UNDERSTANDING THE ‘TIMES’ AND OUR ROLES AS CHRISTIANS
More than ever before, the world is in a terrible state: climate changes and natural disasters; diseases and pandemics; deaths and disasters in conflicts and war; the prominence and spread of anxiety, deterioration of mental health; and the worry, insecurity, and uncertainty facing many about the future and their basic needs. What has Jesus and God’s plan of salvation to do with delivering us from such a terrible state?
John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus,”Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”
At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, illness and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, ‘Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.’ (Luke 7:20-22)
Jesus responded by quoting Isaiah 35:6-7. According to Isaiah, the great Saviour of God’s people will bring release from all that spoils this sin-wrecked world, suffering as it does under the deserved wrath of God. Jesus views HIs miracles as a foretaste of the glorious salvation He will bring about at the end of the age and in the consummation of God’s eternal salvation plan.
We see a foretaste of God’s final salvation in Luke 8 in Christ’s deliverance:
Salvation from this disordered creation – how great a salvation! (vv.22-25)
Salvation from the devil (vv. 26-29)
Salvation from disease and death (vv.40-56)
Notice how disordered creation, disease, death, and the devil feature prominently even in today’s world; and Jesus’ dealings with them in Luke 8 not only give a foretaste of the coming eternal salvation, but they also demonstrate who He is (the Messiah, the Son of God who has authority over creation, diseases, the demons, and who holds the key to Life and death).
But what is significant is also to realise that as we recognise and acknowledge who Jesus is and become His followers, we need to realise what our response should be, and how this in fact contributes to the beginning of the final deliverance from distorted creation, disease, demons and death in our lives as believers – and this is also operative today in this world that we live.
After the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
Peter answered, ‘God’s Messiah.’
Jesus was not content that His disciples should grasp His identity and no more. He immediately went on to share that His mission is to face suffering, rejection, death and resurrection (Luke 9:18-22).
Verses 23-27 spell out the cost of discipleship; and to appreciate this and to apply it in our lives as His followers is essential if we seek to please the Master and to follow in His steps; this is also the path and gateway for us as His followers to begin to experience in deeper depths the deliverance from all that trouble the people in this fallen world.
To ‘deny himself’ in verse 23 is not simply to forgo little pleasures in life. The word means ‘to disown’, and the model for such denial is Jesus. Jesus did not go His own way, but God’s. He sought not His own glory but His Father’s. He did not pursue His own agenda or good, but the agenda and good of God.
To ‘take up his cross’ is not a picture simply of bearing a few small hardships. The cross was the first-century instrument of torture and death. The disciple therefore is to consider him or herself dead to self. The word ‘anyone’ at the start of the sentence suggests that this kind of cross-shaped discipleship is not an optional extra – it is for everyone. If we consider that it is alright just to be ordinary Christians and not to hearken to the call to discipleship by Jesus, we certainly are ‘missing the boat’ and we would end in spiritual ‘shipwreck’.
The word ‘daily’ suggests that it is not an occasional affair, but an everyday affair; to excuse oneself by insisting that we just forgo ‘denying the self’ once in a while is in order – this is falling into the trap of listening to the whisper of the evil one, just like he whispered in the ears of Eve in the garden of Eden.
Verse 24 explains why genuine discipleship must be like what is explained by Jesus. The key to understanding the first half of the verse lies in the second half: Jesus commands the true disciple to ‘lose his life “for my sake”. To lose life, then, is to place life in His hands and to live wholeheartedly and unreservedly for Him….”Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee”.
‘To save his life’ is, for a disciple, to cling on to his or her own agenda apart from Jesus. The close link between verses 23-24 and the earlier verses, verses 21-22, must be stressed: the Son ‘of Man went to HIs death to carry God’s judgment on the sin and selfish ambition of man. That which the world cherishes is that which God hates. The true disciple will understand this and thus seek, with His help, to put to death everything that God hates and for which Christ died. The key to active putting to death of sin lies in a clear grasp of the cross of Christ.
Verse 25 provides further incentive for true discipleship.
To gain the whole world but to lose oneself is an image of utter dereliction – the poor little rich man. To cling on to precious desires and sinful habits, at the cost of destruction because of being apart from Jesus, is to lose everything!
Verse 26 drives the point deeper still. The Son of Man will come in judgment ‘in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.’ For the Son of Man to be ashamed of a would-be disciple on the Day of Judgment is a prospect of utter despair. What does it mean to be ashamed of Jesus and His words? It is to be ashamed of Jesus and of His teaching. Jesus’ disciples are to stand with, by, and for the word of God in the Bible – even in the face of unpopularity and persecution.
