St Luke's Church Eccleshill - Articles from "The Link"

Faithful Remnant

We would all like our church to be perfect, and move from strength to strength. We’d like our church to be a shining example to the world of how Jesus Christ transforms the lives of his followers. Wouldn’t we? Well, I would anyway!

However, the bible doesn’t allow us to paint such a rosy picture of ourselves, and perhaps we need to hold onto that fact when we go through the more difficult periods of church life.

In the Old Testament, Elijah the prophet is sent to challenge Ahab the king of Israel (1 Kings 18). Ahab doesn’t believe in God and his wife Jezebel is teaching the people to worship Baal, a different god. So Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to a contest which will prove which god is the real one. The contest proves that God is the real god, and the people are all convinced. An amazing victory. Surely Elijah would be on cloud nine?

But in the next chapter we find Elijah in the depth of depression about the nation. “The Israelites have rejected your covenant, thrown down your altars, killed your prophets, and I alone am left, and they are trying to kill me too” he prays (1 Kings 19:10). The people haven’t taken long to go off the boil.

And it’s the same in the New Testament. Paul warns the church in Ephesus that after he has gone the church will be infiltrated by people who will teach falsehoods and split the believers (Acts 20:29). Similarly, John warns the churches in Turkey that Jesus might come and remove his light from them (Revelation 2 & 3, especially 2:5).

And so it has been throughout history. The church in Jerusalem, where the disciples started, eventually became a tiny sect called the Ebionites which died out in the second century. North Africa, which was a growth-point for the early church, eventually became Muslim instead. In our day many churches have closed and become carpet warehouses instead.

At such times, I find the words of verse 3 of the hymn “The Church’s one foundation” very helpful:

Though with a scornful wonder
men see her sore oppressed,
by schisms rent asunder,
by heresies distressed,
yet saints their watch are keeping,
their cry goes up: ‘How long?’
and soon the night of weeping
shall be the morn of song.

The verse doesn’t promise that our church will emerge unscathed from troubles and continue just as it was before. But it does promise that God will bring new light out of darkness, and he will carry on his work. We need to hold onto this promise.

John Hartley

	*St Luke's Church, Eccleshill - The Link* magazine** The Link is published monthly at 40p (Senior Citizens 35p), and we deliver free within the parish and post copies (at the reader's expense) to those who request it. Please contact us if you would like a free copy for a trial period. October 2002, Page 1.
Home Page. Index of articles. Vicar's Letters: index, Cell Love, Cell Values, Cell Friends, Grilled Preacher, Faithful remnant, New Archbishop. In this issue: (October 2002) Vicar's Letter, Roof Money, Window, Question, Schooling, Deanery.	Faithful Remnant We would all like our church to be perfect, and move from strength to strength. We’d like our church to be a shining example to the world of how Jesus Christ transforms the lives of his followers. Wouldn’t we? Well, I would anyway! However, the bible doesn’t allow us to paint such a rosy picture of ourselves, and perhaps we need to hold onto that fact when we go through the more difficult periods of church life. In the Old Testament, Elijah the prophet is sent to challenge Ahab the king of Israel (1 Kings 18). Ahab doesn’t believe in God and his wife Jezebel is teaching the people to worship Baal, a different god. So Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to a contest which will prove which god is the real one. The contest proves that God is the real god, and the people are all convinced. An amazing victory. Surely Elijah would be on cloud nine? But in the next chapter we find Elijah in the depth of depression about the nation. “The Israelites have rejected your covenant, thrown down your altars, killed your prophets, and I alone am left, and they are trying to kill me too” he prays (1 Kings 19:10). The people haven’t taken long to go off the boil. And it’s the same in the New Testament. Paul warns the church in Ephesus that after he has gone the church will be infiltrated by people who will teach falsehoods and split the believers (Acts 20:29). Similarly, John warns the churches in Turkey that Jesus might come and remove his light from them (Revelation 2 & 3, especially 2:5). And so it has been throughout history. The church in Jerusalem, where the disciples started, eventually became a tiny sect called the Ebionites which died out in the second century. North Africa, which was a growth-point for the early church, eventually became Muslim instead. In our day many churches have closed and become carpet warehouses instead. At such times, I find the words of verse 3 of the hymn “The Church’s one foundation” very helpful: Though with a scornful wonder men see her sore oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed, yet saints their watch are keeping, their cry goes up: ‘How long?’ and soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song. The verse doesn’t promise that our church will emerge unscathed from troubles and continue just as it was before. But it does promise that God will bring new light out of darkness, and he will carry on his work. We need to hold onto this promise. John Hartley
Top of page.	This web page was last updated on 8th October.