{"id":6811,"date":"2011-07-13T13:00:58","date_gmt":"2011-07-13T17:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mintools.com\/blog\/?p=6811"},"modified":"2026-07-27T15:58:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T19:58:28","slug":"difficult-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mintools.com\/blog\/difficult-times.htm","title":{"rendered":"Difficult Times for the Church"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"DifficultThe church finds itself in some difficult times . . .<\/p>\n

doctrinally<\/a><\/span>
\nmorally<\/a><\/span>
\nsocietally<\/a><\/span>
\nfinancially<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

What Will We Do as a Church in Difficult Times?<\/h2>\n

We stand at a crossroad.\u00a0 Will we despair and compromise or will we persevere and stay true?<\/p>\n

Rather than despair<\/em>, let\u2019s look at these difficult times as an opportunity to remind ourselves that effectiveness in ministry does not depend on worldly wisdom or human resources.<\/p>\n

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (Jn. 15:5)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Pet. 1:3)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Rather than compromise<\/em>, let’s look at these difficult times as an opportunity to examine ourselves.\u00a0 Are we living for self and more concerned about what society thinks or are we living for God and more concerned about His glory?<\/p>\n

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. (Matt. 6:24)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.\u00a0 (2 Cor. 11:3)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Church Leaders:<\/strong>\u00a0 You are responsible for shepherding the flock<\/a> (1 Pet. 5:2-3).<\/span>\u00a0 Review a shepherd’s ministry description<\/a>.\u00a0 God expects you to not only feed the flock but also to protect and guide them.<\/p>\n

All Church Members:<\/strong> You can be doing all the right things but still be missing it if “you have forsaken your first love.\u00a0 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” (Rev. 2:3-5)<\/span><\/p>\n

The next four posts will take a brief look at each of the above listed difficulties in which we find ourselves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The church finds itself in some difficult times . . . doctrinally, morally, socially, financially. We stand at a crossroad. Will we despair and compromise or will we persevere and stay true? . . . Continue reading Difficult Times for the Church<\/span>→<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-issues"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\t