Nothing has changed. Meekness makes people unwilling to provoke and to be easily provoked. It seems that too many times there are some people in the churches that are always looking for a fight or a reason for one. And there are others that are just looking for and excuse to quit coming to church. Many excell in suffering long, because they have not learned longsuffering.
Peace is the bond.
Endeavor means to do our utmost. We may be little in the eyes of God, but many little slender twigs that are bound together, become one strong rope. While we as strands are different in lengths and strengths, when we are tied together by one bond, we become stronger than any, even the thickest and strongest of itself. While the church will always have things wrong in it, it's still very important. There will always be imperfection because there are people.