The Victorious Church

The history of the Church since her beginnings in the time of the New Testament has been a history of advances, persecutions, difficulties and growth. During many centuries and in many ways, the Church has gone forth until today.  There have been empires which have disappeared with the passing of the centuries, but the Church continues.  There have been dominating ideologies in the world which have fallen, but the Church continues, because it is the Church of Jesus Christ and He sustains her.

Jesus said that the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church (St. Matthew 16:18) and that is how it has been.  The Church will continue forward until Jesus Christ Himself comes again and takes us with Him.

According to statistics, there are around 700 million born-again believers in the world.  Today there are millions of churches on all the planet, churches of every type and size but with a mark which distinguishes them: they have Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and the Bible as their rule of faith and conduct.  Of these millions of churches, there are more than 2,000 in Spain, 300 in Madrid, 350 in Barcelona and many others spread out over the breadth of our geography.

The Church exists to be a light and share the light of Jesus Christ.  In our time just as in the earliest times of Christianity, the Church has to continue carrying the message of reconciliation with God.  We don't talk about getting along well or not with God, as if it were a game without importance, we're talking about salvation or condemnation for all eternity.  Still today in the 21st century, mankind continues being sinful and separated from God: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), but still today God loves us and want to fill us with His love and pardon: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).  For this reason Jesus Christ came to die on the cross and for this reason the Church is still necessary in the midst of our world.

Still today the commandment of Jesus continues in force: "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations" and His promise: "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (St. Matthew 28:19-20).

- José Luis Briones (November 11, 2008)