Revelation 3

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Wednesday, Nov 14: Revelation 3

John continues with these letters to the seven churches:

Sardis – This is a hard message: “You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead,” (v1). All is not as it seems, which is a primary theme that we’ll discuss moving through Revelation. This seemingly healthy church is in need of reformation. In fact, five of these seven churches receive words of warning. Jesus rebukes them, admonishing them to remove their soiled clothing. “The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his nae out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels,” (v5; see Matt. 10:32).

Philadelphia – These believers are known to Jesus by their works: “I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name,” (v8). Here we see a church pushed to the margins of society. But this is an opportunity for the church to flourish in faithfulness, despite persecution. The Philadelphians do not seek to acquire position or amass resources to deploy in the culture wars. Instead, they seek simple and authentic faithfulness. This is a timely message for our day. Listen to the promise: “The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven…” (v12). As we will see, this image of the new Jerusalem will be integral to the final vision John shares with us.

Laodicea – Jesus addresses these words as “The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation,” (v14). In Jesus, we have the Amen, the final Word on it all, the faithful witness that inspires our own faithfulness. But this church is condemned for being lukewarm. Both hot and cold water have their unique purposes. But lukewarm water is good for nothing. The Laodiceans are chastised here for failing to produce good works. Once again, the call is toward repentance. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me,” (v20). Jesus closes with a final nod toward the conquering life: “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne,” (v21).

As we read through these letters to these churches, it becomes clear that Jesus wants these believers to embrace the victory He has won on their behalf. The victims have become the victors! The opposition we face from an unbelieving world pales in comparison to what God has done for us in Christ. Let’s look once more at the promises to the conquering believer:
1. Eats from the Tree of Life (2:7)
2. Receives the crown of life (2:10-11)
3. Receives hidden manna (sustenance) and a new name (2:17)
4. Authority in the reign of God (2:26)
5. Clothed in white garments of heaven (3:5)
6. Becomes a pillar of faithfulness in the temple of God (3:12)
7. Sits on the throne w/ God, participates in exultation (3:21)

The image of the throne of God segues into the next section of the letter. In fact, this image will be the dominant image throughout the book, an image of victory and triumph that the church clings to in the midst of trying times.

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Revelation 2

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Tuesday, Nov 13: Revelation 2

With this chapter, John moves us to Jesus’ seven letters to the churches of Asia. It is an intriguing thought: what would Jesus say in correspondence with us? Would He have words of encouragement? Surely. But would He also surprise us with His words of rebuke? I suspect so. But this is more than mere literary innovation on John’s part. There are deeply theological reasons for this writing. These churches are either praised or reprimanded for their faithfulness or lack thereof. The primary question for Revelation isn’t “When is Christ coming again?”, much to the chagrin of the Jenkins / LaHaye crowd. The primary question Revelation is concerned with is this one: “How is God’s nearness embodied in everyday faithful practices?” Let’s look at the four churches addressed in this chapter as a means of fleshing this question out more fully:

Ephesus – Jesus praises this church’s patient endurance (v2), for not growing weary amid pressing evil (v3). “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first,” (v4). Love forsaken, promises forgotten. Jesus prescribes a remedy for the Ephesian condition: repentance (v5). And the promise of renewal still stands: “To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of God,” (v7).

Smyrna – These brothers and sisters face tribulation and poverty, yet they are not defined by either. In fact, Jesus admonishes them to think of themselves as rich (v9). “Do not fear what you are about to suffer…Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life,” (v10). Only Jesus has this prerogative; only He is fit to make this promise: “The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death,” (v11).

Pergamum – This church resides in the shadow of Satan’s throne (v13), yet they continue as steadfast and faithful witnesses. False teaching threatens their relationship with the Lord, however. “Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth,” (v16). But the promise is again extended, the promise of nourishment and renewal: “To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it,” (v17).

Thyatira – Again, praise for this church’s love, faith, and service (v19). “But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols,” (v20). It’s interesting that Thyatira is condemned for espousing what we consider to be the highest virtue in our culture. But again, the cure for what ails is repentance (v22). Jesus says, “The one who conquers and who keeps my words until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations,” (v26).

As we’ll see when we finish with the next chapter, John has much to say about “the one who conquers”. This is to be our way of identifying ourselves — claiming victory in light of what Jesus Christ has accomplished on our behalf. We’ll have more to say about that tomorrow.

