Is there a greater quality needed in churches today than endurance? I doubt it! On an average Sunday morning in most congregations, maybe fifty percent of the members are present for worship. Many who are absent came in the front door – but somewhere along the way they went out the back door. What they lack is endurance. They want to go to heaven when they die, but regular worship until then is just not that important.
The word “endurance” brings to mind different pictures of strength, commitment, and fulfillment. It is also a word of respect, reflecting the positive quality in a person’s character. The dictionary defines endurance as “the ability to last; to continue; to bear or tolerate pain and discomfort without flinching, quitting or letting down.” In other words, it describes someone who has begun a journey and does not falter or turn aside.
We are familiar with the importance of endurance in athletic competition. Running a marathon (26 miles, 385 yards) requires tremendous endurance. The athletic event requiring the most endurance is likely the Tour de France, the premier cycling event in the world, for it stretches out over twenty-four days and covers 2,500 miles of difficult terrain.
The word “endure” corresponds with a Greek word which literally means “to remain under.” In the New Testament it refers to preserving something while under trials, and holding on to one’s faith in Christ (Romans 5:3, Hebrews 12:2), but it is much more active than that. In the Christian life endurance is a key principle for spiritual stamina and growth. It is the quality that enables the believer to acknowledge and serve the Lord through the most difficult circumstances.
“Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials; knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4). From this passage, we can observe three specific purposes for endurance:
- It serves to discipline us. God treats us as sons and daughters when He disciplines us, for discipline builds up our faith. As our love for Christ increases, so does our capacity to endure hardships, because our faith and trust in Him rests in the knowledge that He will always do what is in our best interest, as well as His.
- It helps to mature us spiritually. Spiritual maturity is, in many respects, like climbing a mountain. At the start, you intensely contemplate the climb. Apprehension sets in as you think of the complications along the way. As the journey proceeds, fatigue begins to set in. Your legs become weak and your feet become sore. You start to slow down and maybe entertain thoughts of quitting and turning back. But as one challenge after another is conquered, you keep on going. As you get near the top, the hardships of the climb become less threatening and less annoying. Finally you reach the peak because you possessed endurance.
- It helps to complete us. Endurance is one of the most important virtues a Christian can possess. It is that all-encompassing trait that will survive anything the world forces on us. It is the one complete quality helping us to “run the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith “ (Hebrews 12:1-2).
The world will listen to Christians who are sincere, dedicated, and possess the quality of endurance. Jesus said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).
The Paper Pulpit 
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