That’s a good question, Landon. Maybe I should have explained more clearly what I meant. I’ll try to elaborate a little more.

When the early Christians were persecuted, Christianity expanded and spread as people observed what Christs followers were willing to endure for their faith. The history of the early church details early hostility and persecution, yet instead of dying away, the Christian movement spread and flourished.

However, hundreds of years later as Christianity became acceptable and established, the church became rich and powerful. There was also a lot of corruption in the church and Christ’s message of humility, love and compassion was corrupted by greed and strict adherence to doctrine.

It seems when people are in need or undergoing hardship, they turn more readily to God. But when we become too comfortable and complacent, we feel no need for God and turn away from him. It’s a pattern that was repeated over and over again in the Old Testament, and then we see it again in the early church.

Thanks for reading and responding!