“One day Jesus told His disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up” (Luke 18:1 NLT - New Living Translation quoted throughout.)

The story that Jesus told His disciples is known as the “Parable of the Persistent Widow” (Luk. 18:1-8). In the parable, Jesus contrasted an unjust judge, who eventually grants justice to avoid being worn out by a widow's nagging, with a loving God who will surely grant justice to His children, though He may delay. At the end of the parable, Jesus asked this sobering question: “But when the Son of Man returns, how many will He find on the earth who have faith?” (Luk. 18:8). This question should prompt Christians in our time to reflect prayerfully as we witness the unfolding of the prophecy of the great apostasy in the latter days.

It is unlikely that our Lord Jesus was expecting an answer from His disciples to the question in Luke 18:8 but He was certainly indicating to them that there is a link between persistent prayer and the survival of faith or belief on the earth in the difficult times that will prevail at His return. Jesus foretold: “And many will turn away from Me and betray and hate each other” (Mat. 24:10). The Apostle Paul added, “They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly” (2 Tim. 3:5a).

The year 2025 has been described as the death year of the Church in America. Recently, the American National Council of Churches reported on the imminent closure of 100,000 Churches across the nation due to empty pews and rising costs! This estimate includes Baptist Churches that Billy Graham once called, “America’s spiritual backbone” because they helped shape American culture and values over the past four centuries. We are now told that an average of six Baptist Churches are closing every week in America! These properties are eventually sold and converted into apartments or businesses.

Some reasons given for the decline in church attendance include the disruption of the last pandemic/lockdowns, the lack of fulfilment of personal needs, widely reported scandals within church leadership, and church affiliations to political parties in a sharply divided nation. Meanwhile, there has been growth is other exotic forms of “church”, such as the house church movement.

Many American Church leaders have been discussing how they may adapt and conform to the demands of their communities to stay relevant. Some are even seeking advice from secular consultants. Such advice may include recommendations to update worship styles and to emphasize grace instead of condemnation! This has already led to the growth of the seeker sensitive church movement. And therein lies a major problem - the Church is supposed to be conformed to Christ and not to the world! (Rom. 12:2). The Apostle Paul warned of these days: “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear” (2 Tim. 4:3).

Christianity in the United States of America is not unique in this regard. Over on the other side of the Atlantic, Europe has outpaced America in Christian decline. For example, northern Europe was strongly influenced by Protestant Christianity. Today, however, countries like Sweden are identified as the most atheistic in the world. In the United Kingdom, this year’s month of Ramadan was marked by a shocking display of idolatry in the historic Bristol Cathedral. Muslims in that area were invited to break their fast in this Anglican cathedral. It seemed not to matter to the Church that, included in the Iftar ceremony, is a call to prayer that refers to a false god as the greatest!

What does all this mean for the relatively young Reformed Evangelical Church (REC) that has been in the forefront of preaching the Biblical gospel in Trinidad & Tobago and beyond for the past four decades? Firstly, there is need to remain faithful to Biblical worship and preaching the gospel. Avoid the temptation to yield to the demands of the world. REC today may be compared to Israel preparing to enter the land of Canaan after four decades of experiencing God’s provision in the wilderness. At that time, Moses rehearsed God’s covenant with the people and pleaded with them: “And now, Israel, listen carefully to these decrees and regulations that I am about to teach you. Obey them so that you may live, so you may enter and occupy the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. Do not add to or subtract from these commands I am giving you. Just obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you” (Deu. 4:1-2).

Secondly, the fear of God must not depart from the REC. When God made the covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai, the people were afraid because He spoke in a loud voice to them out of a fire that burned on the mountain, surrounded by clouds and deep darkness (Deu. 5:22). After that fearsome sight, the people really thought they would die so they begged Moses to be the mediator between God and them. They promised to obey whatever Moses heard from God, but they feared hearing directly from God (Deu. 5:23-27). It is noteworthy that God did not comfort the people by saying, “Fear not”! Instead, God commended the people for their healthy fear of His presence: “Oh, that they would always have hearts like this, and obey all my commands! If they did, they and their descendants would prosper forever” (Deu. 5:28-29). This clearly proves a strong link between the fear of God and obeying His commands.

Thirdly, let us not be complacent in the knowledge that, as beneficiaries of the Protestant Reformation, we have the truth of the Biblical gospel and need not be continually alert to the attacks of our spiritual enemy. The devil is not resting, and we are not ignorant of his devices. Martin Luther was leader of the Reformation, but he would be disappointed to see the practices of the modern Lutheran Church today. We need to constantly remind ourselves about the critical importance of the weekly prayer meeting so that the Church might prosper through future generations. In his book, “Only a Prayer-Meeting”, Charles Spurgeon denounced some church members’ view of the gathering for prayer as, “only a prayer meeting”. Spurgeon asked, “How could we expect a blessing if we were too idle to ask for it? How could we look for a Pentecost if we never met with one accord, in one place, to wait upon the Lord?”

It is to be noted that, as early as the first century, the Apostle John was already delivering letters from the Lord Jesus to the seven Churches in Asia Minor. These letters acknowledged the Churches’ good works but also highlighted serious complaints and warnings against them. Typically, the letters would read, “I know all that you do but I have this complaint against you.” If there were a letter from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to the Reformed Evangelical Church today, how would it read? May God keep us committed to persistent prayer that we would remain faithful until He returns. Weariness will certainly come, but we dare not give up. “Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted” (Psa. 127:1).