In spite of the costly nature of true discipleship, His disciples should take heart from the glorious Kingdom which Jesus’ death and resurrection would establish (Peter, James and John witness the Transfiguration of Jesus – a foretaste and preview of who Jesus really is).
Interestingly, as true disciples disown their own lives, plans and agenda to follow the Master, they would find the true meaning of the cross; ‘Eternal Life arising from death; suffering leading to true Glory in God; weakness giving rise to true strength and self-control in God; sacrifice in love giving true pleasure in God, who, in Himself is loving, merciful, gracious, and generous.
This true meaning of the cross assimilated and displayed in the lives of disciples interestingly would enable true believers to ‘triumph’ even in this fallen world, with all its chaos, suffering, death and conflicts.
The Love, the Faith, and the Hope of true Christians and Disciples of Christ would carry us ‘above the storms of life’ and we ‘shall soar above the waves’ to our final destination in God.
ARE WE READY TO GO, AND YET READY TO STAY?
“You yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” (1 Thessalonians 5:2)
What is written above is to remind us that the second coming of the Lord Jesus will be unexpected, and in fact may be a surprise for many. What then should be our response to this revelation, and how should we live our lives in the meantime here on earth as believers?
The essential message is: Be ready, the Lord may come at any time.
We know first of all that the coming is certain, and we should hope for it steadily. And since the day is not known, it would mean that we need to be ready for it everyday, starting now.
What this means in practical terms is to live with the readiness to go at any time, and yet, to live consciously with the deep awareness that there is a task of advancing Christ’s kingdom here on earth whilst we are still here, and that the time is not in our hands, and we may end up not having the time to accomplish all that God desires for us to do.
When we are suffering from a serious sickness; when we see our relatives and friends departing from the earth one by one, there is a reminder that we are not meant to live here on earth forever; we are just pilgrims passing through. But how often we plan and live as if all that matters is what is happening to us and our loved ones here on earth; we plan for our future here; our security seems to be all about our savings and finances here; and we are so worried and anxious when our lives on earth are being threatened and it seems that the end is near.
We look forward to our retirement, when we can enjoy doing all the things we desire when we were working; we planned our vacations, our leisure times, and we also look forward to a long life, free from illness, or any predicament.
Like the rich fool in Luke 12, God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself? This is how it will be with those who store up things for themselves but are not rich towards God.” (vv.20-21)
But heart-stop and brain-stop may come to any of us at any time. As a doctor, I have seen many of my patients, young and old, departing from this earth unexpectedly, not just from illness, but from accidents and other mishaps. You only need to go to the graveyard and notice the age of those buried – it is not only the old who died; there are babies, young people also in the graveyard. It is not only the old who should be prepared for the day of departure.
The coming day should be understood as an appointment already entered on the Lord Jesus’ calendar. It is the day when he will come for us personally to take us to be with himself (for those who know Him and are known by Him). One way or another, He is coming for each one of us and should not find us unprepared. While our life continues, let us work and pray for the advancing of the kingdom of God. Let us see that when He comes for us, whether it is soon or late, those are the tasks in which He finds us engaged.
In one sense, we should not be fearful or sad that our day is coming soon; in fact, for those who are known by Him, this is a day to look forward to – it is not an end but a wondrous beginning.
But for those who are indifferent and careless, make sure that when He comes for you, He would not express disappointment because we have not been diligent and watchful in our Christian lives; and for those who do not believe, take care that it would not be too late for you to respond to Him in faith and repentance when the end comes.
GLORY TO BE REVEALED IN THE PAROUSIA (SECOND COMING)
“We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him.” (2 Thessalonians 1:12)
The Thessalonian church was relatively a young church, and yet it encountered much opposition and persecution very early after its inception. Paul wrote to them:-
“For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: you suffered from your fellow Gentiles the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out.” (1 Thess. 2:14-15a)
Not only did the church suffer, but it was described in the following:
“And so you become a model to the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord’s message rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia – your faith in God has become known everywhere… They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead – Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” (1 Thess. 1:7-8;9b-10)
What is relevant is to note that although the Thessalonica church was young, yet it was a positive model in her conversion, her faith, and testimony to those around, even in the midst of suffering and persecution. The church turned definitively from idols and was fully committed to Christ from the beginning; it continued to grow amidst intense persecution, displaying great faith and testimony to the other churches; and the Lord’s message rang out from the church, implying a strong Gospel message powerfully communicated.
Note also that they were serving the true living God (God is not just a concept to them, but there was a lively relationship and communion with God and true service to Him);; and they were waiting for the coming of God’s Son (the second coming ‘Parousia’).
The Parousia is the personal, visible, and glorious return of Christ. And in the letters to the Thessalonians, whenever Parousia was mentioned, there was the recurring reference to the glory of Christ.
