Job: Responding to God’s seemingly arbitrary decrees

Last week I told you about how I was reading as part of my daily devotions, a chapter or two each morning from Mike Mason’s excellent devotional commentary The Gospel According to Job. The following is a chapter that both my wife and I have wrestled with. But what the author is saying, when considered carefully, is really quite liberating, which is always the case with biblical truth.  Read it over, ponder it over and then please comment on your reaction to this.

Luck

"The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord!" (1:21b)

Job's remarkable statement here takes us back to the very primitive (and some would say pagan) concept of chance or luck. Job is basically saying that there is good luck and there is bad luck and that God administrates them both, and not only is it His divine prerogative to do so, but for every one of His seemingly arbitrary decrees He is to be praised. Whether in the casinos of Las Vegas or in the parliaments of the nations, it is God who picks up the roulette ball and places it wherever He will. It is He who shuffles the deck - even if He does not shuffle but rather arranges each card as carefully as He numbers the hairs on a head. Whether luck exists at all, from God's point of view, is a good question. But from the human standpoint, there is so much of the divine patterning that cannot be understood, that we might as well chalk it up to luck. Why does one person have red hair and another brown? Why is one sick and another well? Why does one die young and another live to see four generations - and all without any regard for individual spiritual beliefs? There are no good religious answers to these questions. There is only the nonreligious answer: the luck of the draw.

To believe in God is to accept the nonreligious answer. It is to allow for the fact that the Deity behind the strange and inexplicable facade of this world is a real, living person, and therefore a person with not only rational plans and ideas, but also with nonrational intuitions, feelings, and even whims of His own. To know the Lord in this way is, in some respects, just like knowing anybody else, for in our dealings with other people do we not inevitably run up against a large measure of pure unfathomable irrationality? People would not be people if they were entirely reasonable, and so it is with God. How reasonable is grace? Or love? Many cannot believe in God because they cannot stomach His whims. But to allow the Lord His whimsicalness - and more than that, to bless Him for it - is faith.

This topic turns out to be the crux of a good deal of the long debate between Job and his friends. The friends could never have made the statement in 1:21. It would have been too arbitrary, too superstitious for their liking. Good religious people do not believe in luck; they believe in finding reasons for everything. They are always trying to figure out why they are having a bad day, or why they are sick, or why they are not more happy or prosperous. This type of thinking, which forever tries to appease and manipulate the god behind every bush and rock, is a kind of paganism. In this tight theology there is no room for the sheer arbitrary unreasonableness of the Lord. By contrast, the mind that is able to live with unanswerable questions, letting the roulette ball spin at will and yet still seeing the Lord's hand at work - this is the mind of true faith. This is the faith that can respond, whether in good luck or in bad, "Amen!"

The moment we start thinking that we can discern some pattern to the ways of the Lord, we begin to draw dangerously near to idolatry. We come to worship the pattern rather than the Person behind it. We see patterns everywhere, as in tea leaves, and so grow preoccupied with technique rather than relationship. Patterns become molds into which we try and squeeze all of reality, whether it fits or not. In modern times the most obvious example of this is science. Certainly there are patterns in God's universe to be discovered and legitimately exploited; but no pattern can encompass all of reality. When a pattern or system attempts to be all-inclusive, the final result is that it excludes the most vital factor of all: God. This is not to say that God is not rational, only that mere rationality does not completely define His being.

To the ancient Hebrews pure chance, far from being an idea opposed to God, was one of the very things that proclaimed His sovereignty. Why else would they have cast lots and employed the device of "Urim and Thummim" to discern the Lord's will (see Ex. 28:30)? "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord" (Prov. 16:33). Luck was just one more of the enigmatic channels through which God worked. The mere fact that we are alive at all-is that not lucky? That a loving Heavenly Father has preordained every detail of human lives does not mean that there is any discernible reason why the ball lands on 7 rather than 15. While there is much about God that can be known, this is not what the book of Job is about. Job is about the incomprehensible ways of God, and about the praise that is due Him in bad luck as in good.

(Mike Mason, The Gospel According to Job, Crossway Books, 1994: 39-40)

Read more »

Is it wrong to get angry with God?

Each morning for the past couple of months, I have been reading, as part of my daily devotions, a chapter or two from Mike Mason’s excellent devotional commentary The Gospel According to Job.  I found yesterday’s reading particularly thought provoking, especially in light of the many reports we receive each day of persecution here at The Voice of the Martyrs.  Sometimes we read a story that brings us to tears, as Floyd mentioned in his blog yesterday.  Occasionally, anger rises up.  Is it wrong to be angry with God, as well as the persecutor? Read this over and let me know what you think.

The Primal Scream

"Why has your heart carried you away,
and why do your eyes flash,
so that you vent your rage against God?" (15:12-13)

"Dialogue" is a very polite term for what happens in Job. Really it is an argument, and a hot one at that. Not only does Job argue with his friends, but he also argues with God. As for the friends, they too are engaged in a heated dispute with God, but like many people they do not care to admit this, and so their anger is directed instead against Job. A man like Eliphaz thinks that if he gets mad at God, God in turn will get mad at him and condemn him. So Eliphaz suppresses his anger and lives in continual, subconscious fear of divine wrath. He is like a hermit who prides himself on having no interpersonal hassles to upset his tranquil and ordered lifestyle. But anyone who lives in a family, in close fellowship with others, lives with tensions, complaints, disputes. Different families cope with these stresses in different ways - some quietly and some noisily, some effectively and some pathologically - but no family survives for long without some form of argument, and the family of God is no exception.

Is not the whole human race engaged in one long argument with God that is called "history"? The difference between believers and unbelievers is that while the former argue on speaking terms with the Lord, the latter do so by turning their backs and giving Him the silent treatment. Those who choose to live outside the family circle end up with no proper forum for expressing their hurts and resentments against their Heavenly Father. But those who gather around the Father's table know that such problems must be regularly aired, for if they are not, they will poison intimacy.

