Revelation 2:1-17 Backslidden, Rich, and Called

 

July 11, 2021

Have you ever read someone else’s mail?  Maybe it was from some famous person, the letter was encased in a library or museum showcase for everyone to see.  Or maybe you found it in an attic, stowed away in a long-forgotten suitcase or chest.  You never knew the person who wrote, or got the letter, so you felt like you missed some of what the letter was all about.  There were references to old stuff, like horse and buggy days.  Or maybe the problems with loading a musket, and how unreliable they were when hunting bear. 

Well, Revelation is not anything like that.  The reason for that becomes clear in chapters 2 and 3 as John records that Jesus told him to write seven letters to the churches.  Although Jesus names them specifically, it becomes clearer as you read that these are letters to ALL the churches, from that day down to this moment in time, right here in Seagrove.  This isn’t just the mailbag contents for the post offices in Asia Minor; this is our mail…letters from the Lord. 

Today we see the first three, so gear-up with your Bible in hand and heart, mind, and soul all alert; we’re getting our instructions from the Commander in Chief.  (And that has nothing to do with Washington, D.C.!)

We’re going to look at three churches and what Jesus had to say about, and to them.  There will be a word in each letter for each of us…three words actually:

·       evaluation of the church’s service

·       reproach for the church’s sluggishness, and

·       encouragement to the church for stirring-up their love for Christ.

First up in our mailbag is the letter to Ephesus:

I.              Ephesus:  Backslidden – in need of Repenting

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus.  This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:  “I know all the things you do.  I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance.  I know you don’t tolerate evil people.  You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not.  You have discovered they are liars.  You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.  “But I have this complaint against you.  You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!  Look how far you have fallen!  Turn back to me and do the works you did at first.  If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.  But this is in your favor:  You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do. “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.  To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.  Revelation 2:1-7

You don’t love me like you used to!  You don’t need to go further with that one.  Jesus talks about first love, and how the folks at Ephesus had been so committed, hot in the battle against false apostles, and other evils of their day.  Now…not so much!  That’s not just a B-grade movie, or romance novel.  That is worked out daily in believer’s lives and the life of the church.  Many people start out energetic and committed to serve Christ, but somewhere along the way, the cold-water committee gets ahold of them; worse – they join the committee and spread the misery.

For Ephesus (and for us) the word Jesus offered was repent.  This was evaluation mixed with consolation and warning.  To repent is to change your mind and behavior.  It means, go back to your first love.  Get re-engaged, and let God re-energize your love life with the Lord.
And this isn’t a one-revival-service fix.  This is a commitment of life, soul, and body.  In poker terms, this is all-in – nothing is held back.  You’re all His, and He promises to be all yours.
What I wouldn’t give to see the church altar filled once again with tears soaking the carpet.  Well…preacher…lead the way!
The next page in the mailbox was first read in Smyrna:

II.          Smyrna:  Poor – in need of Faith’s Riches

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna.  This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive:                “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich!  I know the blasphemy of those opposing you.  They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan.  Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer.  The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you.  You will suffer for ten days.  But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.  “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.  Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.  Revelation 2:8-11

There are two warnings to the church here – poverty and persecution.  Persecution kind of speaks for itself.  Since Jesus’ day it’s estimated there have been some 70 million martyrs for the faith. 

Church history records that the church experienced some seven million martyrs at the hands of 10 different emperors in the Roman Empire.  Nearly 2 million of them occurred in the first two centuries after Jesus lived.  There was enough reason for Jesus to give the folks at Smyrna some encouragement about being persecuted.

One of the martyrs was Polycarp, who was the bishop at Smyrna.  Church history tells us he was a student of John the Apostle as a young man, became bishop and was martyred for the faith in AD 155.  Tradition has it that he was burned at the stake, and when the fire would not burn his body, soldiers stabbed him to death.  Tradition records his words as they lit the wood around him on fire:  Eighty and six years have I served him, and he has done me no wrong.  You threaten me with the fire that burns for a time, and is quickly quenched, for you do not know the fire which awaits the wicked in the judgment to come and in everlasting punishment.  Why are you waiting?  Come, do what you will.

Persecution holds no eternal threat.  Jesus told us not to fear those who could kill the body, but rather God, who has control over the body AND your soul. 

