https://www.mljtrust.org/sermons/the-church-fighting-for-her-life/

Today’s cultural environment is difficult for the church. How are Christians supposed to act in the midst of increasing hostility towards the faith? In this sermon on Acts 5:32, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones draws from Scripture and church history to encourage believers in how to walk with the Lord in difficult times. The church has had to fight for her life many times over the centuries, and the essence of wisdom is to look at the past and see how she has survived. How did the church flourish in the midst of trials and persecution? The church flourished through the emphasis on personal witness and the witness of the Holy Spirit. So often believers focus solely on their abilities and witness when instead they are also called to recognize the need for the Holy Spirit. Though the Spirit is often thought of in terms of the spiritual gifts He bestows, perhaps more important is the role He plays in everyday lives and how He lives out His testimony in and through His people. This correct view shows that people are desperately dependent on the Holy Spirit for their lives to be lived out in a godly manner. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages Christians about how they can keep the faith in the midst of a hostile environment by relying on the Holy Spirit.