The Seven “Challenges” of Asia

     I know the title should say “churches” instead of “challenges.”  I’ve read Revelation 2 & 3 many times over.  But I’m more and more convinced that the world “challenges” fits the context of Jesus’ message perfectly.  Too many interpretations of these chapters get bogged down with the meaning of the symbols (lampstands, stars, angels, etc.) and reasons for Jesus’ pleasure or displeasure with their “performances.”  Then most commentators move on to the more dramatic symbols and sections of the book and pass over what are probably the most important and useful lessons being taught in the Apocalypse.  A few of these are . . .

            (1) Jesus’ message wasn’t only for these 7 congregations.  The number 7 stands for all of the saved.  These groups represent what has been going on in any church and Christian since Pentecost 33 A.D.  And it’s likely that certain ones are facing 2, 3 or all 7 challenges all at the same time, every day.  If you’re honest, you’ll admit that all Christians (churches) constantly struggle with lack of commitment (like Ephesus), mixing cultural philosophies with Christianity (like Pergamum and Thyatira), and apathy, complacency and arrogance (like Sardis and Laodicea) as well as overcoming constant adversity (like Smyrna and Philadelphia).

            (2) These churches weren’t flawless; they had lots of problems. Jesus still considered them His people.  He called for them to humbly acknowledge their flaws and work to overcome them.  He wanted those who were struggling and growing to keep on doing so.

            (3) After overcoming their problems, these churches probably found themselves tempted by the same difficulties all over again.  Satan succeeded with these things before; he obviously tried them again (and again).  We’re never done overcoming; we have to continue beating Satan.

            Living the Christian life demands constant diligence and vigilance.  Jesus’ disciples must strive to live for Him in all they think, say and do.  This is why the lessons taught in Revelation 2 & 3 should not be skipped over for the more dramatic material in the latter chapters.  Only disciples willing to face the seven challenges and who are overcoming daily will be able to move on to the next exciting episodes of the Apocalypse story.  Only they will be blessed to receive the promised help, enlightenment and courage needed to defeat Satan and take advantage of the eternal life Jesus promises in this thrilling Revelation.

Doug

Jesus’ Imminent Return

            The early church lived in constant expectation that Jesus would return at any moment.  Indeed, every generation of Christians has understood that His return was imminent.  All of the New Testament writers reminded their readers of Jesus’ warnings of this fact.  Yet, it’s been some 2000 years of waiting now and He hasn’t returned.  Did He forget?  Did we miss it?  Or was He speaking figuratively and not literally?  Should we reassess our thinking and interpretations about the second coming?

            No, just reconsider what Jesus said about His return.  First of all, He promised to come back and take us to heaven (John 14).  And since He has never failed on a promise, He is to be trusted to do just that.  Secondly, He said that we wouldn’t be able to figure out the timing of His return (Matthew 24, Acts 1, 1 Thessalonians 4 & 5 and other places).  He doesn’t want us to be distracted with late preparations that should have already been taken care of (Luke 12).  And third, let us never forget that, since we have no idea when we’re going to die, we must be busy living in readiness for His return every moment of every day.

            Too many, however, get impatient with the long wait and begin to get caught up with the cares of the world and with their own selfish pursuits.  Peter warned his readers of this dangerous attitude (2 Peter 3).  It appears that some disciples he had experience with had become complacent and reckless with their souls because of Jesus’ delay.  He urged the faithful not to lose sight of the need to live holy lives right now, because growing in holiness is the only way of preparing for Christ’s return.

            I wonder how many worries and stresses would disappear if we were to live each moment with the realization that Jesus might return at any second.  How many possessions and activities would vie for my time if I knew that I wouldn’t live long enough to use and enjoy them?  How big of a house is needed, or how nice of a car is required, or how many investments are recommended for those who know that each day could be their last?  Is it possible that we Americans have lost sight of Jesus’ imminent return?  Just think about how swamped we’ve become trying to obtain and maintain things that in the end will burn up with the rest of this creation.  And this is just among us Christians.

            It’s high time for each of us to learn again the necessity of preparing for Jesus’ imminent return.  There is no reason for a Christian to be caught off guard on the last day (1 Thess. 5:4). Get into Christ (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-5; Galatians 3:26-27), and work at staying in Him (1 John 1:7). And let’s get busy maturing our faith and encouraging one another daily (Hebrews 10:25) to be practicing holiness so that we will be found working steadily at it when He does come again.

Doug

Prepared & Ready

            The Scriptures end with a factual statement that most would rather not think about.  But then God never does tell us just what we want to hear does He?  No, He makes sure to tell us what we NEED to hear.  And Revelation 22:20 expresses the reality of our situation here: “He who testifies to these things [that’s Jesus Himself] says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’  Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus.”  Now is this good, comforting news or terrifying, bad news?  Does the phrase, “Prepare to meet your God” frighten or relieve you?  The answer will depend on the kind of relationship you’ve been building (or neglecting to build) with God. 

            To be perfect before God (functioning the way you were created to) it is imperative to know this information from Revelation 22 and prepare for Jesus’ return.  He has promised to come back for His faithful ones (Matt. 24:30; Jn 14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11) and He has never failed on a promise – nor will He ever fail on a promise.  The frightening thing about this promise for too many is that God has never told us when He will return (Matt. 24:36, 42; 1 Thess. 5:1-6); Jesus goes so far to tell His disciples to not even try to figure it out (Acts 1:7).  All He says is to prepare for the event as soon as possible (notice the word “soon” in Rev. 22) and ensure that we are ready should it happen in our life time.