In our culture anger is generally frowned upon as being disruptive. But there are different ways of being disruptive. A chronically loud, critical person is certainly disruptive. But a polite, well-behaved person may also be disruptive, and in a church such a person may be using their friendly and unassuming ways to obstruct the purposes of God. A cult of niceness is as effective as heresy for destroying the spiritual life of a church. Anger, on the other hand, may be used by God to break up a spirit of complacency. Ezekiel, who when the Lord first called him to a prophetic reacted "in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit" (3:14). case the Lord used anger and bitterness to inflame Ezekiel's heart with passion for Him. If Ezekiel had insisted on remaining a mild-mannered priest (which he probably was by nature), he would have thwarted God's purposes.

Little wonder that the great believers of the Bible have also been great arguers with God - from Jacob, who actually came to blows with the angel of the Lord, to Peter who in Acts 10 answered a divine command three times with the words, "Surely not, Clearly, anger at God can be a sign of spiritual growth. It can mean we are outgrowing a concept of God that is no longer adequate for us. It could even be said that our anger is directed not at the living God Himself but at our own idolatrous concept of Him. While we ourselves may not understand this, nevertheless our anger functions to move us closer to God as He really is. Religious phonies will go to almost any lengths to hide the fact that their relationship with God is not real or satisfying. But people who truly love the Lord have a consuming hunger for reality. Freedom, truth, peace,joy: such things have a taste and a feel all their own, and we know them when we see them. If the people of God are deprived of these fruits of the Lord's real presence, naturally they grow angry and disconsolate. Is it their fault that they cannot live without God?

There are times when the Lord is actually honored and glorified by our anger at Him, in ways that He may not be by an attitude of unruffled "trust." Job provides a healthy balance to the traditional picture of the bloodless, gutless, cheerfully suffering saint. At the very least, anger means that we are taking God seriously and treating Him as a real person - real enough to arouse our passions. Angry prayer is not to be recommended as a steady diet, perhaps, but it is certainly preferable to lip-service prayer. Doesn't artificiality in relationships belie a far greater hostility than the honest expression of deep emotion? In the prim and proper prayer lives of many devout folk, a good old-fashioned temper tantrum might one of the best things that could happen. In the courts of Heaven there is a place for the primal scream.

(Mike Mason, The Gospel According to Job, Crossway Books, 1994: 175-176)

Read more »

Sealed!

Have you ever stood at the edge of a cliff or a canyon and peered over? One step and you would fall into the abyss. You have nowhere else to go.

That’s how Revelation chapter 6 leaves us. The cosmic battle between the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world has come to a climactic point. We find ourselves at the edge of the abyss. And the question is asked, “Who is able to stand” the judgment of God and the wrath of the Lamb? (6:17)

As we look ahead to an uncertain future, Revelation 7 provides the answer to our anxieties. In the conflict that takes place between the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world that stand in opposition to Him, only those who have the seal of the living God (7:2) will be able to stand God’s judgment and the Lamb’s wrath. We are secure. But make no mistake -- we are not safe! Don’t confuse security and safety. They are not the same. Whenever the kingdom of God collides with the kingdoms of the world that are in rebellion against Him, God’s people suffer crushing pressure (the meaning of the term “tribulation” in verse 14).[i]

For those undergoing persecution for their faith and witness for Christ, chapter 7 is the most comforting of all of the visions recorded in Revelation. While this book does provide warning to the spiritually complacent, above all it provides strength to those reeling under the pressure of tribulation.

Many times over the years that I have been involved with The Voice of the Martyrs, I have had individuals express the concern that they were not sure that they would have the strength to endure persecution like those they read about in our newsletter. Revelation 7 is for such people! Because we are His possession, washed and robed in the blood of the Lamb, He has provided all that we will ever need to stand firm--to successfully come through the time of great tribulation (7:14).

This is happening all over the world today, just as it was happening to those who first read the verses of Revelation in A.D. 96. By God’s grace, we are “coming out” (verse 14) of this great pressure that comes upon all who serve as God’s witnesses in an antagonistic world. As exiles in a hostile land, we are promised a new and better homeland (verses 15-17). Similar promises were made centuries before to those who would return from exile in Babylon (Isaiah 49:10):

They shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them,
for he who has pity on them will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.

As one author has noted:

In Revelation, Christians are exiled to another Babylon, but they are promised freedom from captivity and safe passage to a new promised land by following the Lamb (cf. 18:4). The Lamb will shepherd them and lead them to springs of water of life (cf. Rev. 21:6; John 4:14; 7:37-39) and “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (7:17; cf. 21:4). As a parent wipes away a child's tears, God will wipe away the tears of pain and suffering endured during the ordeal. The tenderness and comfort of 7:16-17 contrast with the chaotic events of chapter 6:31. The dismal outlook in chapter 6 is balanced in chapter 7 by the imagery of a tender and compassionate God who will set the world right side up. [ii]

With such promises, our calling as followers of the Lamb, as those who are sealed and will stand before the throne (7:4,9), is to not run away from the suffering that will inevitably come when the kingdoms collide. We must not give up nor give in but, instead, firm in the grace of God, acknowledging that “salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (7:10)

"Amen!
Blessing
and glory
and wisdom
and thanksgiving
and honor
and power
and might
be to our God forever and ever!
Amen." (7:12)

[i][i] Darrell W. Johnson. Discipleship on the Edge: An Expository Journey Through the Book of Revelation. Regent College Publishing, 2004: 181.

[ii] James L. Resseguie, The Revelation of John: A Narrative Commentary. Baker, 2009: 140.

Read more »

“Come”

When one thinks of the book of Revelation, one naturally thinks of the second coming of Jesus. And rightfully so. The coming of our Lord Jesus brackets the entire book. In chapter 1:7 we read “Behold! He is coming.” In 3:11 Jesus promises, “I am coming soon.” In 22:7, Jesus says, “Behold! I am coming soon.” Again in 22:7, “Behold, I am coming soon!” The book ends with a declaration from Jesus, “Surely I am coming soon” and a prayer from the apostle John, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” In this John echoes the words of the Spirit of God and the Bride of the Lamb in 22:17 as they say, “Come!” And John says, “Let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’” This is a prayer that is often on the lips of His people in the midst of their afflictions -- “Lord, come!”

And so, as we approach Revelation 5, we hear this cry repeatedly from four living creatures that surround the throne of God as the seals on the scroll are broken -- “Come!”