“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.  Matthew 10:28

But what of poverty?  Why is that lumped-in with persecution?  The fact is that the enticement and intimidation of riches can compel those who are poor to take their eye off the ball of serving God, and letting money have its place.  Just look at the numbers of untold millions who stand in line for lottery tickets; they don’t want to be have-nots anymore; they want what the haves have!

Truth be told, poverty claims more lives (spiritually-speaking) than the hatred of persecution.  And by this we don’t mean physical life, as when homeless people starve, or sickness is raging.  We are talking about the poverty of faith – when people choose the material goods and pleasures of this life over God’s promises of eternal riches.  There may have been 70 million martyred for the faith in the two-thousand years since Jesus, but there are twice that many alive today, just in America who have turned their back on God…have no church, no faith, and no salvation.  If you add in the rest of humanity just in 2021, materialism is claiming billions of souls!  Jesus gave the folks at Smyrna a message of hope, so they would be faithful, because God was willing to give them eternal blessings.

III.      Pergamum:  Called – in need of Courage

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum.  This is the message from the one with the sharp two-edged sword:   “I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me.  You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city.  “But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel.  He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin.  In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching.  Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.  “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.  To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven.  And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.          Revelation 2:12-17

The third page in the mailbag goes to Pergamum (Pergamos in some translations). Jesus’ complaint with this group of believers was not that they didn’t believe; they just weren’t into correcting corrupt behavior.  They tolerated the likes of Balaam in the church.  Balaam was a false prophet who only wanted the money he could get (Balaam was the TV smiling evangelist of the first century).  Also on their church roll were the Nicolaitans, epicureans – those who are the party-hearty group, eat-drink-and-be-merry…only having a good time matters.  The church is called to be different than these; we are not called to be like every other church, successful by worldly standards.  Rather we are called to be what our calling is, here, in this place, for this moment, honoring the Christ.

How are we to do that?  No matter what time it is, nor what public opinion is going viral these days, nor what it might cost us in popularity, income, or opportunity, wherever the conversation begins, we must take the conversation cross-country to Jesus.  It’s that simple!  John said Jesus promised gifts for those who will cooperate with this calling; more precisely, three gifts:

THE TABLE

Jesus promised heavenly manna for overcomers.  He is referring to the food with which God fed Israel during their wanderings in the wilderness.  However, it is not physical food, but spiritual kingdom.  Jesus called Himself the Bread of Life.  When we gather at the Lord's Table, and in humility, confess our sins, eating the bread of life, we submit to the one who has power to make us overcomers.

THE TABLETS

In ancient times the white stone was a symbol of acquittal from a jury.  Friends sometimes gave each other gifts of small white marble, cut to fit a hand, engraved with words of kindness.  When we bow at the foot of Jesus, confessing our sins, he buries our sins in the sea of forgetfulness, and posts a "no fishing" sign -- forever. 

THE TITLE

A new name.  Friends, this is not the name of Jesus – rather it’s a new name of friendship and power that only Jesus and you will know.  It may be a literal, lingual name, a name that sounds differently.  Abram became Abraham.  Saul became the beloved Apostle Paul. 

However, I believe that it is more.  I believe it is that certain something Jesus places deep down inside us when we are saved.  It is the quiet understanding of salvation...an assurance, knowing that He is Lord, and you are His.  It is the newness of relationship that you cannot really explain, touch, smell or know, apart from a personal relationship with Jesus.

In ancient days, if a child fell ill, and the situation worsened to the point of fearing for life, and the doctors could not help, the father would stand over his child and give him a new name.  It wouldn't be just any name, but one of a great and valiant warrior, or the name of a respected and strong individual.  The thinking was that the name carried authority.  The child would become a new person in that name, and the disease must capitulate. 

This is the overcoming, beloved; this is allowing Jesus to take complete control of your life at the cross, with His blood, with His love, with His power.  The disease of sin is no longer in control.  When you surrender to that power daily, there is nothing the world can do; you are an overcomer in Christ.

