that they would be His witnesses, starting in Jerusalem, but then going into all Judea, and into Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. A decade had past and the Church was making themselves comfortable in Jerusalem. Then the Forger of Souls sent persecution, the oven that makes for great saints, to stir up the Church and send them onward to their mission. The mission was no longer Jerusalem, it was all Judea, then Samaria, and ultimately to every corner of the Earth.
May I say to you that this corona-virus gives us an opportunity to evangelize every corner of the earth. If the virus can go there, why can’t the Saints of the Living God? The virus has come to take life, but we have come to give life. The virus has come to spread fear, but we have come to spread joy and the Gospel of Christ. The virus has come to make men weak as water, but we have the Word that will make them strong in the Lord. The virus is no match for us, because greater is He who is in us than he that is in the world. The good news is that we can reach people right from our homes through electronic means. The pressure is on, the oven of opportunity is hot; what will the Church do under pressure?
Will the testimony of our time report that the Church stayed in their place and failed to strengthen that which remained and was ready to die? Will we become so lukewarm in attitude and spirit that we allow the season to pass without exerting any energy? Or will the Church emerge triumphant in the Power of Christ though we be scattered. There were keys dropped in these verses that we can now pick up and use to open doors of opportunity to be witnesses for Christ.
To be able to perform under pressure, the Church of the Living God must first, stay together as community. We are a community of believers. If you were one of those “church hoppers” who will use this as a chance to leave your Church, you may want to think twice about your motives. No Church is going to be perfect. There will be problems with any Church you become affiliated. Get over it and get with God’s program.
This is what the Church of Jerusalem did. And at that time there was a great persecution against the Church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. They were “all scattered” to remain together as a community. They did not part ways, they remained as a fellowship of believers. Remain as a community under pressure.
The second thing they did was to remain committed. Their commitment was first to God and His Word. These scattered believers continued to meet, they continued to pray, they continued to follow the Teachings of Jesus. They were committed. What I have learned is that a person who is not committed to God, they will not be committed to anything. If they can walk away from God, they will eventually walk away from you. Remain committed under pressure. The iron, the limestone, and the coal, once they get hot, they cannot be separated.
Third, the scattered Church became courageous. While the Deacon Stephen was killed for preaching the Word, they did not allow his martyrdom to instill fear but rather they saw his faith. Instead of burying their heads in the sands of despair, they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word. They were courageous because they were on a mission for God. You and I are on a mission in these days of Corona outbreak. Our mission is to bring the good news that Jesus still saves and heals.
Lastly, the Church of the Living God is very, very contagious. The believers who were driven out of Jerusalem by the persecution became contagious. They spread it everywhere because it needed to be told. When they saw people trying to fix their problems by praying to gods that could not speak back, they told them about God who heard and answered prayer. When they encountered people with sickness, they told them about Jesus Christ the Great Physician. When they came across the broken hearted, they told them about the One who could lift heavy burdens. They were contagious with the Gospel. When they told it, somebody got it. When somebody got it, they told someone else and they got it.
First it left Jerusalem and landed in Judea, then the Judean sent it to Samaria. When Samaria got it, they sent it down to Ethiopia by way of Phillip, by way of the Treasurer. The Treasurer got it and he told it to the Queen of Ethiopia. When Ethiopia got it, they sent it over to Egypt. When Egypt got it, Paul was already spreading it in Europe. Then they got it and sent it over to America. When America got it – it landed in Jamestown. Jamestown spread it over the mountains and hills into a little place called Evington. Now that Evington has it, it hit a little Church called Cross Road. Now Cross Road, what are you going to do in this time of pressure? Now is your time to heat up. Now is your time to get up. Now is your time to speak up. Now is your time to give up. Lets spread this thing. If corona can do it – so can we. If corona can get into places with ease – why can’t we. One thing corona does not have. It does not have the Power of the Holy Spirit.
It is time for the Church to be a real super-hero. The Church has become the super hero that likes to stay indoors or in the phone booth. The Church has gotten into the habit of not going anywhere and not wanting to do anything. But now this virus has come to push us and heat us up. This is a persecution to move us into our position. This persecution has not come to destroy us but to stir up the Gift of God in us.
Now is the time. Now is the opportunity to show the world that we are a community of believers. Now we must demonstrate our commitment to each other and to our God that we serve. Now is the time that we must show we are courageous in Christ and bold as lions. Now is the time that we spread this Word of God because we are contagious with the Gospel of Christ. You ask, how long? Until God says enough. Until the demons of hell are defeated out of the lives of people. Until we have done all that God has assigned for us to do. Keep on keeping on – until God says “well done good and faithful servant.” That is what we do when we are under pressure.