Nearly 2,000 years ago, Jesus made a powerful promise to the church. He boldly declared, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18.

I have a large art piece in my office to remind me of these words. It inspires every meeting I hold in my office and every personal time of study I pursue. These words have emboldened and steadied me over the years.

Jesus’ words have given Christians the confidence to persevere over thousands of years in the face of great opposition. After Jesus’ ascension, he called the church to go into all the world and make disciples. However, the Jewish Sanhedrin and the Roman Empire resisted. They feared that the message of Jesus would spread to all corners of the world if they didn’t stamp it out. As a result, persecution plagued the early church from its very beginning.

What happened? The church grew. 120 disciples turned into thousands, then thousands turned into millions, and millions turned into billions. In fact, Christianity outlasted the Roman Empire! The message of Jesus has now spread to every tribe, tongue, and nation.

Even in places of darkest opposition, the church has consistently grown. In countries that are closed to the gospel, believers continue to share their faith and the church is growing stronger day by day.

The church is stronger than we realize.

Sometimes I hear people worry about the future of the church. I think that is a mistake.

I certainly understand that culture is changing in America and fewer people are interested in attending church. I also understand that persecution is tragic and currently happening in many places in the world. There is no doubt that each of these factors is concerning and has an impact on the church.

But the church is supported by the will and sovereignty of Jesus. And His words are unfailing. As Romans 8 says, “If He is for us, who can be against us?”

When Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it,” he was making a bold declaration over the entire future of the church. The strongest human opposition is inept. Even the darkest forces of the spiritual realm have no power to stop what Jesus has set into motion.

Sometimes we think that the forces of evil are so great that we must hide in fear or run to safety. But in Matthew 16, Jesus described Hell as having gates. I have seen many battles in movies and a few in-person fights, but I have never seen someone chase down the enemy while carrying a gate. That’s because gates are a defensive weapon. They are for safety and for hiding behind.

The roles of retreating and advancing are reversed in the language of the kingdom. Hell is the one who needs to retreat and hide. The church has a God-given mission to push back darkness and storm the gates of the enemy. We move in the authority and power of Jesus Christ and we confidently rescue men and women from the gates of Hell.

The church of Jesus Christ is an advancing church that has no reason to retreat.

Most things in this life will pass away, but two will remain; the word of God and the church of Jesus Christ. He promised that it would be so. We are stronger than we realize because Jesus is the strongest of all.