In Acts 16, the Bible records that Paul and Silas had been imprisoned for preaching the gospel and casting out a demon from a slave girl. They were ordered to be imprisoned and their feet fastened in the stocks. The next verse gives a simple description:

Acts 16:25 (ESV) — 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,

Paul and Silas were doing what Paul teaches in Ephesians 5:15-21. They were being abused by the government. They were in the unsanitary, uncomfortable, and unpleasant confines of a 1st-century jail. They were surrounded by others who did not know Jesus. But what do they do?

They do not complain. They do not scream and cry. They do not even demand justice.

They worship. They prayed and sang hymns to God. They were worshiping with integrity. They were worshiping in faithfulness. And they were worshiping for the glory of God.

The worthiness of fighting for something is not from the outcome but the value of what could be lost. It is worth the risk to contend for a brother’s restoration and lose than surrender him to the devil without a fight. Do not give up on your brothers and sisters without a fight. Speak truth into their lives, Contend for their restoration. Honor the testimony of the church.

Archeologists recently discovered a church building that may have been built over the home site of one of the disciples who lived in Bethsaida. Though this particular congregation has long been forgotten the church of Jesus remains. Though this building has been reduced to ruins and buried in the earth, the work of the church continues.

This is a helpful reminder to us. If there comes a day when our church building no longer stands or the records of our times and lives are lost, the work of the church will continue. Until Jesus returns, He will be gathering His followers Himself. Until Jesus returns, He will be sustaining the church in His power. Until Jesus returns, the church will be proclaiming the hope of the gospel.

The church has its power and purpose only when it is founded on Jesus. If the church attempts to move beyond or grow past the foundation of Jesus and the gospel of salvation it ceases to be a church. Today there are congregations with steepled buildings and signs in the yard declaring it to be a church, but who have abandoned their foundation of Jesus and the gospel. Without the foundation of Jesus, they are merely a social club or community group. When Jesus is our foundation, we are His church and His witness to the world.

From the sermon Gather Together, Hebrews 10:24:25.

For all the advantages and conveniences of technology, some things cannot be done virtually. Sermons can be heard through many technological avenues, but the church can only be who we have been called to be when we gather together.