These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
(Revelation 2:8b-10- Christ's words to the church in Pergammum).
2 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. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
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. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. (Revelation 2:2-6- Christ's words to the church in Ephesus).
Thoughts: Knox said in the Scots Confession that there is a false church (a synagogue of Satan as above- with false apostles 2:2) and a true church. It is not that the true church is a perfect church- far from it. But the difference is that the true church repents. If the church stops repenting, its love dies (as happened in Ephesus).
Knox (Scots Confession chapter 18)and Calvin agree that there are signs that show us where a true church is:
1) Right Preaching of the Word of God- always seeking to reform to God's Word not our own thoughts- which can be and often are self-deceived.
2) Right Administration of the sacraments- The sacraments are not secondary to the Christian life. In America's love with individualism, we need to hear the need for common baptism and communion. We can't do communion over the internet, and baptism takes more than one. We also, however, do not need to elevate the sacraments to the basis for salvation. Salvation comes by grace through faith- not by grace through sacrament. The outward act is not enough- it is a visible symbol of God's invisible grace. If we only emphasize the outside we become like the Pharisees.
3) Right discipline- "where vice is repressed and virtue is nourished." That is, the church must encourage each other not only by inspiring, but also by pointing out in frank love, where we fail. America desperately needs a church that is not overly harsh- but is full of grace and love but also points out wrong. We know a school without discipline may teach reading, writing, and arithmetic but it will not teach it well. A school is also to teach kids how to listen, how to follow instructions, how to respect others. The picture above by Jan Steen (which I saw in the National Gallery in Scotland) is a picture of a school gone wild- which is useless- even as a babysitter. A church that is unable to say anyone or anything is wrong is headed in the same direction. It is important to be able to speak the truth in love- in love- but not muting the truth.
Prayer: Help me Lord. Help me by loving me, and love me by disciplining me- even if it hurts.
No comments:
Post a Comment