Emphasis Preaching Journal

Paul wrote to a very troubled congregation. No earth-shaking problems but just little droplets of water that finally wear down the rock on which they fall. The tendency was to defect. Apostasy, falling away, was one of the most difficult problems the early Christians faced. When times were hard and that first century was very hard, people left the faith in droves. "Standing firm" became almost a mantra for the apostle Paul as he wrote to his friends in many places.