Firstly, the Lord Jesus will be revealed in glory (2 Thess.1:7) – the second coming will be no paltry sideshow but rather an event of awe-inspiring cosmic splendour.
Secondly, the Lord Jesus will be glorified in His people (v. 10). The revelation of His glory will not be objective only (so that we will see it) but also in His people (so that we will share in it). The two glorifications (His and ours) will take place simultaneously, though Paul’s emphasis is not so much on the glorification of the saved ones as on the glorification of the Saviour of the world.
Thirdly, those who deliberately reject Christ will be excluded from His glory (vv.8-9). Their terrible fate is described as both destruction and exclusion. The implied tragedy is that human beings made by God, like God, and for Good should spend eternity without God, irrevocably banished from His presence. Instead of sharing with the glory of Christ, their light will be extinguished in outer darkness. It is either participation in or exclusion from the glory of Jesus Christ.
Fourthly, meanwhile, Jesus Christ must begin to be glorified in us (v.12 – demonstrated and manifested by the Christians in the church in Thessalonica). The glorification of Jesus in HIs people and their consequent glorification are not a transformation that is entirely reserved for the last day. The process begins now. Indeed, it must begin now if it is to be brought to its proper end when Christ comes. That day will not suddenly reverse the processes that are going on now; it will rather confirm and complete them (“But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. All who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure” {1John 3:2b-3} – note that purification begins now for those who have the hope of being like Him at His second coming).
So when the church in Thessalonica was waiting for the return of the Son of God from heaven, she was not waiting passively – she was waiting actively in the processes of transformation, positively being a model in faith, sharing the message of the gospel powerfully, even in the midst of intense suffering and persecution, even though it was a young church relatively.
Pause and consider: Today, some of us are worshipping in churches that are not relatively young; we are not encountering persecution and suffering to the degree the church in Thessalonica was experiencing; we, unfortunately, are not a positive model to other churches in other contexts, instead of ringing out our faith and testimony powerfully, we ‘wilt’ in the face of relatively minor sufferings like enduring illnesses in our bodies, encounters with relationship problems that are fueled by envy and jealousy, feeling lonely and ‘bored’, seeking ‘pleasures’ to meet our boredom and to pacify our lukewarmness – all these are symptoms that are the manifestations of those without Christ and without hope, who live only for today and for meeting the needs and pleasures of the moment.
Instead, like the Thessalonian Christians, we must live today with our view and hope for the ‘eternal tomorrow’.
The Apostle Paul wrote: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness.” (Col. 2:6-7)
Certainly, there is a place to take care of the practical aspects like our physical health,our nutrition, our time for ‘spiritual refreshment’ but we need to be careful not to pursue all these at the expense of not investing in our walk and transformation in Christ such that we may experience the full glorification at the second coming of our Lord Jesus.
We must not live like those without Christ and without hope – all the time seeking to fulfill our desires for enjoyment, good health, good vibes, earthly pleasures – going from trip after trip, ‘food’ after ‘food’, pleasure after pleasure and to end up finding that all these are ‘vanity and the pursuit after wind’ (Ecclesiastes).
In conclusion, ponder over what Paul wrote in Philippians 4:
“…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.” (vv11b-13). Lest we say that we are not like the mature Paul and this cannot be expected of us; pause, and realise that the young church of Thessalonica had actually manifested all these.
REDEEMING THE TIME IN THE LIGHT OF THE PAROUSIA
We have been considering the Parousia (the second coming of the Lord Jesus) and we have noted the fact that we ought to be ready at any time for the Lord’s coming, for His coming can be rather sudden and unexpected. We look at two glorifications that will be manifested at the second coming – the glorification of the Son of God when He comes in His glory, and also the glorification of the Lord in the lives of believers. This wonderful glorification of the Lord in believers does not just happen at the Parousia – it begins now and today in the lives of Christians as a process which is completed and consummated at the second coming – this implies the need for progressive transformation into holiness and into the likeness of the Lord Jesus before it can be completed when Christ comes again.
This means that how we live as believers; how we work for God in the meantime – all these matter in what is finally going to take place at the Parousia and beyond.
“I must work the work of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work”. (John 9:4)
The saying is true when applied to the Lord Himself. He knew well that his own earthly ministry would only last three years altogether, and knowing this He diligently redeemed the time. He let slip no opportunity of doing works of mercy, and attending to His Father’s will.
This saying is one which should be remembered by all professing Christians. The life that we now live in the flesh is our day. Let us take care that we use it well, for the glory of God and the good of our souls. Let us work out our salvation with fear and trembling, while it is called today. There is no work nor labour in the grave, toward which we are all fast heading.
