November 15, 2021

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith . . . Ephesians 4:11-13a

William Farel continued in diligence against many odds, having set his hopes upon establishing a place of Protestant worship in Geneva. His initial effort of preaching two sermons there nearly resulted in his murder, but afterwards he was safely brought out with the help of friends. Many believers were quietly at work toward the goal of evangelizing Geneva, as it would serve as an excellent center of operations for ministries in France, Switzerland, and Italy.

Froment, a very humble, soft-spoken man became an instrument in God’s hand. Working as a schoolmaster, he taught Biblical truths to children. Soon, parents came, asking to hear more about the Bible. They were warmly welcomed and given Bibles and tracts which pointed to scriptures correcting some of the errors widely taught by the papal church. Froment was soon forced to flee, but the truths he had shared took hold. Geneva eventually declared for the Reformation and Protestant worship was established.

At this time, Calvin was providentially brought to Geneva. Farel recognized the hand of God, and while Calvin, being timid and peace-loving, had planned to further the cause of reform through the pen, Farel invited Calvin to join with him in the work of strengthening Geneva, emphasizing that, though they had cast off the authority of Rome, they still needed—as individuals—to be fully converted by the power of the Holy Spirit and cared for as a flock. Calvin took this to be a call from Heaven on his life. At the same time, a new storm began brewing as the pope thundered anathemas against Geneva.

A new order was created to crush the Reformation: the Jesuit Order. Its description goes beyond unscrupulous and to this day is the most powerful of all the champions of popery. The Jesuit Order of the papacy has numerous ‘benevolent’ operations in place, providing inroads for infiltration into every arena of today’s world: sacred, secular, and political. The agenda is still the same: crush the Reformation. How is a follower of Christ to navigate this minefield of unseen obstacles? Begin by trusting Jesus who is fully aware and remembering that He desires all people to come to Him in faith and repentance!

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:3-4

A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:24-26