The question arises, of course, “Who are or what are they calling?” Some say that the cry is for the four horsemen to come forth. Others say that they are calling for John to come and see. But it seems to me that the cry to “Come” is most consistently used in the book of Revelation to cry out to the Lamb to come and establish His kingdom. But when this happens, as we see in chapter six, the Lamb and His people encounter intense resistance and opposition.

Four times, the living creatures call out “Come!” Four times, a horseman rides out. The first is armed with a bow (a weapon frequently associated with the enemies of God in Scripture). He goes out conquering and to conquer, we read in verse 2. Ironically, when God’s enemies believe that they are conquering Him and His people (13:7), they are actually being conquered (17:14). The second horseman (v.3) is permitted the right to kill God’s people with the sword. Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:34 are likely being alluded to here when He says, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” The third horseman (v.5) brings economic hardship upon those who follow the Lamb. They are forced to pay inflated prices or given restricted access to the basic necessities of life. This type of economic oppression is a common tactic of persecutors the world over and it grinds God’s people down. It is one thing to suffer hunger yourself but to watch your children suffer hunger and deprivation because of your faith can be demoralizing and make the temptation to deny Christ all the more attractive. Finally the fourth horseman rides out (v.7), bringing disease and death to the people of God. Deprived, oppressed, and mistreated, it would almost appear that the prayer to “Come” is disastrous to the people of God. But then the fifth seal is broken.

In verse 9, the scene shifts from the earth to heaven and we see an altar. Under the altar are the souls of those who have been slain as the first four seals were broken. We read that they were slain “for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.” Just as in the previous four seals, there is a prayer (v.10). “They cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’” This, too, is a prayer that bursts from the mouth of all persecuted believers during their darkest moments – a cry for God to intervene and to set things right. “How long, O Lord? How long will you tolerate this? Why don’t you simply assert your rule now?”

But force is not the way of the Lamb. The time for God’s perfect justice will come. His purposes will be achieved but it will be done His way, the way of sacrifice and suffering, even death. In 12:11 we read that “They conquered him . . . by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” You see, God does not fight to win people back to Himself; He will not use force. As Josif Ton notes,

From the beginning, Satan has used deception to win people to himself, and throughout history, he has relied on lies, hatred, brute force, torture, and death to keep people in bondage and slavery. But God cannot use the same methods. He must use methods consistent with His own nature. He could conceivably force His way to the nations of the world, but that would be against His own nature and character.[i]

And so we read in verse 11, “Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.” This is how God will accomplish His purposes; through those who sacrificially do His will even unto death.

Jesus will come back. The prayers of God’s people and the four living creatures will finally be answered. According to Revelation 6:11, it is when the last martyr has been killed; the last witness has been slain because of his/her testimony. Then God will say, “It is finished!” (16:17), the gates will be closed, heaven will be sealed, and Christ will return to judge the world. This is seen with the breaking of the sixth seal in 6:12-14. Notice that with this broken seal, as with the previous five, there are prayers being uttered, but this time the prayers ushered forth are from those who have participated in opposing God’s purposes. Rich and poor, powerful and powerless, slave and free, they, like Adam, attempt to hide from the One they opposed.[ii] As creation dissolves into chaos at His coming, they cry out “Who can stand in the day of God’s wrath?” The answer is found in the next chapter; only those who belong to the Lamb are able to stand (7:3)! While the Church may seem to be wounded and bleeding in this world, those wounds are, like those of the Lamb; evidence that Christ’s kingdom is, indeed, coming (Matt. 6:10).
______________________________________

[i] Josef Ton, Suffering, Martyrdom and Rewards in Heaven. University of America Press, 1997: 295
[ii] James L. Resseguie, The Revelation of John: A Narrative Commentary. Baker, 2009: 133

Read more »

Overview of persecution in the book of Acts

In Acts 1:3, Luke introduces his account by informing Theophilus that in the time between Jesus resurrection and His ascension, Jesus gave commands to His disciples and "presented himself alive after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:1-3). In Luke 24:13-35, he recounts how Jesus met up with two of His followers on the road to Emmaus, probably heading away from Jerusalem to a place of safety. Jerusalem had become a hostile place for the followers of Jesus. They had witnessed the crucifixion of their Lord, and despite reports that Jesus had risen from the dead, they obviously had their doubts. They decided that it was time to move on before the followers of Jesus were tracked down as well.

As they traveled to Emmaus, Luke records that these two unidentified disciples found themselves engaged in conversation with a fellow traveler about the events that had just taken place in Jerusalem and how Jesus had been killed. The traveler listens to them explaining what they had heard and gone through. Finally he interjects, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" (Luke 24:25-26).

With that as a basic outline, - suffering followed by glory – He walked them through the entire story of Scripture (verse 27). With Christ at the centre of it all, the events in Jerusalem began to make sense. The Servant of God had to suffer in order to be glorified.

When the disciples were finally allowed to realize that it had been Jesus, Himself, who had been speaking to them,[1] they raced back to Jerusalem to report to the other disciples what they had experienced. There they found them in a barricaded room, obviously in fear of their lives.

As the two disciples recount how Jesus spoke with them, suddenly Jesus appeared in their midst. In verse 45, we read that He opened their minds to understand the Scripture, "and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem ( Luke 24:46-47).

Christ’s suffering and rising from the dead was to be shared worldwide. It could not be restricted to one group in one room in one city. The global expansion of the gospel would start with them in Jerusalem, but it would not end there.

During the next thirty-nine days, we read in Acts 1 that Jesus went over the theme of the kingdom of God many times with His disciples. He stresses in verse 4 that they are not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the promised Holy Spirit. Telling people not to leave town may seem like a strange way to launch a worldwide missionary movement.

Acts 1: 8 reads, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

Acts 1:8 provides the outline for the rest of the book of Acts, as we see how the disciples followed Jesus’ command:

The first seven chapters deal with the spread of the gospel in Jerusalem. Chapters 8:1-11:18 record how the message of Jesus is spread throughout Judea and Samaria. Starting in 11:19, the focus is the spread of the gospel to the "ends of the earth". When Luke’s account ends in chapter 28, it does so rather suddenly as if to emphasize that the story is not complete; we, the readers, continue the mission. It is clear that Luke’s focus in chapter 28 is not on Paul’s fate but the progress of the gospel. The book does not close with the end of Paul’s life or martyrdom but with Paul, "proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance." These last words stand as an encouragement for all followers of Christ to do the same as the gospel continues to be carried "to the ends of the earth."