Let us pray, and read and hear God’s Word, and do good in our generation (which includes fulfilling the Great Commission and building God’s church), like men and women who never forget that the night is at hand. Our time is very short (applies to all young and old, for our demise can come at any age); our daylight will soon be gone. Opportunities once lost can never be retrieved.
Practically, that means we must avoid procrastination, thinking that we can do something about this another time. It only means that how we spend our time matters – this does not mean that we cannot have legitimate rest, exercise for our bodies, time for good fellowship with brethren, and time for social interactions (which may be a precursor for sharing the gospel). But why the call to work out our salvation with trembling and fear?
Final judgment before God is certain. This judgment will demonstrate, and so finally vindicate, the perfect justice of God. In a world of sinners, in which God has ‘allowed all the nations to walk in their own way” (Acts 14:16; and today we can observe the consequences of this in the conflicts, chaos, and immorality on this planet), it is no wonder that evil is rampant and that doubts arise as to whether God, if sovereign, can be just, or, if just, can be sovereign. But for God to judge justly is his glory, and the Last Judgment will be his final self-vindication against the suspicion that he has ceased to care about righteousness.
And so in the case of those who profess to be Christ’s, review of their actual words and works will have the special point of uncovering the evidence that shows whether their profession is the fruit of an honest regenerate heart ( Matt. 12:33-35) or merely the parrot cry of hypocritical religiosity (Matt. 7:21-23 – we have noted this also in our study of Luke).
Everything about everybody will be exposed on Judgment Day (1 Cor. 4:5), and each will receive from God according to what he or she really is. It is no use claiming that we are doing ‘this’ or ‘that’ (including religious activities) for Christ – in Matthew 7, the Lord Jesus even told those claiming that (including casting out demons) to get away from Him and to go to Satan, their master.
Those whose professed faith did not express itself in a new lifestyle, marked by hatred of sin and works of loving service to God and others, will be lost (Matt. 18:23-35; 25:34-46; James 2:14-26). Remember that the enemy is not bothered by our claims of doing Christian work in our use of time, our activities and our social interactions (if this work is no different from those done by secular groups which also have ‘good intentions’, and it does not finally fulfill God’s desires and tasks given to His people and His church). Knowing that in the final Judgment, God is going to evaluate our motives, our longings, in our use of time, in our religious activities, in our social interactions and relationships, we will then understand why there is a need to work out our salvation in trembling and fear.
Knowledge of future judgment is always a summons to present repentance. Only the penitent will be prepared for judgement when it comes.
A CALL TO EVALUATE AND REPENT BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE (A)
Many churches have studied the book of Revelation this year, in their church camps, and in their sermon series.
Probably, many have also looked at Christ’s message to the seven churches in the early chapters of the book. Although the seven churches were actual churches during John’s time, the messages apply to all churches for all time; particularly today, the churches are also facing the imminence of the Parousia, as well as the reality that currently, the problems highlighted by the Lord Jesus in the seven churches are also present in today’s churches.
To each church in the book, the Lord Jesus revealed that He knew the actual spiritual state of each one of them; some were reprimanded to repent while several were commended for their faithfulness. But the promise to each one is a place in the new heavens and new earth, reigning with Him and sharing His glory, if she overcomes.
The first church addressed was the church in Ephesus:
The Lord said: “I know your deeds, your hard work, and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.” (Rev. 2:2-3)
We must acknowledge that the description of this church by the Lord reveals an outstanding church – she was diligent, perseverant, careful to reject false teachings and false teachers and apostles; and she also tested the false teachers, and was also enduring hardships for Christ, without growing weary, and giving up, even in the context when the churches were facing hostility and persecution of an intense manner. Perhaps, some of us may wonder, what can be wrong with such a church; after all, many of our churches today cannot even ‘hold a candle to them’?
But Jesus said, “Yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” Why did the Lord highlight “do the things you did at first”? Was not the church in Ephesus rather outstanding in the things they did – they were hardworking, persevering, enduring hardships for Christ, faithful in maintaining the truth and rejecting false teachings and false teachers?
We need to pause and consider the previous statements by the Lord: “you have forsaken the love you had at first – consider how far you have fallen”. The focus is on the love the church had at first for Christ ånd in this respect, she had fallen rather badly.
It is the love for the Lord Jesus that truly matters before Him; it is also the quality of this love which blossoms and spills over into doing the things for Him. The church in Ephesus had such a love for Christ at first, which she had forsaken, and fallen far from. Notice that without such a love for the Lord, all the characteristics which are commendable for a church do not hold water – in fact, the Lord Jesus will rebuke and call for repentance even for such a church!
