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The Quiet Strength of the Small Church

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by Bart Denny “I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” — Revelation 3:8 (NIV) I have wrestled with a quiet burden that many pastors know all too well—even if they rarely say it out loud. If I’m doing this right… shouldn’t the church be exploding in growth? I’ve poured myself into small congregations with love, prayer, and the Word—only to measure progress in single digits, not surging crowds. For a long time, I wondered if that meant I was failing. But slowly, God has reoriented my heart. He’s shown me that the small churches I’ve pastored aren’t signs of weakness—they’re signs of His unique calling on my life. The roles I’ve held, the communities I’ve served, the saints I’ve shepherded—they aren’t consolation prizes. They’re my assignment from God Himself. And if you’re serving or worshiping in a small church, you need to hear this clearly: You are not less-than. You are not broken. You are not abnormal. You are ess...
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Did the Early Church Fathers Believe in a Pretribulational Rapture?

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UPDATE: I look back at this old paper and find some good arguments but, as I concluded, there is no smoking gun for the belief in a pretribulation Rapture among the early church fathers. I am more compelled now to say why: No, the early church fathers did not believe in a pre-tribulation Rapture, at least in the way Darby and dispensationalists ever since the 1800s have held it. They didn't believe it because the Bible didn't teach it--and they were much closer in time and place to the biblical authors. They did expect the imminent return of Christ--with no hint of an idea that they expected to escape the Great Tribulation (indeed, for much of the early church, the Roman Empire certainly proved a source of great tribulation!). They also believed in a millennium. What Scripture actually says has always been the standard to which we evangelical Christians have always claimed to hold. I hope to write more soon, but I think the "Pre-Wrath" Rapture--the idea that the chur...
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