The spread of the gospel, however, begins in Jerusalem. This begs the question, "Why? Why was this necessary? Why did the proclamation of the gospel have to start in Jerusalem?" Before we address this question, however, we need to put aside three inadequate explanations that are sometimes proposed.

First, the gospel did not begin in Jerusalem because it was home to the disciples and thus they would find a more ready or receptive audience. Jerusalem was not home for any of the disciples. They were from Galilee, not Jerusalem. The angels in Acts 1:11 addressed them as "Men of Galilee." The people of Jerusalem could easily pick out the disciples by their Galilean accents, even in the dark (cf. Matt.26:73, Luke 22:59). Regional prejudices would not have made Galileans the most suitable messengers for the more urbane citizens of Jerusalem, nor would the disciples have felt at home in the city. Their home was in the smaller towns and rural areas of Galilee.

A common misuse of Acts 1:8 is the way in which this passage is misapplied to teach a progressive succession of evangelism from home to distant lands. A familiar scenario would be like the one below:

In this view, anyone’s hometown is likened to the singular city of Jerusalem and labeled with the phrase "our own Jerusalem" or something similar. Unfortunately, this way of viewing local evangelistic efforts often serves to "detach present-day evangelism efforts from the very historic unfolding that Jesus was trying to emphasize."[2]  Hawthorne explains:

The reality is that there was only one beginning of the gospel. In God’s history there will never be another subsequent Pentecost point. Every later initiative is a down-line fruition of that outpouring and obedience. We are now in the "the uttermost parts," not repeating the scenario reaching of "our-own-Jerusalem." Acts 1:8 is a geographical reference as much as it is a historical one.[3]

Secondly, the spread of gospel did not begin in Jerusalem because it would be the safest place to start and the disciples would be able to get experience in witnessing before moving on to more difficult or resistant areas. Rather the opposite was true. The most dangerous place on earth for the disciples to start their ministry was in Jerusalem. Avowed enemies with the power to throw them in prison had tried to arrest them in the garden of Gethsemane only days before (Mark 14:50-52; John 18:8-9). They would likely try again.

Thirdly, Jerusalem was not chosen to be the starting place for the spread of the gospel because the city was familiar territory for the disciples where ministry experience would prepare them for more unfamiliar ministry later on. Looking at the gospels, one finds that Jesus and His disciples spent relatively little time in Jerusalem. The urban setting of Jerusalem was unfamiliar to the rural Galileans. As noted earlier, there was a regional rivalry between those of Jerusalem and those of Galilee. Neither thought overly fondly of the other. Had Jesus wanted the disciples to start in more familiar territory to gain experience, He undoubtedly would not have chosen Jerusalem. Besides, the disciples were hardly novices to ministry. They had spent over three years with Jesus. He had sent them out on at least two mission trips already. They were fully prepared apart from one thing: they lacked the Holy Spirit.

So why did Jesus tell them to stay in Jerusalem? Two reasons are apparent. First, mission cannot take place apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Spirit has empowered Jesus for His work, so the Spirit was needed to empower the disciples for theirs. Jesus knew that as the gospel was spread, that His disciples would face the same opposition that He had faced. He had trained them for martyrdom.[4] He had also promised that just as He had known how to respond and speak when handed over to religious and civic authorities for prosecution, so His disciples would also know what to say when it happened to them. The Holy Spirit would give them the words that they would need at that time (Matthew 10:18-20; Mark 13:11; Luke 12:11-12; 21:14-15). Ton adds:

The implications of this promise [i.e. Acts 1:8] are enormous. First of all, it tells the disciples that they will not be alone in the battle; the Holy Spirit will be in them and with them. Secondly, it makes them aware that this battle is actually not their own; it is God’s initiative and God’s action and concern. They are His ambassadors, fully endowed with His authority and power. Thirdly, whatever they will achieve will be God’s achievement, because God’s Spirit has acted through them.[5]

Referring to Weinrich’s research on the relationship between the Holy Spirit and persecution[6], Thomas Schirrmacher writes:

Jesus spoke seldom of the Holy Spirit’s function, but when He did so, frequently described Him as helper and comforter in persecution (Matt. 10:17-20; Mark 13:9-11; Luke 21:12-19). No wonder that Paul follows the Lord’s example in his catalogue of his sufferings by attributing his endurance to the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 6:6). In Philippians 1:19, he writes, "For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ." He reminds the Thessalonians, that "ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost" (1 Thess 1:6-7).[7]

Second, Jerusalem was God’s appointed starting place for the spread of the gospel because there were considerable missiological and theological reasons for doing so. While some might argue that the disciples might have drifted back to the comfort zone of their homes in Galilee had they been allowed to leave Jerusalem, I think it more likely that Jesus' instructions were more missiologically and theologically oriented. Jerusalem was the centre of monotheistic worship on the globe. It was the focal point of God's covenant with mankind. Christianity needed to be seen to be in continuity with what had gone on before in God’s plan, rather than being potentially labeled as a Galilean sect.

In support of this view would be the evidence we have from 1 and 2 Corinthians and Acts 11 where we find Paul taking up a collection from the Gentile churches to present to the church in Jerusalem. A careful reading of Paul on the matter reveals that the motivation of this offering was not primarily with the actual financial need of this particular church, because the famine covered the entire world (cf. Acts 11:28). This gesture was much more than an act of charity. In Paul's mind, it was an expression of love and Christian unity as the Gentile church ministered to the Jewish saints out of gratitude for what the Jewish believers had done in making it possible for them to know Christ (cf. Romans 15:27).[8] There may have also been an even more significant motive for this, however. Christopher Little writes:

The ultimate reason for the collection project rests upon the fact that Paul was constrained by prophecies which spoke of the nations coming to Israel to worship its King (cf. Is. 60:4-14; 66:19-24; Ps. 72:8-11). As a result of seeing believing Gentiles coming to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4 with 21:15-19), Paul hoped that Israel would be provoked to jealousy so that it might repent and accept Jesus as its Messiah (cf., Rom. 10:1; 11:11-24). Accordingly, Paul’s priestly gift is the Gentiles themselves (Rom. 15:16) to verify that the God of Israel had also become the God of the Gentiles and that there is now only one people of God comprised of all nations (Gal. 3:28-29; Eph. 3:4-6).[9]

Hence, Paul was careful to make sure to emphasize the continuity between Jerusalem and how God had worked in the past, with the present spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth among the Gentiles. The latter was a result of the unfolding plan of God begun with the Jews, fulfilled in Christ and proclaimed through the Church.

