May 10, 2026
This week we are talking about the fruit of the Spirit, patience.
The Patient Ferment of the Early Church by Alan Kreider offers one of the most important studies on the early church I have ever read. He argues that patience was the central engine of the early church’s life, witness, and growth – particularly during the first few centuries after Christ.
- Patience Was The Church’s Primary Virtue
Kreider argued that the early church didn’t focus on evangelism strategies— they focused on becoming a patient people. He pointed out that early Christians wrote about patience more than evangelism; that it was the defining mark of their communal life and that it shaped how they lived, suffered, and related to others.
He argued that the early church didn’t grow by being impressive —it grew by being patient. That alone challenges modern church instincts.
- Patience Is Trust In God’s Slow Work
For Kreider, patience is deeply theological: God is patient and at work over time. Therefore Christians should not rush outcomes
That doesn’t mean inactivity or passivity but rather trust that God is working—even when nothing seems to be happening. He is working at a speed you and I can’t control.
- Patience Is A Way Of Life (Habitus), Not A Feeling
Kreider writes about “habitus.” This means habits, reflexes and embodied behaviours that help us develop patience deep in our bones. Like a muscle memory. So that over time, patience becomes second nature.
- Patience Was Their Mission Strategy
This is where Kreider flips everything. He argues the church didn’t grow because of persuasive arguments, clever programs, aggressive outreach or even the big evangelist.
It grew because people saw a different kind of life. A different way of being in the world. Typically, this was nonviolent, steady, trustworthy, hopeful and enduring. As one early church leader wrote: “We do not speak great things—we live them”. Patience was not weakness, it was witness.
The early church didn’t advertise the gospel—they embodied it slowly. They didn’t grow by doing more—they grew by becoming different. And the difference was: patience.
What if the most powerful thing the church could recover in our fast paced world… is patience?
Let’s think about that this Sunday.
Julian Holdsworth
BSBC Pastor