It reminds us that what truly is important is the motivation and state of the heart of love for God which may be seen in the things we say and do; not so much the things that we do that come about because of personal fleshly desires and pride, and the longing to be recognised and commended. Jesus sees all things, including the motivation and the heart.
The ‘first love’ the Lord referred to probably describes the love the believers in Ephesus had for the Lord when they first believed. It was a love, filled with wonder, awe, adoration and worship of God beyond their ordinary human experience and imagination (remember the young church in Thessalonica – she underwent severe persecution and yet she was a model to the churches around and her faith and message rang out to the surrounding regions).
Such a love invariably overflowed to those around them and touched their lives. When all these were lost and replaced with activities, even spiritual ones, the intimate relationship with the Lord slowly diminished and in its place was just a superficial skeletal structure without the life and the real meaning of what is truly valuable before Him.
Those who are truly in love yearn to spend much time with their loved ones; they long to see them, to hear their voices and to commune with them. It is no wonder that Jesus summarised the law as loving God with all heart, our soul, our mind, and strength and loving our neighbours as ourselves.
The Beatitudes, which stand at the beginning of the Sermon of the Mount and form its very soul, show how eschatology may go hand in hand with ethics. What Jesu does in them is to sketch, in eight paradoxes, the spiritual portrait of the man of the Kingdom. What is not so often noticed is that the ethics of the Beatitudes are ethics of grace. Founded on the grace of the Father who gives the kingdom to the child-like they promise blessedness to all who, far from claiming the right upon God, are content to be beggars before Him and to trust Him to provide all things.
The will of God I the New Israel as interpreted by Jesus the Messiah calls for truth in the inward parts, demands a morality in the ‘blood’ and ‘bone’.
Summarising the Beatitudes along this line:
The old law said, No murder. I say, No angry passion.
The old law said, No adultery I say, No lustful thoughts.
The old law said, Divorce on condition….I say, No divorce.
The old law said, No false swearing, I say, No swearing at all.
The old law said, Eye for eye. I say, No retaliation.
The old law said, Love your neighbour. I say, Love your enemy. Such then is the design for life in the Kingdom of God. What is distinct and central is the commandment of love. In this commandment, all other commandments are subsumed and fulfilled (Mark 12: 29-31). LOVE is the master-key to the morals of the kingdom of God. By love Jesus does not mean some kind of sentimental emotion; neither does he mean that we must resolve to like certain people. Love, as Jesus defines, is, in saying and parable, means ‘caring’ – caring practically and persistently, for all whom we meet on life’s road, caring not merely for the worthy and deserving but for all who need our help, even enemies. God the heavenly Father, our Father, cares even for the ungracious and ungrateful and whose innermost nature is LOVE.
A CALL TO EVALUATE AND REPENT BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE (B)
The second church we will consider is the church in Sardis: Note the words of the Lord Jesus to this church:-
“I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive,but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.” (Rev. 3:1-3)
To have a name that we are alive as a church and yet is spiritually dead is dead serious. The church in Sardis was relatively free from persecution and spiritual opposition (contrast with the church in Thessalonica) but what is frightening is that it had been infiltrated by the values of the ‘world’ and had imbibed the ways of the fallen world without being very conscious of it. She was dead spiritually. God’s warning to her was to repent and be vigilant, and to wake up before it is too late. She needed to remember what she was like in the beginning; self-confidence, worldly desires (cloaked under spiritual terms) and unawareness of the reality of what is happening may be worse than actual failure.
“Then Jesus said unto them, “Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness comes upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.” (JOHN 12:35)
Let us not think that these things were only spoken for the sake of the Jews. They were written for us also, upon whom the ends of the world are coming – it is generally applicable to the whole professing Church of Christ. Her time for doing good in the world is short and limited. The throne of grace will not always be standing; it will be removed one day, and the throne of judgment will be set up in its place. The fountain for all sin and uncleanness will not always be accessible. The way to it will one day be barred, and there will remain nothing but the lake that burns with fire and brimstone.
These are solemn thoughts: but they are true. They cry aloud to sleeping churchmen and drowsy congregations (not just the church in Sardis), and ought to arouse great searchings of our hearts.
We have looked at the seriousness of losing our first love for the Lord Jesus (and consequently saying and doing things not from the overflowing of this love in our hearts as in the church in Ephesus); we now realise the seriousness of being spiritually dead although we have a name and reputation that we are spiritually alive. This reputation may come about as various ones look at the lively activities and programmes in the church; but if they look with the eyes of Jesus, they see spiritual deadness instead – the church claims to believe in prayer, but hardly anybody prays seriously and consistently (and the church prayer meeting is only a tiny fraction of the church’s outworking, with only a few number of believers attending, but when it comes to social functions, outings, eating, and the like, the number can be overwhelming).