I maintain that this is why the disciples stayed in Jerusalem, just as they had been instructed. When the Spirit came upon them, they immediately began to witness publicly, despite the risk. When persecution came, they did not scatter. They remained in Jerusalem where it was most strategic – and the most dangerous.

They were arrested, shamed, beaten, censured, but they continued. Eventually, one of them, James, was killed (12:2), but even then they remained, refusing to flee. They made no attempt to hide themselves. They knew that for the gospel to spread most effectively, they needed to remain in Jerusalem. It was only after an angel broke Peter out of prison and told him to leave, that he finally found a safer place out of town, but there is no indication that the rest of the apostles left or that Peter stayed away any longer than was necessary.

Were the disciples being disobedient to the commission of Christ by staying in Jerusalem? I do not think so. They were being the catalyst by which the Church, itself, spread throughout the world. They were busy laying the foundations for a movement that would shake the known world of their day.

They worked in ways that consciously served to advance the spread of the gospel (Acts 6:4). They monitored carefully the expansion of the gospel and when they heard of the gospel advancing, they moved immediately to validate, bless and support it (Acts 8:14-25; 11:22). When it became clear that the churches had multiplied throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, Peter, himself, toured the entire region, helping the Church to increase (9:31-32). It was during this time, that God used him to share the gospel with the Gentiles in the house of Cornelius, demonstrating that God accepts all people into His family, regardless of race. Because the disciples were faithful in remaining in Jerusalem, despite the risks, they were in a position to walk through the door that God had opened to all nations.

To go through the entire book of Acts would be exhaustive, but let us make a few observations of some of the major incidents of persecution:

What are some of the common themes that come out of this survey?

• Persecution provides more opportunities to witness.
• When they fled, the disciples did not go "underground". They continued to preach. In Acts, witnessing is always public.
• Opposition inevitably followed the preaching of the gospel. While persecution does cause the Church to scatter in Acts, thereby spreading the gospel, it would be a mistake to conclude the relationship between persecution and church growth is best defined thus. The testimony of Acts is not so much that persecution causes church growth but that church growth and the spread of the gospel tends to cause persecution, as religious and political leaders rise up and try to stop this movement that has "caused trouble all over the world and has now come here" (Acts 17:6).[10]
• Persecution came from various sources and in a variety of ways. The explanation for why the believers were persecuted in the book of Acts cannot be traced back to one single reason.

________________________________

[1] 24:16 indicates that the disciples were kept from recognizing Him and 21:30 speaks of their eyes being "opened." No fault should be laid on the disciples for failing to recognize their Lord.

[2] Steven Hawthorne, "Acts of Obedience" in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader 3rd edition. William Carey Library, 1999:126.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Josef Ton, Suffering, Martyrdom and Rewards in Heaven. University of America Press, 1997: 315.

[5] Ibid.

[6] William Carl Weinreich, Spirit and Martyrdom. University Press of America, 1981

[7] Thomas Schirrmacher, The Persecution of Christians Concerns Us All: Towards a Theology of Martyrdom, zugleich Idea-Dokumentation 15/99 E. VKW, 2001: 31

[8] cf. Günther Bornkamm, "The Letter to the Romans As Paul's Last Will and Testament" in The Romans Debate. ed. Karl P. Donfried. Augsburg Publishing House, 1977: 19. Bornkamm: 18-19 also makes the astute observation that Paul was obviously concerned that the Jewish Christians might not accept this collection and accept such a demonstrate of unity between Jew and Gentile in the church and so he asks for the Roman church to pray that that his service to the saints in Jerusalem would be acceptable to them (15:31).

[9] Christopher Little, "Whatever Happened to the Apostle Paul?" Mission Frontiers, September 2001: 27.

[10] This concept was first introduced to me by Vernon J. Sterk in his article "You Can help the Persecuted Church," International Journal of Missionary Research. January 1999: 15-18, as he discussed the growth of the Church in the Mexican state of Chiapas. His field research and doctrinal dissertation on the dynamics of persecution led him to conclude that 1) the acceptance of the gospel message leads to persecution, and 2) persecution negatively affects the growth of the Church. However, he notes, the damaging effects can be minimized through an adequate preparation for, and proper response to, persecution. He also notes that an essential part of that response must be the prayers and involvement of the worldwide Church. On a personal note, my research on the biblical theology of persecution and discipleship has been born out of a desire to help prepare the church for and in persecution.

Read more »

Rights: Real but not grasped

Philippians 2:4-11 is a magnificent section of Scripture. In this passage, Paul further develops a thought that he began in Philippians 1:7 where he speaks of being a partaker of God’s grace “both in my imprisonment and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel.” In this passage, Paul describes grace as being God’s work of transforming us through persecution into sacrificial givers to others, equipping us to sacrificial involvement in the cause of Christ and His gospel. Paul develops this thought even further in chapter 2 when he turns our attention to the example of Jesus and His willingness to sacrifice for us.

For many of us, the thought that persecution and suffering can be a gracious gift from God is foreign. We tend to think of grace as something that we freely receive. We are unaccustomed to think that grace is also something meant to transform us into being not only grateful receivers of the free gift of salvation but also sacrificial givers of this same gospel to others. But reflecting on the example of our Saviour, Paul wants his readers to see how self-centered living is the exact opposite of what Christ calls us to. We are to have the same mind or attitude as our Lord when, rather than seeing His equality with God as being something to selfishly grasped, Jesus understood that the nature of deity was to be self-giving (2:6). To be sacrificial to the point of suffering and dying is part of the very nature of who God is. We read that Jesus, being God, willingly emptied Himself, took the form of a servant, and humbled Himself to the point of death (2:5–8). This, Paul says, is to be the attitude of each of those who are Christ’s followers as well (verse 5).

