11/9/14- Remaining as the Remnant

18“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.

20Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

24Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, 25except to hold on to what you have until I come.’

26To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— (Revelation 2)

Thoughts:  This is an important passage for the mainline (oldline) denominations in the West in our day.
"His eyes are like blazing fire"  God is not blind, or deaf.  God sees much more than we think and His eyes see deeply and purely.  Perhaps in our day it might be translated "The Son of God who sees more than any MRI or XRay.  God sees to the heart of things.
He commends the church for doing a lot and having love and service for others fueled out of a faith that endures.
The Son of God rebukes them for their toleration of sexual immorality and syncretism (symbolized by a common rebuke of giving into food sacrificed to pagan idols).  Jezebel was the nick name for this prophetess.  Even today some say "She's a real Jezebel."  The original Jezebel was a princess of Sidon/Tyre and wife of King Ahab.  She brought her Baal fertility worship with her.  Fertility worship involved temple prostitutes and sexual immorality.  Elijah at one point said he was the only one left of the prophets of the Lord and Jezebel was trying to kill him.  The rebuke of a "bed of suffering" may refer to sexually transmitted diseases. Perrhaps some were trying to hide their sexual immorality- but God reminds them that He searches hearts and minds- caring what they do "in private" with the souls and bodies He gives them.
     But what stands out even more than all the above is Jesus' advice to the remnant in Thyatira.  He does not suggest that they leave and go our and form the Second Church of Thyatira, or go to church in one of the sister cities not far away.  His advice is to hold on to what you have until I cojme.  It is too easy to leave because we disagree with the sexual immorality and even the spiritual death (of her children) so that we try to escape the sin of this life.  The advice to Elijah was not to leave and form a new nation either.  To divide and split goes against the command to love even when there is immorality or deadness.  The remnant is called to remain and to let the light of hope and faith not go out.  

Prayer: Lord, let me love the people around me, being faithful to you even if those around me are not.  

Thyatira today

11/6/14- Revelation 2

4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5Consider 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. 6But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. (Revelation 2)

The church of Ephesus was blessed at its founding.  Paul went there and stayed longer than anywhere else in Asia Minor.  When Paul was called to go to Jerusalem, the Ephesian elders met him and wept.  Timothy was one of the first bishops of Ephesus.  The Apostle John went to Ephesus and probably died there.  There is a house on top of the hill overlooking Ephesus that tradition says is the house of Mary the Mother of Jesus that John cared for in her latter days.
     Yet the second generation of Christians were Christians in practice but not in heart.  They had the tradition.  They believed in the change in their parents.  But they were missing the love.  So the advice was to reignite the spark of love in their hearts.  To do that they were to repent, remember the old ways, Kind of like going back to the old places that ignited the spark of love, they were called to think back to their first zeal of belief and re-oignite the spark.  We all need to do that.  We all need to consider if our love is what it used to be or what it needs to be.  Loving God is the first commandment, and the church dies out (the lampstand is extinguished) if we do not get that love back. 

Prayer: Lord, let your love flow in me and awake inside me. 

9-27-14 Ephesians

1“To the angel^a of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2I 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. 3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5Consider 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. 6But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

7Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Thoughts: There are some who see the seven churches as representative of seven ages in church history.  But nowhere in the text itself does it indicate that this is the way we should interpret these texts.  The seven churches are seven real locations in Asia Minor- and places that John had visited.  In some ways, these are the most practical verses of the whole book.  We can learn from the examples and mistakes of these churches in our own day.
     The church in Ephesus worked hard and persevered under persecution.  It was in Ephesus that Paul was arrested. The rioters shouted, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians- for the Temple of Artemis was one of the seven wonders of the world.  The Ephesians were also good and commended for guarding the faith and not tolerating heretics and wicked people.  Paul had warned them to "keep watch over the flock" (Acts 20:28).  However, their love and enthusiasm for Christ had grown cold.  Their call by God was to repent and do the things they did at first.  What were these things?  Acts tells us they burned millions of dollars worth of sorcery scolls and magical charms.  We are called by this passage to evaluate our love for Christ and see how it compares to our love when we first believed.  

Prayer: Lord, may my love for you be renewed and grow stronger instead of fading with time. 

5/31/13- Keeping the fire going

4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 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. (Rev. 2:4,5)

Thoughts: Today the lampstand of the church of Ephesus is gone.  It once was mighty.  Paul taught there and was well loved.  Miracles were done there.  The apostle John taught and probably died there.  It is strong tradition that Mary mother of Jesus also lived her last days in Ephesus.  The people at one time burned over a million dollars of spells and sorcery scrolls in zeal for the gospel.  Today the pagan temple of Artemis- one of the seven wonders of the world at Ephesus is gone- but so is the Christian church.
    It could happen to any church- or any Christian.  It is hard to keep that first love.  In a relationship- we get to know each other and become as comfortable and worn as an old shoe.  However, that having been said, it is easier to stoke the flames of love when we are together than when we are apart.  Three logs together burns brighter than three logs spread apart (the embers go out when spread apart).  The illusion that we can fan the flames for God all by ourselves is a common mirage.  Just as football is meant to be a team sport, so Christian faith is meant to be practiced in all its messiness together.  While it is possible to throw the ball up and catch it by yourself- being with others is better.  Christians are called to love each other- and also to love God together.  Cyber communion just isn't the same.  
   Today I am helping move my pregnant daughter and busy- medical-student son-in-law and grandaughter to a new house.  I picked up a table donated by his grandfather.  Tomorrow my son will come and help haul some furniture and boxes.  Saturday my daughter and other son-in-law will come and haul some more.  Friday night a wonderful church person is bringing over supper.  Now, she could move all by herself (she is pregnant and is still working).  But it is more memorable and a bit easier when many hands come together to make the load lighter.  
    Make sure your relationship with others and the church is strong for when you need the church.  The church teaches us to love God- but also teaches us to love each other through the mess and disappointments of life.  The church is far from perfect- it is quite messy.  We should not be surprised at the sin in the church on this side of heaven.  But it still points to a brighter day- when there is no coldness, sinfulness, aloofness in church- but it is full of love.  Fan into flames your love for God- use the church as the bellows to blow hard on your dying embers.  

Prayer:  Lord, may I return to your true love.  

(The ruins of an Ephesus street)