Why is the current generation of Christians smaller than it was during Jesus’ lifetime?
There aren’t any! The church, which is God’s people, is more numerous than it has ever been. despite the perception that there are fewer Christians.
Nothing can hinder it
“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it,” declares Jesus in Matthew 16:18. Put another way, nothing will be able to stop Jesus from building His church (His people).
“This gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the world, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth,” Paul states in Colossians 1:6. Paul could declare (even then!) that the gospel was bearing fruit [around the world] when he penned the epistle to the Colossian Christians, which was most likely written in A.D. 60.
Jesus church is growing
And when we consider that the number of Christians is declining, this is a crucial point to keep in mind. We must look at the entire planet, not just the place where we currently reside or even our own nation. In Asia, Latin America, and Africa, the church has expanded extremely quickly during the past 50 years or more. Just think about the Chinese church. Protestant Christians were unknown before 1800, but by 1949, their numbers were projected to be 500,000 (or 0.1% of the 450 million people in the world). Furthermore, there are presumably 40 million Christians today (~3% of the total population). Therefore, the church of Jesus is expanding; we may only need to view it from a global viewpoint.