When it comes to communing with God from His revelation in Scripture, there are many who claim to believe in the Bible as God’s Word, and yet there are so many who prefer to indulge in activities rather than Bible study, and very few has actually read through the Bible (not to say anything about studying the whole Bible” One theological lecturer was teaching the book and life of Daniel, and he was terribly shocked to have one of the students asking him whether Daniel was a real individual in the Bible.
Even in sermons and teachings, biblical interpretation is an exacting mental discipline; the Christian does not by his mental labour construct knowledge of God out of his own head, or contribute anything of his own to what God is teaching him; his labour is simply that of receiving and assimilating – he ascribes all the knowledge he gains not to his own keenness of wit, but to the effective instruction of the Holy Spirit.
The lamp of Scripture lights only a limited area of our darkness; beyond that area lie the secrets of God, into which men may not pry. Our knowledge of God, therefore, though true as far as it goes, is nowhere complete or exhaustive. The humble pupil of Scripture will recognise these limits and keep within them. He will not be so self-willed as, on the one hand, to build a speculative theological system which says more about God than God has said about Himself, or, on the other, to ignore or tone down what Scripture does say because he finds it hard to fit in with rest of what he knows. His aim is to learn all that God teaches, and give it all its due place. And he will never let himself suppose that now he has finished learning and knows everything. Instead, he will keep listening to Scripture for further correction and instruction. This applies not only to each member of the congregation, but particularly to teachers and preachers of the Bible (including those who have ‘graduated’ from Bible colleges). Just quoting the Bible, the original Greek words, and thoughts from commentaries and Biblical books do not mean that the interpretation is what God desires and communicates – persistence in ignoring the true revelation of God leads to the path of spiritual degeneration and death, not just for a few, but the whole congregation as well.
A CALL TO EVALUATE AND REPENT BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE (C)
The third church we will look at today is the church in Laodicea. Jesus said to this church: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other. So, because you are lukewarm -neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” (Rev. 3:15-17)
It is a dangerous situation to be in: to be indifferent, to be half-baked Christians, without true convictions and commitment to the Lord Jesus. There is no such thing as a half-hearted believer; either we are all out for the Lord or we are not. Complacency and self-deception are serious issues for the believer! The saddest thing for such ones is to think that they are alright and to be totally taken aback on Judgment Day.
If our theology does not quicken the conscience and soften our heart, it actually hardens both; if it does not encourage the commitment of faith, it reinforces the detachment of unbelief; if it fails to promote humility, it inevitably feeds pride. The job of pastors, teachers, and theologians is to see that God’s pure truth flows abundantly where it is needed, and to filter out any impurities or distortions that might damage spiritual health.
God the Creator, has a right to prescribe how his rational creatures should behave. He has done this in his moral law, which requires us to be holy as he is holy – in our character and our conduct, in our desires, our decisions, and our delights. We are to inves all our powers in living a life of grateful worship and loyal service – a life of fidelity, uprightness, integrity, and love toward both Himself and our fellow humans – a life shaped by the purpose of glorifying Him through wise and skillful obedience to His revealed will. We are required in all circumstances to be honest, godly, single-minded, energetic, passionate persons who behave at all times in a Jesus-like way, with hearts aflame, heads cool, and our wits about us. Total righteousness is called for, expressing total devotion and commitment. Nothing less will do.
C.S Lewis’ writings in Mere Christianity on this subject are helpful for us to ponder:
“There must be a real giving up of the self. …Give up yourself and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it.Submit to death, death to your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end; submit with every fibre of your being and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.”
The ‘diagnosis’ of the ailment in the church of Laodicea is ever so present in many churches today – we are neither hot nor cold – we are half-baked Christians – total commitment and genuine discipleship are not for us – we excuse ourselves, saying that we need not be “Christian fanatics”. We attend meetings, worship services, at our convenience; we boast of our ‘givings’ financially and in our Christian activities – but in the depth of our hearts we are not truly loyal and open to all that the Lord Jesus calls us to – and the verdict of this illness – Jesus said, ‘I will spit you out of my mouth’, implying no union with Him, no relationship with Him and and no association with Him at all! No wonder Jesus termed such ones as pitiful, wretched, poor, blind and naked, although they may think themselves rich and need nothing! Repent before it is too late.
A CALL TO EVALUATE AND REPENT (D)
Our consideration of the Lord Jesus’ message to the three churches, namely Ephesus, Saris and Laodicea, reveals some important principles needful for churches to take note of, even today.
The focus on ‘First Love’, ‘Being spiritually alive’, and ‘Total commitment to Christ’ – all three centre upon some significant issues and clarification for believers today.