While it is important and biblical to defend the rights of Christians to worship freely and to defend those who suffer unjustly, it is also vital to remember that the cost of following Christ usually means that we refuse to grasp on to these rights for ourselves. Jesus had every right to be treated with respect and honour, being God. We have every right to be treated with respect because we are created in the image of God (cf. Genesis 1:27; 9:6; James 3:9). The Hebrew word for image is the same term used for idol. Although Israel was forbidden to have any false gods or idols or to create an idol to represent the true God, God Himself designed a single living image (or idol, if you like) to represent him – humanity. We are God’s idols. Not to be worshipped but created to represent God to others as God’s living sculptures.

As His representatives, we are called to fulfill His purposes in the same way in which He does. And Jesus demonstrated God’s methodology in His life and death on the cross– sacrifice, self-giving, humility, and obedience even to the point of death. This means having a readiness to even give up anything – our possessions, priorities, rights, hopes, families, even our lives for God. When we focus too much on our own personal rights, we are looking backward rather than forward, inward rather than outward, focusing on the image rather than on the One we are to represent. Yes, we recognize the wrongs we suffer, the pains, hurts and violations, but we forgive and renew our focus on the task before us, on our responsibilities as God’s representatives in this hostile world.

Again, we need to emphasize that this does not presuppose that the rights we possess as human beings are not legitimate and that others can (and perhaps should) uphold them. Nor does this give us the excuse to not uphold the rights of others. If we have no rights, as some would say, then renouncing them would be meaningless. Giving up illegitimate rights can hardly be considered a sacrifice. But there are times (probably more often than we are comfortable admitting) when the call to follow Christ and to conform to His image requires that we renounce the rights that we may rightfully possess, even the right to life itself.

Similarly, to refuse to uphold the rights of others simply because we have personally chosen to renounce these rights for the sake of the Kingdom is unjust and a direct violation of scriptural commands to defend the weak and oppressed and to speak on their behalf. It would be a cruel person who says, “Since I refuse to uphold my rights, I will bind you to my decision as well by letting you suffer in silence and refuse to raise a finger to help you.” This is why The Voice of the Martyrs exists. We obey the biblical admonitions to speak on behalf of those who cannot speak, to defend the rights of defenceless because they have chosen to renounce these rights for the sake of Christ.

Read more »

What was Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”?

The conjectures as to what Paul’s "thorn in the flesh" (2 Cor. 12:7) was are legion. Many, if not most, commentators believe that was a physical ailment.  However, I think that the context in which this verse appears suggests quite a different answer, one that can provide tremendous encouragement to persecuted Christians.

The most extensive of all of Paul’s description of his afflictions for Christ’s sake is found in 2 Corinthians 11:23-12:10. It is at this point that Paul directly challenges those in Corinth who deny his credentials as a true apostle of God.

In 1 Corinthians, he has shown how God’s weakness in the cross of His Son, a weakness of suffering and self-sacrifice turned out to be God’s strength and power. He has maintained that his sufferings are linked with Christ (1 Cor. 1:3-11) and it is the world that rejects the method by which God has chosen to reconcile the world to Himself and sees only the shame and apparent defeat. In contrast, those who are being saved see it as fragrant offering to God (2:14-17). Paul contended that his sufferings are necessary to manifest the life of Christ (4:5-15) and argued that the messengers of the gospel must live lives in accordance to the gospel (6:1-13). Christ died on the cross for man’s salvation and cross-bearing messengers are those who will bear this message to mankind. God’s methods are consistent with His message.

Yet, the Corinthians persist in listening to teachers whose message and methods are at odds with the cross of Christ. In verse 23 Paul asks, "Are they servants of Christ?" The Greek wording used here does not concede that he believes that the "super-apostles" really are servants of God. The wording is more: "Servants of God are they? Well, if they are such (and it would be absurd to say such), I am more!"

The term "servant of Christ" is reminiscent of Isaiah's reference to the suffering Servant and the servants of the suffering Servant. One cannot call himself a servant of God if he denies the need to sacrifice and suffer for Christ’s sake. Suffering defines the servant of God.

In verse 23-30, Paul spells out the credentials he points to that prove that he is a servant of God:

…with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.[1]

Then in verse 31-32, Paul gives an example of the things that he will boast of

"The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands" (2 Cor. 11:23-33).

As we noted in our study of Acts, immediately following his conversion, Paul began to preach the gospel. As a result, a plot to kill him was hatched and he was forced to flee Damascus through a hole in the wall in a basket (Acts 9:25). This experience drove home to him an incredible truth that he never forgot.

Paul might have been tempted to feel proud of his revelation from Christ, his dramatic testimony of conversion, from persecutor to messenger of God. But then he remembers that his first attempt to share the gospel resulted in his being lowered out of a window in the wall in the middle of the night in a basket that was probably used to dump rubbish outside of the wall. Paul learned that this is what the messenger of God can expect!

What did you expect following Christ would be like when you first started following Him?

In chapter 12:1, Paul goes further. The super-apostles boast of the great visions that God has given them. "Well," says Paul, "let me break a 14 year silence and tell you about visions and revelations from God that I have received."

I suspect that at this point, the Corinthians would have leaned forward in eager anticipation of what Paul was about to write. This was the kind of message that they liked to listen to.

Paul refuses to go into too many details, however. He talks about having received a vision of heaven in verses 2-5, but Paul is clearly embarrassed at having to boast at all (verse1). He refers to himself as "a man in Christ" (in the third person) in order to emphasize that receiving this vision did not make him any special type of Christian.

All that Paul feels comfortable boasting about is his weaknesses (verse 5). And so he immediately discredits the wonderful vision that God had given him in verse 7: "So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated" (2 Cor. 12:7)

The Thorn in the Flesh

Given what Paul has just discussed in the passages just prior to this verse and that which he will refer to again in verse 10; a context of opposition and persecution for the sake of Christ, I would suggest that in verse 7-10 that Paul has not changed topics.  He is still talking about persecution.

