Overcomers

1 John 5:3-5 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
 
DO you know that Jesus’ true church is the world’s most powerful organization? Yes, it can – and often does - appear weak and fragmented, declining with division and rivalries. But that’s not the true church. That’s the church that follows the world. We want to consider the church that follows God.
   When people obey God’s commands, God’s church is established, built, fortified and multiplied. Look to the early church as evidence. If ever an organization was doomed to fail by the world’s standards, it was the first-century church. Led by generally uneducated amateurs who worshiped a crucified man, the church had no worldly reason to become a nation of influence and power. But from the first 12 apostles, the church has become a nation that circles the globe with about 2.4 billion citizens.  
   How did this happen? People from generation to generation have obeyed God’s commands. His commands are not burdensome, but they are commands of life. God did not command Israel to die. He commanded his people to live into his power. The 12 tribes that entered into Israel had to overcome settled and fortified cities. They had to overcome their own doubts and fears. But when they obeyed God’s commands, Israel overcame the obstacles. When they rejected God’s commands, they died in the desert.
   The same is true for the church. Jesus command to “Go and make disciples.” (Matthew 28:19a) is a command to overcome the enemy, to defeat Satan’s well-fortified nations. The apostles would not overcome on their own. They were too weak and insignificant. But then they had faith in God. And they had God’s power as the Spirit anointed them to their work. Their God-empowered faith propelled them to victory. Yes, most died in martyrdom, but even that is the result of obeying God’s commands. Their faithfulness to the death was a victory banner to raise to the next generation.
           Many forces have attempted to strike down the church. But it prevails and will prevail. God’s commandments are easy and life-giving. When you believe Jesus Christ is Lord, you belong to the nation that will declare the final victory at the end of time.