In his most famous hymn, Martin Luther wrote, “Though devils all the world should fill, all eager to devour us, we tremble not, we fear no ill; they shall not overpow’r us. This world’s prince may still scowl fierce as he will, he can harm us none. He’s judged; the deed is done! One little word can fell him” (CW 200:3*). Luther was confident that Satan could not crush God’s kingdom. Death warrants, political powers, and excommunication didn’t stop the gospel’s proclamation during that time. Luther’s words were not a bloated bravado of spiritual confidence but a statement of faith.
Jesus said he would build his church on confessions of faith like the one Peter made. He added about the church, “The gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18).
Satan tried to wipe out the early church by intimidating the apostles and then persecuting believers. It didn’t work! The devil raised up false prophets to distort the gospel, but the truth and God’s people endured.
The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) wrote, “God is dead.” He maintained that the Christian God no longer had any impact on morality, thought, or human life. There are still millions of Christians today influenced deeply by the love of Jesus Christ for them. The gates of hell did not overcome the kingdom of God.
The leaders of Russia and China for 50-plus years wanted to remove Christianity from their borders. The church still exists, and in China it is growing rapidly.
God’s Spirit strengthens Christians in every age through Word and sacrament. The gates of hell cannot prevail when it comes to the preaching of God’s Word and the people of God who persistently continue to hear it.
Holy Spirit, strengthen your church today especially in lands where it is persecuted. Amen.
*This devotion was originally published in 2011.
From The Word Speaks: 365 Devotions Based on the Sayings of Jesus. All rights reserved.
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