The early church theologian Chrysostom took the term "Satan" in its general Hebrew sense of "adversary", and understood this "messenger of Satan" by which he was buffeted to signify "Alexander the coppersmith, the party of Hymeneus and Philetas, and all the adversaries of the Word, those who contended with him and fought against him, those that cast him into prison, those that beat him, that led him away to death; for they did Satan's business".[2] Augustine, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret, Photius, and Theophylact and other early church fathers also saw this in the same light.[3]

More recently, R.V.G. Tasker wrote in regards to this passage "As there is nothing which tends to elate a Christian evangelist so much as the enjoyment of spiritual experiences, and as there is nothing so calculated to deflate the spiritual pride which may follow them as the opposition he encounters while preaching the Word, it is not unlikely that Chyrsostom’s interpretation is nearer the truth than any other."[4]

However we understand it, the fact is that this "messenger of Satan" was sent by God; Satan has only a limited freedom of action. God is ultimately in control. Nothing comes into the life of the believer that does not first pass through the sovereign hands of God.

That is not to say that Paul did not want this suffering removed from his life:

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (12:8-9a).

How exactly God said this to Paul, we are not told. The use of the perfect tense here, however, is illuminating, indicating that this was a past action with continuing results. In other words, what God told Paul regarding His grace being sufficient is still true for him at the time at which he is writing this letter. This was God's answer to Paul's prayer then and it still stands. And it is not a matter of accepting "second best." In Paul's mind, God’s grace in the midst of affliction is just as much an answer to prayer as deliverance because he declares, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor. 12:9b-10).

The key word here is, of course, "for the sake of Christ." Paul did not purposely go seeking for persecution. His only preoccupation was the cause of Christ, the spreading of the gospel, and these sufferings came to him as consequences of his pursuit after the purposes of God. There is nothing special in suffering for the sake of suffering. Suffering and persecution are only the inevitable results of spreading the gospel in a world that is hostile to God, the gospel, and His messengers.

Persecution reminds us who we belong to and proves that we truly are messengers of God.

__________________________________________

[1] Emphasis added.

[2] Philip E. Hughes, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1962 : 443. cf. 1 Tim.1:20; 2 Tim. 4:14

[3] A. Plummer, The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians. Cambridge University Press, 1903: 141

[4] Quoted by Hughes: 443-444

Read more »

Worthy!

In Revelation 4, the apostle John was given a glimpse into the throne room of heaven itself. This revelation was given to remind John and his readers that God is still in control, that in His presence chaos is stilled and that their persecutors ultimately have no authority at all. In chapter 5, the revelation continues and deepens. John notices something else about the One sitting on the throne. He is holding a scroll with writing on both the inside and the outside and sealed to insure its security. It is a book containing God’s plan for and contract with the world. History is not out of control. The lives of God’s persecuted people are not unaccounted for and the persecution they endure is not something He did not anticipate. Nothing has come into their lives that did not first go through His hands. God has not lost control, even though life may seem that way, especially in the midst of suffering.

This truth needs to be revealed to the world and so the cry goes out, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” Who is worthy to reveal God’s plan, to show forth God’s perspective on reality? The cry goes out and echoes throughout heaven and earth. But no one answers. No one is worthy. God has not entrusted any earthly ruler or representative with the right to accomplish His purposes. For a moment all seems lost and John breaks into tears, overcome with the knowledge that no one is worthy to reveal God’s purposes. But then he is told to look and see the One who is worthy. "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals " (verse 5).

There is one who is worthy! The Lion of Judah! John looks for this Lion, this symbol of strength and power, confidence and might. He looks and there close to the throne John sees the Lion. Except that it is not a lion! It is a lamb, small, helpless, and wounded, looking like it had been slain. This cannot but have been a surprise to John. When one looks for lions, one does not expect to see lambs and bloody ones at that! There cannot have been a greater contrast in images. Lambs have no resemblance to lions. But it is the Lamb who is worthy in its weak and wounded state, not as a lion in his strength and majesty. The Lamb is a symbol of power, but it is a power that has been demonstrated in sacrifice.[1]

You see, this is how God wins His great victories. Not through strength and power, roaring as a lion and scattering His foes through fear and intimidation. But it is through weakness, woundedness, suffering, and death that God conquers. To the persecuted Christians who first read Revelation, this had to have been a source of tremendous encouragement. The purposes of God are accomplished through suffering and sacrifice, even to the point of death. This is how God works. It is His death (not His resurrection) that makes the Lamb worthy! “The greatest power in the universe is the ‘weakness’ of sacrificial love. The greatest wisdom in the universe is the ‘foolishness’ of sacrificial love.”[2]

With this understanding, the Church’s call is to do more than survive in the face of persecution; it is called to sacrificially witness to the salvation of God, of the worthiness of the slain Lamb, proclaiming the fact that God, through the death of the Lamb, has ransomed those held prisoner by sin from every tribe and nation (5:9) and inviting others to join this throng that sings His praises by accepting His death on their behalf and putting their trust in Him. Our God reigns and we reign with Him (5:6), even though, from a worldly perspective, we are despised, shamed, beaten, and weak. But we are on the winning side! God’s purposes will be accomplished because of the sacrifice of the Lamb. His death has bought our salvation both now and forever.

Our call is now to sacrificially take this message to a hostile and resistant world, to Canada and to the ends of the earth, even at the cost of our lives. After all, this is how God accomplishes all of His great victories. May I ask, how is God accomplishing His purposes of reconciling the world to Himself through you? Is your life marked like that of a slain lamb? Is marked by sacrificial love that accepts any cost?

_______________________________________

[1] Martin Kiddle, 1940, The Revelation of St. John. London: Hodder and Stoughton:98

[2] Darrell W. Johnson, 2004. Discipleship on the Edge: An Expository Journey Through the Book of Revelation. Vancouver: Regent College Publishing: 150.

Read more »

Behold!

“Behold!” is the most common command in the book of Revelation. The second is “Fear not!” It seems that to see what God wants you to see is the key to overcoming fear, perhaps the greatest danger that persecuted Christians face.