What is obvious is that the church cannot afford to be pseudo – there must be no pretense of piety and spirituality because people can (quickly or gradually) distinguish the authentic from the imitation. They would know an authentic and holy church when they see and observe one, and they also would know a hollow one too, if they are observant and if they are exposed to the church long enough. The world looks on self-serving, undisciplined, covetous, impure people who nevertheless claim to be the people of God and says, “You lie.” No one will listen to our gospel if we are not living it.
To be holy is not primarily a matter of …how much Christian activity we are engaged in; it is a matter of having our heart transformed into a heart of love.
Holiness is conforming our lives to God’s will as sons and daughters and lovers of God. The highway of holiness will involve certain appropriate dos and don’ts – but the motive, the goal, is union and communion with God – holiness and the first love have to do with companionship with the divine. In fact, to be holy is to be fully human, spiritually alive, whole, and truly in love with God and with fellow humans – this is indeed the focus for the three churches the Lord Jesus communicated to, and surely, this is also the message for us as well.
The created values of human life must not be confused with its acquired corruptions, nor must the requirements of righteousness be forgotten as we focus on the habits of fallen humankind – or we shall never know how to act rightly in God’s world.
Unprincipled acceptance of corrupt manners and customs, based on the assumption that whatever is, is right, is not the way to be, and we must not allow thoughtless empathy to make us imagine that it is (this is the way of postmodernism where there are no absolute values but only what is, according to one’s conclusion of what is right or wrong, relatively).
Christians are not bound to the law in any form as a system of salvation (beware of the leaven of the Pharisees – Jesus said), nor to any of the typical rites and restrictions that God imposed under the old covenant (cf. Gal. 4:21 -5:1,13), and that no use of created things for enrichment and enjoyment is defiling, provided the user shows gratitude to the God from whom these benefits come (1 Tim.4:3-5).
But this privilege of drawing joy from what one now knows to be from the heavenly Father must be exercised responsibly; otherwise we sin. Responsible use of freedom limits one’s action to what is helpful spiritually to oneself and others (1 Cor. 6:12; 8:9,13; 10:23, 31-11:1). It restricts one to what best serves the glory of God and the good of others, and forbids one to let the merely permissible become the enemy of the best, elbowing it out for the sake of a lesser good.
It will often be a more responsible use of freedom to say no to the permissible, just because it would not have a good effect on others, than to say yes to it just in order to make the point that it is indeed permitted under the gospel.
Christian liberty must never be swallowed up by subcultural legalism, but neither may it ever degenerate into sub-Christian license. We shall never know how to act rightly in God’s world until we are clear on this.
Using the ‘world’ (1 Cor. 7:31) means dealing constructively with the people and resources that constitute one’s personal environment. It means involvement, planning, and toil in the task of creating wisdom, welfare, and wealth for oneself and others. Missing or abusing the world means being enslaved by these activities, rather than seeing them as means of honouring and praising the God who led us to them.
Enslavement to activities is worldliness in its purest form: the compulsive workaholism is as worldly as any form of laziness. If we let pleasant things engross us so that we forget God, we are worldly. If we receive them gratefully with a purpose of pleasing God by our appreciation and use of His gifts, we are not worldly but godly.
Worldliness is the spirit that substitutes earthly goals (pleasure, profit, popularity, privilege, power) for life’s true goal, which is the praise of God. Only when the peril of worldliness is truly understood and avoided, and the non-worldly use of the world is truly practiced, can we fulfill God’s calling to Christian believers to be holy and to love Him and His gifts wholesomely.
It is our business to persist faithfully in our God-given role in this world as the salt that preserves it and the light that guides it, and not to be daunted if our labour feels like a drop in a bucket that makes no difference at all. One day our Master’s ‘well done’ will more than make amends for any discouragements that we may suffer here and now.
Loving sinners and hating their sins, sharing our faith with them to save them from the fire while feeling awed horror at the despite done to God by the filthy things they have dabbled in, is the prime task that God sets His people in every age, and no amount of concern for wider cultural involvements must be allowed to displace it from its priority (cultural endeavour without evangelism is one stage worse than evangelism without cultural endeavour, for the concentration on evangelism does at least put first things first).
A CALL TO EVALUATE AND REPENT BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE (E)
We have considered the message of the Lord Jesus to the church in Ephesus, the church in Sardis, and the church in Laodicea, in the book of Revelation, in some detail. In today’s sharing, we look at the Lord’s message to the remaining 4 churches, with the focus on one major aspect required that is highlighted in one way or another in the message to the 4 churches.