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Revelation 1

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Monday, Nov 12: Revelation 1

I think one of the foundations for a proper reading of Revelation is found in the opening verse of the letter: “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place.” I’m sure you’re like me…you’ve heard a few sermons or read a few books that search for modern day fulfillment of some of Revelation’s prophetic passages. And with the volatility of the Middle East and our daily reminders of the fallen state of the world we live in, who could blame us? I think we all believe that we’re living in the “end times” and to a degree, we’re right.

But at the same time, we have to remind ourselves that Revelation was originally written 2,000 years ago to a specific group of believers toward the end of the first century. And there was a specific message to these believers that spoke to THEIR times, to THEIR circumstances. Besides being a fairly self-centered way to read the Bible, the problem with reading Revelation through the lens of our nightly news is that it negates the opening line of the whole text. John shares these visions with these believers because almost all of these things are to come to pass quickly. As we’ll see, many of these visions — rather than looking ahead across the millennia to distant future events — look backward in time to what God has ALREADY DONE for us in Christ. John creates a literary masterpiece where we understand that things are not always as they seem. Even in the midst of tragedy and persecution, the believer continues to hold unswervingly to the promise of eternity, knowing that the slain Lamb has become the mighty Lion of Judah. This revelation is a revealing because it comes from outside of ourselves. God is fitting us with the lenses of heaven here as His Son, Jesus Christ, is revealed to us in glory.

John writes to these seven churches in Asia: “Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth,” (v4-5). A key phrase for our reading of Revelation is “faithful witness”. Jesus shows us what it means to bear witness to God faithfully in the face of adversity. This is the message these early believers need to hear; and it is a timely message for our day. We are at once reminded that Jesus bears faithful witness because of His status as “the firstborn of the dead.” The risen Christ is our reason for hope. As we see in v18, Jesus is alive and well: “I died, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” The word “witness” is the Greek word “martys” or “martyr”. As His lifeblood drains out of His body on the cross, Jesus is bearing witness to the faithfulness of God. Our God is a faithful God, full of love even to the point of death. But in the resurrection, we find that Jesus’ complete self-sacrifice is matched by God’s complete restoration of His life. Jesus now stands over every ruler and authority (“ruler of kings on earth”, v5), even Death and Hades, those perpetual tormenters of human existence (v 18).

As the ultimate authority, only Jesus is qualified (or “worthy” to use another of John’s favorite words) to restore broken humanity to its original purposes. Only through Christ is the image of God restored to us. “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by hid blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen,” (v5-6). Amid all the other images of Jesus that John details here in ch1, we should be most impressed that Christ is the eternal One, the Living Son, the Promise of the Life that God is imparting to us through faith.

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Revelation Intro

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Monday, Nov 12: Revelation Introduction

So we’re finally ready to approach the NT book that confounds us the most: Revelation. It’s important to say up front that we won’t be able to answer every question that comes up as we read Revelation; our space simply won’t allow it and, moreover, I’m not claiming to be an expert in the interpretation of this book. However, I do think it’s important to be familiar with some of the suggested ways of reading Revelation. As you’ll see as we go, I have a particular way of interpreting what’s going on here and it’s the one that makes the most sense to me. I like Eugene Peterson’s comment about Revelation: “I do not read Revelation to get additional information about the life of faith in Christ. There is nothing said here that isn’t said in the other 65 books. But there is a new way to say it.” Revelation, as we’ll see, is a completely different literary genre compared to the rest of the NT. In my opinion, this means we read it differently, respecting its literary features as we move forward in our reading.

I also think it’s important to note that Revelation is a sequence of visions, not necessarily a sequence of events. I think it’s best to read Revelation spirally, not linearly. That is to say, John has several different ways of saying the same thing. What changes often times are the images, the portraits that John paints. A linear reading understands these visions as a sequence of events; I’m suggesting that Revelation works more like a Quentin Tarantino film or an episode of LOST — with flashbacks and flashforwards and multiple tellings / visions of the same event. I’m wary of any reading of Revelation that tries to tie in particular historical events (usually present day circumstances) with the visions of this book as a means of “cracking the code” in order to figure out when Jesus is going to come back. First of all, John says in 1:1 that these things must take place “soon”. But more importantly, Jesus himself said that no one knows the day or the hour. There is no decoder ring needed to read Revelation. The primary point isn’t about the timing of Jesus’ return, but rather it’s certainty.

Finally, this text or “apocalyspe” is Christo-centric. It’s ABOUT Jesus. Not only that, but the message actually comes THROUGH Jesus. John talks with Christ, who gives him this vision. The word “apocalypse” simply means “unveiling, revealing.” So we read Revelation to see more fully the character of Jesus Christ.