Years ago when hurricane Andrew hit the Southeast coast of Florida, a TV reporter went into one area in Homestead.  As he surveyed the devastation the camera settled on one lone house which stood largely undamaged.  It was the only house standing for blocks.  The owner was surveying his minor damage.  The reporter asked how it was possible for the house to stand when all others fell. This was the man's answer...I built this house myself.  I also built it according to the Florida State building code.  When the code called for 2X6 roof trusses, I used 2X6 roof trusses.  I was told that a house built according to code could withstand a hurricane.  I did, and it did.  I suppose no one else around here followed the code."[1]

There is a code written in the table, the tablets, and the title.  Is the house of your life built according to the code?  Are you an overcomer?  Do you answer the call?  Have you been renamed?  The church today is in dire need of this commitment. 

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation 

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[1] David R. Culver, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin in LEADERSHIP/'93, Winter 1993, p.49

 

Lenten Walk - Part 12

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Friday, March 2, 2018

“Moses himself told the people of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people.’  Moses was with our ancestors, the assembly of God’s people in the wilderness, when the angel spoke to him at Mount Sinai.  And there Moses received life-giving words to pass on to us.  “But our ancestors refused to listen to Moses.  They rejected him and wanted to return to Egypt.  They told Aaron, ‘Make us some gods who can lead us, for we don’t know what has become of this Moses, who brought us out of Egypt.’   Acts 7:37-40^(NLT)

This text is part of Stephen’s speech to the rulers in Jerusalem in defense of why he proclaims Christ as Messiah.  That speech got him in a lot of hot water, and Stephen became the first martyr of the church.  Stephen’s speech merely recounts how God’s people have always gotten themselves in hot water whenever they decided to walk by sight, and not by faith.  The ruling council (Sanhedrin) knew Israel’s history, how their ancestors were more than willing to follow Moses out of Egypt when they carried with them Egypt’s treasure.  The Egyptians were afraid to have any more plagues, so they loaded-down the freed slaves with gold, silver and jewels and pleaded with them to leave and not come back.  But life in the wilderness carried with it some danger and uncertainty.  The people were uneasy about where they were headed, and if they’d actually get there before getting slaughtered by some other nation.  When Moses went up on the mountain to speak with God, and didn’t come back for more than a month, uneasiness turned to abject fear and unbelief in this God they could not see.  They defaulted back to making idols to worship and have something tangible to which they could cling for comfort.

This history of God’s special people, the Jews, also plagues the people of the New Covenant.  In our era fear is no less a detriment to faith as it was in times of old.  We may not wander in the desert wilderness for forty years eating manna, but we’re no stranger to wandering around in the bone-drying opulence of materialistic abundance.  Somehow, the greater threat is not an absence of things, but having too much.  The minute we have more, we want much more.  John D. Rockefeller was the world’s richest man in the 19^th century; he was asked by a reporter:  How much money is enough?  The billionaire replied:  Just a little more!  Lent is a season to prepare ye the way of the Lord…to clear the junk of materialism, bad attitudes and uncleanness from the pathways of our lives, and make a welcome sign for Jesus over the doors of our hearts.

I have this shed in my backyard.  We used to call it our “barn” because it is shaped like a barn.  It still looks good…from a distance.  But up close you can see It leans towards the back, and is covered with dust, dirt, and who knows what else.  And those are its lesser problems you can see from the outside.  You have to open both double doors to get inside.  There are yard tools on the floor, along with assorted leftover scraps from projects, and old parts of things I can’t identify.  On the workbench, and everywhere you look there are things stuffed in storage bins, around, and on top of more storage bins.  There are nests of creatures who have decided to live in my barn-turned-junk-shed.  There is nothing but chaos everywhere!

Now, the only solution (besides a bulldozer) is something I dread; I have got to make the decision, carve-out the time on a vacation week, and empty the junk from my shed.  It will require more than a little rearranging; this level of junk-affliction demands total clean-out, re-leveling the floor, bleach and pressure-washing, and an incredible amount of prayer!

For You Today

In case you missed the sarcasm directed at my lack of care for the barn-shed, I wasn’t talking about my storage house for yard tools; I was talking about my life (and yours, perhaps?) and this season of Lent. 

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com.

Think About It

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Friday, October 7, 2016

Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus.  You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses.  Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.  Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.  Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.  And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules.  And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor.  Think about what I am saying.  The Lord will help you understand all these things.   2 Timothy 2:1-7^(NLT)

Paul the apostle wasn’t Timothy’s biological father, but it’s hard to miss the mentor/protégé relationship.  Paul knew Timothy’s family and upbringing, and he must have seen strength in the young pastor’s character and love for Christ. 