The church in Smyrna was exhorted to be faithful in suffering, and not to abandon the faith, for fear of suffering, or in the midst of suffering (Rev. 2:8-11). And suffering and martyrdom will feature much in the battle against the evil one and his forces in the life of the churches, then and now. I have come across Christians who were in some form of leadership advocating that there is no such thing as suffering for the believer or in the life of the Christian – this message to the church in Smyrna, and more teaching from the Bible would contradict such a belief.
The church in Pergamum and the church in Thyatira, in spite of some commendable areas, had compromised in terms of allowing false teachers and false teachings to infiltrate the churches (Rev. 2:12-29).
Allusions to the Old Testament referred to the teaching of Balaam in Pergamum and the influence of Jezebel in Thyatira, with indications of sexual immorality and idolatry affecting the churches to different degrees. The call to repentance was clear in both situations with the warning of impending judgements.
As for the church in Philadelphia, she had little strength; yet she did not deny the Lord Jesus but remained faithful. She kept the command of God to endure patiently. We see the importance of obedience to God and patient endurance in the midst of opposition despite having little strength. It is not so much the resources and abilities the people of God have to depend upon, but it is the patient anc complete reliance and dependence on God that really matters in spiritual ministry and spiritual warfare. God can use what little we have if we surrender it to Him for His use and He can provide the enabling and the opportunities for us to be truly faithful in His service (Rev. 3:7-13).
What is underlying the message to the 4 remaining churches is the call to be faithful – not to deny the Lord Jesus and to reject or renounce the Christian faith – but to hold on, and to endure despite suffering and persecution; to keep true to the teachings of the Lord and to reject false teachings and idolatry, and to defend the truth; and this call is to be obeyed despite being ‘small’ and ‘weak’.
Denial and rejection of Jesus Christ can be the result of ignorance (Acts 3:13-14); but the reality is that one can fall back from a previous relationship with Christ into unfaithfulness (2 Peter 2:1; Jude 4; note Peter’s denial in Mark 14:30). In 1 John 2:22-23, certain heretics were denying that Jesus was the Messiah. The opposite of denying Jesus Chris is holding fast (Rev. 2:13) or being faithful (Rev. 2:10) to Him. Denial can also mean to abandon fellowship with the Lord (2 Tim. 2:12).
Denial of the Lord Jesus is not only a matter of the lips; it is failure in discipleship. At a time of suffering there is particular danger of denying the Lord (Rev. 2:13; 3:8; cf 2 Tim. 2:11-12). The motive for denial is usually fear of others, fear of suffering, ridicule or persecution, or anxiety about what others will think. Imagine what will happen to those who believe in the gospel of wealth and prosperity (without any suffering and setbacks) – such ones may be the first to crumble and to deny the Lord and the faith, for when difficulty comes, they will be unprepared and surprised!
Denial of Christ is also present where one refuses to fulfill one’s responsibility before God (1Tim. 5:8). Moreover, denial of God on our part will be met by a denial of us on God’s part (Luke 12:9; 2 Tim.2:12). For denial is a rejection of God’s offer of salvation and a conscious renunciation of His grace. God, however, “cannot disown Himself” (2 Tim. 2:13); He remains true to His own nature.
To follow Him who “made Himself nothing” (Phil. 2:7) implies to deny oneself and take up one’s cross (Matt. 16:24; Mk 8:34; Luke 9:23). Interpreted in the light of Peter’s denial, this means to say no to oneself and to surrender oneself totally, even if it means dying a martyr’s death – and we need to remember that the church was built ‘upon the blood of martyrs” and in the final book of the Bible, Revelation, the call to faithfulness and even martyrdom for the sake of Christ and the Gospel features prominently. Self-denial is not a legalistic demand – it is the way forward into life “in Christ” (Rom.6:4-5; Gal. 2:20).
In Luke 13:27 believers are warned against unfruitful discipleship. Those who fail to grasp the present hour of grace may one day find themselves separated forever from the Lord. Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness. 2Thess. 2:3 denotes a period of apostasy shortly before the appearance of the Messiah (and this is noted also extensively in the book of Revelation). The apostle Paul locates this event in an anti-Christian period directly preceding the return of Christ. In 1 Tim. 4:12, he states that some will “abandon the faith” in the last days in terms of falling into false, heretical beliefs (note the warnings to the church in Pergamum and the church in Thyatira).
Luke 8:13 (in the parable of the Sower) probably refers to apostasy as a result of eschatolgical temptation. Here are people who have come to believe, who have received the gospel “with joy.” But under pressure of persecution and tribulation arising because of the faith, they break off their relationship with God. According to Heb. 3:12, apostasy consists in an unbelieving and self-willed movement away from God (Warning: this may describe some of us believers or even some churches – let us not be taking things for granted and think that this would not happen to us). Christ’s personal messages to the 7 churches in Revelation may also be messages directed to us, living in the last days!!