For times such as ours

1. Jesus: For times such as ours – 8th
January 2016
“You have perseveredandhave enduredhardshipsformyname,andhave not grownweary”
(Revelation2:3).
The situationwe face todayhas manyparallelsandsimilaritiestothe firstcenturyRomanEmpire.The
challengesthe earlychurchfacedare verysimilartothe challengesandopportunitieswe face todayin
the 21st century.One of those whowas cryingout fora wordfrom God wasthe pastor of Ephesus,the
apostle John.Hisstandfor the truth ledhimtoinvariable conflictwiththe authorities—conflictwiththe
powersof thisworldthat leadJesus'otherdisciplestomartyrdom.John’ssentence waslesslethal but
no lesssevere.Strandedonthe Isle of Patmos,the disciplewhomJesuslovedwasinthe Spiritonthe
Lord’sDay whenthe risenLord JesusChristcame to himwitha message.The messagestothe seven
churcheswas a special kindof pastoral epistle fromJesustothese churchesandbyvirtue of the ministry
of the HolySpirittoall of us today.
The firstletterisremarkable.Jesus'messengerscommunicatedtothe churchesalongacircuit inAsia
Minor.The firstchurch on the circuitto receive the letterwasthe congregationJohneventually
pasturedas we can learninRevelation2:1-7.Aswe read on we come face to face withtwosimple and
beautiful messagesforourChristianlivestoday.The firstmessage of guidanceisthatGod guidesusto
discoverthe solutiontoourchallengesinthe personalministryof Jesus.The Ephesianswhoreceived
thiswordcouldclingto Christwho mettheminpersonat the exactpointof theirneed,atthat hour.
Thisis the force of that introductorystatement.Thisisaremarkable pastoral approach,one thatwe
may enjoypersonallyandone we shouldpractice.“I know yourdeeds,yourhardworkand your
perseverance.Iknowthatyou cannottolerate wickedpeople,thatyouhave testedthose whoclaimto
be apostlesbut are not,and have foundthemfalse.3You have perseveredandhave enduredhardships
for myname,and have not grownweary.(Revelation2:2-3).
What do we face today?Of course we face the ordinaryandextraordinarymaladiesof life thatafflict
everygeneration.We alsoface unique challenges:the deconstructingof aChristiancivilizationbefore
our veryeyes.Aswe move throughthe stagesof post-Christianage,we face notonlyheartache but
misunderstandingandtrialsandpossiblepersecution.Inall of this,Jesussaystous,“You are not alone.”
If you are a Christian,youare the messengerof the Lordfor sucha time as this,andHe has youinHis
hand.Indeed,itshouldbe acomfortingwordto usthat JesusChristholdsyouinHis handand neverwil l
letyougo. He walksbeside you,andyouneverwillbe alone.
There isa secondtruththat we learnaboutGod’s guidance indayssuch as these fromthismessage:
God guidesusto rediscoverthe signpostsforourpilgrimage inthe pastoral ministryof Jesus:“YetIhold
thisagainstyou:You have forsakenthe love youhadat first.5 Considerhow faryouhave fallen!Repent
and do the thingsyoudidat first.If you do notrepent,Iwill come toyou and remove yourlampstand
fromits place”(Revelation2: 4-5).The worldtodayisso filledwithsinandsinfulnessthatitseemsasif
we are goingthroughlife ina strange landas we see the collapse of the oldermoral landmarksthat
helpedguide us.YetasChristiansinsteadof givingupwhenfacedwithmultitudesof ungodlyactivities,
we as Christiansshoulddependmore onGodsdirectionsbyreadingandmeditatingonthe wordof
Jesus'that we call the Newtestament.Hiswordcommandsandcritiques,throughsame providesus
withthe requiredsignpoststhat willleadusawayfromsinand dangerthat itrepresentsandleadusto
salvationandpeace throughGod.

2. In Revelation2verses2-6, Jesusguidesthe Ephesians’churchbycommendingkeyfeaturesof their
service:theirgoodworks,theirhardwork,theirpatience,theirchurchdiscipline,theirperseverance in
the face of persecution.The Lordcritiquedthe churchat Ephesusforone greatexistential flaw:theyhad
abandonedtheirlove.“YetIholdthisagainstyou:You have forsakenthe love youhadat first.5
Considerhowfaryouhave fallen!Repentanddothe thingsyoudidat first.If you donot repent,Iwill
come to you andremove yourlampstand fromitsplace…Althoughtheirstruggle withfalseteaching
had made no inroadsinthe sounddoctrine of the EphesianChristians,ithadhadseriouseffectsontheir
Christianconduct.Ithad ledthemto abandonthe love theyhadat first.Here wasa failure which
underminedthe veryfoundationof the Christianlife.”Itstatesthat “Doctrinal purityandloyaltycan
neverbe a substitute forlove”
The way Jesusguidesiswell understoodwhenwe observe how afathercommendssome behaviorof his
little one.He orshe learnsto give upthat un-acceptable behaviorinorderto winfurtherpraise fromhis
father. Likewise,the childrecognizesinhisfather’scritiquethe possibilityof disappointingthe father.
The child'slove forthe fathercompelshimor herto accept the goodand seektodispel thatwhichdoes
not please the father.The father’scommendationandcritique chisel the characterof the childwithout
diminishingthe fervencyof the child’slove.Throughthe bibleJesusprovidesuswithHiscritique and
alsochiselsuslive aperfectlife…Butthe importantunderstandingforusas Christiansshouldbe to
consider:“AnI livingmylife inkeepingwithHisrequirementsor…carelesslydoingthingsmyway?
We oftenaskourselveshowwe canmake ourway throughthe sinfilledquagmireof ourday andstill be
faithful toGod.Well,the Lordis showinguswhat isgood inthiscommendation,aswell aswhatshould
be dispelledfromourlives…wrongful biblical teachingsevenasdone bysome pastoratesandchurches.
In Revelation2:1-7is tellingustocontinue tobe careful andscrupulousinour attentiontomaintaining
the faithinsuch a pluralisticculture.Yet,the Lordiscallingusto see that Hisministriesmustbe
conductedwiththismostfundamental virtueof love.If ourministriesandourchurchesbase their
reachingonfalse doctrines,we willlose the anointingof the HolySpirit…andbadlyloose onthe bigger
picture as God expectsfromus.

3. “You have persevered and have endured hardships for
my name, and have not grown weary” (Revelation 2:3).
“You have perseveredandhave
enduredhardshipsformyname,
and have notgrown weary”
(Revelation2:3).