The Crucial Role of Patience

Next Part Birth of the Church and God’s Work

In Luke 21:19, in the context of events swirling around God’s people, Christ instructs, “In your patience possess you your souls [lives].” Christ knew that having and exercising tremendous patience, in the face of swirling, confusing events, is an inseparable companion to real believing faith.

In the middle of Revelation 13:1-18, which describes cataclysmic events happening in Europe and impacting the whole world, Rev 13:10 states, “Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” The rise of the false system described there certainly requires enormous patience and faith to endure, because of the almost non-stop persecution it has brought to God’s people.

Further, in Revelation 3:10, Christ commends His faithful people in the end time, those of the Philadelphian era, “Because you have kept the word of My patience, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” The New King James Version renders the italicized passage as “My command to persevere.” This helps to better convey Christ’s meaning. Scripture shows how patience, endurance and perseverance are vital in a Christian’s life, especially in the end time, when the severity of world conditions will be worse than ever before. Take time to look up the following scriptures, noticing that many are attached to having patience at the end of the age.

In Matthew 10:22, Christ states, “And you shall be hated of all men for My name’s sake: but he that endures to the end shall be saved.” Then notice Matthew 24:13, in the middle of the Olivet Prophecy. When describing all that will occur prior to His Return, He repeats, “But he that shall ENDURE UNTO THE END, the same shall be saved.”

If Christianity was compared to a track meet, it would be more like running a marathon than a sprint. It involves ENDURANCE, yet it also means running to win (I Cor. 9:24).

Next, read Acts 14:22. It recounts part of Paul’s ministry: “Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we [all Christians] must through much tribulation [trial] enter into the kingdom of God.”

Now notice Revelation 14:12: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

We have already seen that Daniel 12:12 states, “Blessed is he that waits…” Why would there be a defined waiting period—until the 1,335 days begin—if extraordinary patience—and patient endurance—was not necessary?

Galatians 5:22 includes longsuffering as one of the nine fruits of God’s Holy Spirit, to be evident in every Christian’s life. “Suffering long,” enduring through trials, requires a great degree ofPATIENCE to always remember that God has promised a way of escape for those praying and seeking His will, and watching world conditions.

A Life of Growing and Overcoming

Most people feel trapped, unable to overcome—to GROW in areas of weakness, fault and sin. Instead of overcoming their problems, most are overcome by their problems. This should not be—this need not be! You can overcome in your life.

Through the years, I have pastored thousands who have been called to God’s Way. All people struggle against the pulls of the flesh and the temptations of Satan and his world. Some overcome. Others do not. Christ said, “Enter you in at the strait [difficult] gate: for wide is the gate, and broad [easy] is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in there at: because strait [difficult] is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matt. 7:13-14). Most seek the easy, “broad” path in life.

Overcoming is hard—DIFFICULT!—and it is a continuous struggle. But it IS possible (Matt. 19:26). You can overcome (Phil. 4:13). If you are a Christian, you must!

Yet, this world is drifting along, completely unaware of God’s great purpose for man, which is to build holy, righteous character in this life. God is preparing a team of those who will qualify to be part of restoring His government to earth at Christ’s Return (Acts 3:19-21).

In Revelation, Christ stated, “And he that OVERCOMES, and keeps My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron…” (Rev 2:26-27). A chapter later, He adds, “To him that OVERCOMES will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne” (Rev 3:21).

These verses picture Christ re-establishing God’s government over all nations on earth. Christians will receive real power to RULE. But first, they must overcome SIN—defeating, with God’s help, their flesh, this world and the devil!

Overcoming is rarely easy, nor does it happen overnight. It is a lifelong battle against well-established attitudes and a former way of life that the Christian has now rejected and turned from. The one who is walking God’s path is striving to curb and withhold himself wherever God’s Word instructs him. He strives to exercise himself in matters where God says to do so. When God gives instruction to do something, the Christian strives to do it! When God instructs not to do something, he strives not to do it.

Christians are those who follow—who COPY—Christ (I Pet. 2:21). What then is the pattern Christ established for us to follow? Did He overcome?

In reference to His own struggle to remain free of sin and perfect in character, Christ said, “In the world you shall have tribulation [how true today!]: but be of good cheer; I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD” (John 16:33). Christ had overcome both the world and its god—Satan (II Cor. 4:4). Recall that He said, “even as I ALSO OVERCAME, and am set down with My Father in His throne.” Christ overcame and qualified to rule. Just as He qualified to replace Satan, so must we!

In addition, the Christian strives to fulfil the command to “grow in grace and knowledge” (II Pet. 3:18), also on a daily basis.

Such enormous power to rule—to guide and affect millions of lives during Christ’s millennial rule—could never be given to people who are unprepared—who have not QUALIFIED to properly use it. God will not hand this unprecedented authority to people who might rebel and revert to Satan’s ways. God’s servants must diligently use this life to build His very character, so necessary for those who will one day hold offices of great authority.

Zeal Lacking

The final era of Christ’s Church—Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22)—lacks sufficient ZEAL to receive God’s blessings and promise of protection. Christ describes those of this era as “lukewarm,” stating that because they are “neither cold nor hot, I [Christ] will spew you out of My mouth” (Rev. 3:16). Rev 3:17 continues with Christ describing a smugness that has taken hold within many of His people.

In the world at large, most people do not get excited about much of anything, preferring to “relax”—“be cool”—“take it easy”—not get “worked up.” But this is not a picture of the true Christian. He is one who is on fire—for all things of God! His whole heart, mind and being is committed to living God’s Way. He continually seeks to fully submit to God, yielding to God’s direction in all matters. He recognizes and practices Paul’s instruction, “I beseech you…brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies A LIVING SACRIFICE, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1).

Most in the world do not want to sacrifice for any but themselves, feeling this to be very unreasonable. They are committed to “getting while the getting is good”—unconsciously seeming to follow the unstated goal of “seeing who can die with the most toys.” The vast majority of people lead lives reflecting little more than seeing how much they can accumulate in this life.

But the Christian recognizes that his life belongs entirely to God. He is committed to using it for God’s purpose. He is interested in serving others—in GIVING rather than GETTING (Acts 20:25). His heart is in preaching the gospel to the world (Matt. 24:14) and God’s warning message (Ezek. 33:1-9) to the modern nations descended from ancient Israel. He wants to help fulfil Christ’s command, incumbent on His servants for 2,000 years: “Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them [into] the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20).