“But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of” (II Timothy 3:14).

Christianity is not to be a hit-and-miss, start-and-stop affair. One of the great outward proofs of a true believer is that he continues in the faith. “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel” (Colossians 1:23). Continuance shows the reality of true faith in Christ; discontinuance shows the opposite. “Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended” (Matthew 13:21).

Continuance should also be evidenced in one’s personal prayer life. “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2). Thus the Bible exhorts us to “pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17), to always be in an attitude of prayer.

As God’s servants, we must also continue in the work. Nehemiah is a great example of this: “Yea, also I continued in the work” (Nehemiah 5:16). Opposition, persecution, and hardship were on every side, but he continued. The great missionary, Hudson Taylor, summed up prayer and work in the following way: “We seldom pray for the extra-ordinary, the limitless, and the glorious. There are three steps in God’s work: first—impossible; second, difficult; finally—done!”

The Christian must also continue to witness. Paul preached to King Agrippa in Acts 26:22: “Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great.” Grace carries with it an obligation to tell others. The Gospel is still good news. May we continually spread it abroad! As someone once said, “The problem with the word ‘gospel’ is that God’s people are under the devil’s ‘spel’ instead of the Lord’s ‘go!’” NPS