Revelation 4 begins with two admonitions to look. Having heard the words to the seven churches, John looks and sees an open door and he commands us to look as well. “Behold, a door standing open in heaven!” He goes through the open door and he see something else that he wants us to view with him, “behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. “

It is unfortunate that some modern translations mistranslate the command to look (or behold) in these verses by omitting the command altogether. In the midst of the chaos of life, it is essential that God’s people retain this vision of God. A God whose throne is surrounded by a rainbow, a promise that no final destruction will ever come upon His people (cf. Genesis 9:12-17). A God before whom there is perfect tranquility (4:6). In biblical times, the sea represented the forces of chaos and everything opposed to the will of God. The sea represents all that seeks to overwhelm God’s work. But when John sees the throne of heaven, he sees a sea not in chaos but perfectly still. In the presence of God, chaos and confusion is conquered.

John looks and he sees great worship taking place as all of creation, heaven and earth, cry out to the one who reigns. Heaven cries out continually, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" And twenty-four elders who represent the redeemed people of God cast their crowns before the throne, saying, "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."

These words by the twenty-four elders are politically loaded and no first-century Christian would have missed them. The very first words “Worthy are you” were the same words that the Roman emperor was greeted with in the ritual that began his triumphal processions, where he would be publicly praised for his great victories over his enemies. The phrase, “our Lord and God” were exactly the same words that Roman emperors had begun to be referred by. In effect, the twenty-four elders were saying, “There is one who is worthy to receive glory, honor and power. One who may rightfully be addressed as ‘our Lord and God’” and it is not Caesar! And whereas it was the Roman custom to worship the empty throne of the emperor, worshiping his religious presence, in God’s heaven, the throne is filled and His worshippers dare not even utter His name in reverence! And He will not suffer a rival!

This vision of heaven is, therefore, both a confession of faith and a mighty challenge.[i] God’s people are called to be the best citizens that a country can have but they can never be unconditionally patriotic. When the state or society makes claims on the Christian that only should be given to God, the believer has no choice but to disobey and be prepared to face the consequences of being marked as an “enemy of the state” or of society. Isolation, hostility, discrimination, and various kinds of suffering can be expected. But the call of the believer is to “look” and to acknowledge who is on the throne and to refuse to acknowledge any other, regardless of the cost. Despite the chaos that comes into our life because of our confession, we know that He is in control and that in His presence is peace and that nothing comes into our life that does not first pass through His hands. And we are assured that no final destruction can come upon us for He is a God who keeps His promises.

___________________________________

[i] Hanns Lilje, 1957. The Last Book of the Bible. translated by Olive Wyon. Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press.

Read more »

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”

It would be a mistake to think that those who suffer violent, degrading persecution are, by the very nature of their circumstances, better Christians than those who do not. The fact is that Christians respond to persecution in a number of different ways; some positively, others less so. You see, the biggest danger facing Christians who face persecution of varying degrees is not so much the persecution, itself, but the pull to compromise with the surrounding culture and to embrace their values and to downplay their distinctiveness as followers of Christ in order to better insure their personal peace and affluence.

Take for example, the churches in Revelation 2-3. When faced with persecution, some Christians, like the ones in Ephesus, in their zeal to defend the faith, become bastions of strict, unloving and closed orthodoxy (2:1–7). These Christians are so often concerned about the dangers of the world that they forget that the church exists for the world. Others, like the believers in Smyrna, need to be encouraged not to give in to fear in the face of suffering (2:8–11). The scourge of false doctrine creeping in from the outside endangers other persecuted churches, like the one in Pergamum (2:12–17). Yet others, like in Thyatira, struggle to maintain ethical and moral purity, especially when the culture demands compromise in order to continue to make a living (2:18–29). The church in Sardis illustrates that persecuted Christians are not immune from spiritual deadness (3:1–6), while some churches, as in Philadelphia, need to be encouraged to look beyond their own neediness to the opportunities that God has placed before them (3:7–13). The Laodicean church might well represent the church that, like in Corinth, forgets that this world is not all there is. Such churches deal with opposition by assimilation into the culture and adopting the trappings of success. They forget that the time to sit on thrones is in the future (3:21), not today. The task of the Christ’s Church is to carry the cross in the pursuit of the goals of the kingdom of God. By pursuing the goals of this world, the Laodiceans may have removed the offence of the cross, but they had incurred the offence of Christ.

It would not be hard to provide you with present-day examples of each of these churches in restricted and hostile nations around the world. This is why The Voice of the Martyrs takes so seriously the call to bring biblical training to persecuted believers around the world. The Bible is a book written by persecuted believers for persecuted believers, equipping them to stand to and to be faithful witnesses in a world that is intent on silencing their voice, extinguishing their lamps, and even removing their very presence.

The call to all believers in Revelation 2-3 is the same. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (2:7, 2:11, 2:17, 2:29, 3:6, 3:13, 3:22). This admonition (like Jesus’ similar words in the Gospels) is an allusion to Isaiah 6:9-10 where God warns the remnant of His people not to participate in idolatry. Like Israel, the churches in Revelation 2-3 were in danger of compromising with the surrounding culture and embracing their values in their struggle to survive in the midst of increasingly hostile society. For some churches the beastly nature of compromise was more subtle, while for others it was far more blatant. The call is to stop listening to the siren call of compromise with its promise of peace and affluence and instead listen to the words of Jesus. These churches had not yet succumbed fully to the idols of their culture but some were in the process of doing so, while others were facing the temptation.

The same is true for us. It is never easy to follow Jesus. At least, it should not be if one is following Him faithfully. The temptations that these seven churches faced are the same that we must overcome by God’s grace and the help of His Spirit. Great and wonderful promises are given to those who listen to the words of Christ and overcome: the privilege of eating from the tree of life in the renewed creation (2:7); a crown of life (2:11); sustenance to complete the journey and assurance of entry into the kingdom of heaven (2:17); authority to rule over the nations as an inheritance in a place where there is no night (2:26–28); white garments fit for appearing in the presence of God with the multitude of those who have loved, served and acknowledged Him before men, with the pledge that Christ will acknowledge them before the Father (3:4,5); an assured place in the kingdom (temple) of God, with a new ownership, citizenship, and identity in Christ (3:12); and the right to reign with Him in His kingdom (3:21). With such promises, how can we listen to the tempting voices of our society without recognizing that by succumbing, we are truly selling our birthright for a bowl of stew (Genesis 25:33)?

Read more »