Watch your step.
Err on the side of caution.
Skating on thin ice.
Playing with fire.
Whistling past the graveyard.
Keep your head down.
The English language is full of idioms to warn of risky business; it is ‘better safe than sorry’ haven’t you heard. I suppose it is not surprising since life is hard and ‘once bitten twice shy’. We all share this tendency to some extent. We have a way of looking out for one another that likes tempering the risk taker, and if we have personal experience with a certain difficulty we are all the more likely to pass our well earned caution on to others. I do pity the man who took one for the team by being the first and last to eat yellow snow.
It is therefore very interesting what the Lord inspires John to write in his letter (the book of Revelation) to the seven churches of Asia. Think of the context. Imagine you are in the latter part of the first century living under the rule of the Roman Empire. It is a time of severe persecution of churches and Christians. To accept Christ as Lord meant your worship was directed to Christ and Christ alone. The denial of Roman gods and most importantly the god-like Ceasar, would have put you in direct and threatening opposition to the expected flow and duty of Roman society. It would disadvantage you socially, economically, and politically. To many it meant death. The early church knew the meaning of risk and felt the sting of societal marginalization; suffering was a reality, not a mere concept.
John himself was no stranger to persecution. Early Christian apologist Tertullian wrote that though John was never martyred like the other faithful apostles, he was boiled in oil in Rome before being banished to the Greek island of Patmos. What might you write to the church, and to loved ones and friends, if you were in his shoes? It would have been easy for him to say, “Take it from me, don’t cross Roman swords” or “You can’t fight the Capitaline Hill (Google it).” In fact, there is not a hint of worry or defeatism in John’s letter of revelation. Though he is banished to Patmos “on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus (Rev 1:9)” he calls the church to live and proclaim this very same testimony. He says “blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written” in his book. He fears not for his own life, continuing to proclaim the very testimony that has banished him in the first place and calls the church to be faithful brothers and partners in his tribulation (1:9). But make no mistake, though John writes confidently he is no triumphalist. He acknowledges that “the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested … Be faithful unto death” (2:10)
What was the basis of such confident risk taking? John turns our attention to many attributes Jesus and, of course, his sacrificial death (1:5). First in the list he calls Jesus “the faithful witness”. And in Jesus, John calls the Church to be a faithful witness. He encourages us that “in Jesus” we may have “patient endurance”. Our hope is a sure hope. Our destiny is certain. Our ruler is the ruler of all rulers. His kingdom is established. He ultimately defeats all strategies of the enemy even in the midst of apparent defeat and suffering, just as He did on the cross.
As we minister this Sunday from John’s exhortations to the seven churches found in chapters 2 and 3, you will likely find yourself in some of the rebuke. I pray you take encouragement and courage to ‘hear and obey’ the Lord’s cry to his people to be a faithful witness to the ‘testimony of Jesus’ in all we do and say.
Much love,
Pastor Gary
As we gather for Sunday worship, we want you to meet with God and be transformed by the Word. Prepare your heart by reading the passage and listening to the songs for Sunday.