            There’s a perfectly good reason why God isn’t revealing the timing of Jesus’ return.  It’s obvious that He wants us to be busy growing our faith and helping Him to bring others into His kingdom when He finally arrives to take us Home (Matt. 24:13, 45-46).  He knows that if we have a definite date, we’re likely to take our time getting ready until the last minute and we’ll end up wasting time, and not growing or giving attention to those in need (see the parable of the 10 Virgins – Matt. 25:1-13).

            Jesus doesn’t need an escort when He comes back.  He already knows precisely what needs to be done and how to do it.  He won’t need any human assistance in the matter.  No one needs to be worried about anything – unless of course their souls are not prepared and ready.

            Why is He taking so long?  There are others He knows who desire to come along.  He’s waiting for them to get on board (2 Pet. 3:8-9; Rev. 6:9-11).  That could be your parent, sibling, spouse, child, friend, co-worker; aren’t you glad that He’s giving them time to respond?

            So, then, how does one prepare for Jesus’ return?  Peter says the first step is to repent of your sins (turn from them and commit to not return to them) and be baptized (immersed) into the full God-head (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) (Acts 3:38).  Paul says the same (in Romans 6:1-5; Galatians 3:26-27) as does a host of other writers.  Then Peter urges us to strive for holiness in all that we do (2 Pet. 3:10-14) so that we can maintain our readiness because Jesus could come back at any moment.

            Let’s all work together to make Revelation 22:20 the primary aspiration of our lives.  Let’s get into Jesus and grow to the point that we look forward to His return and our arrival in our new Home in God’s presence.  His return is a divine promise – it’s sure to happen.  So, let’s prepare to meet our God with joy and delight.

Doug

A Gift of Love

     This truly is a special time of year.  Most of the world will stop and reflect on the joys of giving.  The example they will be focused on is the gift God gave to the people of the world some 2,000 years ago.  The apostle John stated it so well when he said that, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).  This season is a reminder for every person to imitate this attitude of generosity which God demonstrated by sending Jesus into the world.

     For most people, they will recall the biblical story of Jesus’ birth.  They will be thinking about baby Jesus lying in a manger.  They will remember angels singing, shepherds and wise men visiting and giving special gifts.  They will sing songs which tell of this great event and call on everyone to rejoice for the gift of Jesus.  

     I think it’s great that for a short while almost everyone pauses to think about God and Jesus, others less fortunate, and spending time with family.  It’s good for the world to slow down a bit so that we can reflect on the blessings of giving and sharing with one another.  But it would be a shame for us to forget that the birth of Jesus was only the beginning of what He came to earth to accomplish.

     Because, as miraculous as the virgin birth was, it must be understood that the gift God so lovingly gave us was not a baby, but an event that would take place some 33 years later.  Jesus’ purpose for coming to earth was to surrender His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45; 1 Timothy 2:6; Hebrews 9:15). And the greatest part of all happened three days after His victorious sacrifice.  The empty tomb proved His power, majesty and love for every one of us (1 John 4:9-10). And that was the amazing gift of God’s love: atonement, redemption, justification, salvation from sin!

     So how do you feel about this incredible gift of love?  Your life will show your gratitude to God for this gift by how you give through your daily life.  Live to reflect Jesus to those around you every day.  This will ensure that God’s gift keeps on giving. Then you can enjoy a giving attitude all year round.  It’s an amazing life when one gets to know this gift that surpasses all understanding (Ephesians 3:19).

Doug

Return to Me

The main message of the Bible is simply, “God solving man’s sin problem.”  From Genesis to Revelation, God is working in the lives of His created beings to restore the loving, harmonious relationship sin has destroyed.  The Scriptures are more than reminders of how we humans have “messed up.”  Every book, every command, every incident, every plea on the part of God has been inspired in order to urge sinners to give up their selfishness and return to Him. 

Many of the biblical stories center on God’s desire to restore fellowship: men with other men exemplifying the possibility of men returning to fellowship with God Himself.  The most famous accounts are Jacob and Esau (Genesis 33), Joseph and his brothers (Genesis 45), the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16), among many others.  God sums up this basic desire of His beautifully in the last Old Testament book: “‘Return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the LORD Almighty” (Malachi 3:7).

Then the New Testament tells about man’s ability to return to God’s fellowship through the atoning work of Christ on the cross.  This was, in fact, Jesus’ main mission (Luke 19:10).  The truly amazing thing about this restoration of fellowship with God lies in the fact that the One offended by our sin has done all of the work to make returning to Him in loving fellowship a possibility for everyone!  He Himself came to live as one of us, faced life the way we are expected to, overcame all sin and paid the price for sin that we owed.  That’s why all of God’s promises (to save, love, forgive, restore, etc.) find their “Yes” in Jesus (2 Cor. 1:20).

Paul makes reconciliation the central theme of his gospel message (Romans 5:9-11) and urges all disciples to do the same (2 Cor. 5:18-21).  It’s the New Testament version of God’s constant plea to “Return to me.”  It’s a perfect example of how much He wants each one of us near Him so that He can bless all of us in unimaginable ways (2 Cor. 9:15).

What will you do in order to make this desire of God’s a reality?  Can anything of this life compare to what He is offering?

Free yourself of the selfish restraints that are keeping you from enjoying the relationship you most need – and the one your Creator originally designed for you.

Doug