CHURCH:
INVINCIBILITY; TRIALS: STORMS; SECOND COMING: HOPE FOR

So it is today in the church of Jesus Christ. There are still disagreements among the people of God. There were in Paul’s day, and there are now. There are many imperfections among us. There are existing conditions that ought not to be there—but they are. On the sea that night long ago, the disciples were tired, weary, sleepy, homesick—sailing for Capernaum and home. Their situation was not ideal. They were still in human circumstances. But they were the apple of our Lord’s eye. He loved them, and He prayed for them.…

As the wind rose and the tempest in its fury tossed their ship, no doubt the disciples on the Sea of Galilee cried out, “Where are you, Lord?” And the church of Jesus Christ, caught in a moral tempest that threatens to tear it apart, makes the same plea. Thank God, we have Christ’s assurance that “the gates of Hades will not overcome” His church. Churches may die, but the church still lives. The church of Jesus Christ, composed of all the people of God, shall never perish!…

And just as He left the mountain at the proper time, miraculously walking on the water to join His struggling disciples, so He will return from heaven to gather us up and bring us home. He is not here yet, but He is coming! We do not know when He will come within hailing distance, but we know He will come at just the right time. His love and His keen interest in His people will not permit Him to remain away longer than necessary.

Matthew 16:18; John 6:16–21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18

Faith Beyond Reason, 158, 159.