This passage reminds me of a parent taking a deep breath just before seeing a son or daughter off on their first great adventure in life.  Scary thing to let your children fly!  Several years ago our daughter Jen invited her mother and I to watch as she and her husband jumped out of a plane to celebrate her 40^th birthday.  (Even worse, she wanted us to watch from a front row seat…to jump out of a perfectly good airplane with her).  Well, we watched the video later; even that made my stomach flip!

Paul was sending his “son in the faith” Timothy to a much more dangerous activity; he was seeing the young man venture into the uncertainty of being a pastor to Christians at Ephesus in the hostile environment of the Roman government’s persecution. 

In this sendoff Paul gave some last minute encouraging advice to Timothy.  He told him to teach others, endure whatever hardships ministry brings, focus with integrity on his task, and remember there was a reward waiting for him at the end of his course.

Eventually Paul’s deep breath proved itself well-placed.  Church tradition says that when Timothy was a bishop at 80 years of age, he tried to stop a procession through the streets of Ephesus honoring the goddess Diana by preaching the Gospel.  According to the apocryphal Acts of Timothy “…[t]he angry pagans beat him, dragged him through the streets, and stoned him to death.”

I’m no Timothy, and have not had much threat of being stoned, but I did have “a Paul“  who preached my ordination service.  His advice was:

        ·       Russell, stay close to God

        ·       Russell, stay close to people

        ·       Russell, bring the two together

I would imagine that for everyone who has a heart to know and serve God there is a Paul who has those kinds of encouraging words to share with Timothy. 

And at the end of it, like the traveling evangelist, church planter, father in the faith, Saul of Tarsus-turned Paul following Jesus, he would say…think about it.  After all, if you make a life-decision to follow Jesus Christ, it may lead you to stand in front of Diana’s parade.

For You Today

Every Christian is cautioned to count the cost of serving the LORD. 

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

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NOTES

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[i] Title Images: By Brookie (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons

When He Comes

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Friday, June 5, 2015

He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn.  But whenever he comes, he will reward the servants who are ready.                        Luke 12:38^(NLT)

St. Boniface is pictured (above) baptizing and dying.  This sums-up his life’s work.

Boniface was born Wynfrith, in England around 680; he was nicknamed Boniface which means “good deeds”.  He listened to missionaries talking when he was only 5 and begged his father to let him be trained to serve God.  His father finally agreed when Wynfrith was 7, and sent him to a monastery. 

This call on Boniface’s life never wavered.  He first went to Friesland (modern Holland), but had little success and was expelled due to a war that was heating up.  He next went to Germany and had remarkable success, so much so that his efforts established a strong church presence there, and eventually led to him being consecrated bishop.

And this is where the story really gets good.

Boniface never forgot his first place of service.  As an old man he resigned the office of bishop and returned to Friesland, the place of his failure, and began to preach Christ; this time with a great response. 

On the eve of Pentecost, June 5, 754, he was preparing a group of Frisians for confirmation when they were attacked and killed by heathen warriors.[2]

Perhaps all of us, especially somewhat retired preachers (and maybe a few retired bishops), would do well to remember what Boniface did; he remembered his most humbling failure, and then humbled himself even lower to go back to that point of failure and serve Christ; like Boniface, saint and martyr, who lived humbly and died busy doing what Christ called him to do….stay close to God, stay close to people, and bring the two together.

The whole point of the lesson when you are humbled is to learn humility.  Christ teaches us this so that we can understand what it is like to be a humble servant like him.

It’s often said that Christ will come for his beloved in one of two ways – in death, or at the sound of the trumpet.  Either way, to be prepared to meet Christ is to be found doing exactly that for which the Master called and gifted you.

My family, and those who know me best, know my preference for when it is my time to go home to Christ, it will be like Boniface.  I want it to happen in the saddle as it were; I would love to end doing my best for Him, perhaps having just preached the best sermon of my life, and then expire during a Sunday afternoon nap.

When he comes for me I want to be ready.

For You Today

No doubt about it – nobody gets to choose when that time is that our earthly days will end; it makes such elemental sense to prepare to meet God.

What will YOU be doing in that moment?

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[1] Title image: See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

[2] James Kiefer, Morning Prayers, Mission St Clare