The imagery here is that of solid, immovable foundation. It is a question that the church of today must ask.
Influence is a powerful thing.
It is a remarkable historical reality that the church of Jesus Christ, as constituted in the initial centuries of its existence, was a body of tremendous influence. In point of fact, it revolutionized the antique world. Even skeptics have acknowledged such. It is not without significance, however, that during this time-frame, when the church was exerting such a wonderful impact, it was being persecuted bitterly. Then, a strange thing happened.