These are some of the ways I read Revelation. You’re certainly under no obligation to agree with me here. Well…except maybe for that last part about it being all about Jesus! 🙂

I hope this reading is a blessing to you.

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2 Peter 3

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Friday, Nov 9: 2 Peter 3

Peter closes his letter with our ultimate motivation toward the faithful life: the coming day of the Lord. Although we should be wary of falsehood, this is not our primary motivation — as if purity of theology somehow “earns” merit for us in the eyes of God.

There is a promise that moves us forward, the promise of SOMEDAY. We live in the present in light of this promise, even though scoffers will always hurl their ridicule at us for our belief (v3-4). But in the midst of time and human history, we are reminded of God’s timelessness. “With the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day,” (v8). I’ve heard this verse used as an explanation of the possibility of the days of creation extending beyond 24 literal hours as a way of reconciling our faith with the scientific evidence of an “old earth”. I think this misses the point. Sure, that’s a discussion worth having, I suppose, but Peter’s point isn’t to attack theistic evolution; it’s to encourage his audience to live faithfully in light of the coming of the Lord. Peter’s more interested in how all this is going to end than how it all began. Followers of Jesus live in light of the ending. This is not to say that the beginning is unimportant; far from it. But Peter wants us to know that our idea of timing and God’s fulfillment of His promises is in need of a revision. We need the lenses of heaven to see what God is doing. And these are the lenses Peter is fitting us with here in this text: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance,” (v8-9).

Peter asks a great question for us to consider in v11: “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God…”

Good food for thought, right?

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2 Peter 2: False Teachers and Faithfulness

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Thursday, Nov 8: 2 Peter 2

One of the things that stands out to me in our reading this year is the constant word of warning concerning false teaching that permeates the New Testament. In the early days of Christianity, so much was still in play for the young church. What is the truth about Jesus? Fully God? Fully man? A combination of both? How do we reconcile grace with works? What of the Old Covenant? Peter issues a warning to these young believers to guard themselves against false teachers in their midst, those who would set themselves up as men of God who secretly harbor self-serving motivation. Based on v1, it seems that the teaching Peter has in mind denies the character of Jesus. In particular, there is a warning against sensuality and disregard for authority (v10).

Peter looks back across history and finds plenty of examples to draw upon: angels who sinned, thereby suffering punishment of hell (v4); the unrighteousness of Noah’s day (v5); Sodom and Gomorrah (v6), along with the rescue of Lot (v7). The point is this: “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials” (v9). He’s done it before; He’ll do it again. Our God is a redemption God. But we should stand vigilant as we seek the path of faithfulness in the present.

Thus, these false teachers are to be exposed as such. But we should be careful in flippantly tossing these terms around. Even the angels do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord (v11). As an inspired apostle, Peter is given this word from the Lord. We are not commissioned to go and do likewise here; rather, we are to be on guard, comparing the words of our teachers to the full testimony of Scripture. Two thousand years on this side of the cross, we are blessed with the Bible and we trust it as the complete revelation of God’s activity to redeem us in Christ. And maybe even this statement is a bit incomplete without the caveat that JESUS is the complete revelation of God to us (Col. 1:15, 19). The Bible is simply our conduit to this revelation.

All of this is to say that we, too, should seek faithfulness to God’s testimony in all things. Are there “waterless springs” (v17) among us, seeking to lead us astray? Perhaps. But we postpone judgment, ceding this to God alone. As always, our responsibility is to seek faithfulness. Nothing more.

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2 Peter 1

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Wednesday, Nov 7: 2 Peter 1

In light of reading of Ephesians the last few days, it’s interesting to note how Peter begins this little letter. Speaking of what God has done on our behalf, Peter writes: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature,” (v3-4).

Paul told us that we’ve been blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus (Eph. 1:3). Now Peter uses his own words to describe the same reality. God has given us all that we need for true life, everlasting life. He has shown us, through Christ, the path to godliness. In Jesus, we have the fulfillment of every promise; in fact, as Paul has reminded us, all of these promises culminate in an eternal and glorious “Yes!” in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 1:20). And through the fulfillment of these promises, we are finally able to partake in the divine nature. The image of God is fully restored in us through Jesus. The foundational concept of our creation — “Let us make man in our own image…” (Gen. 1:27) — has now been achieved. We lack nothing. Indeed, as Jesus prayed on the cross, “It is finished.”

As he says in v5, this is the impetus for us to embrace the blessings he has given us, to adopt these qualities into our character and behavior: virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, love. “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (v8).

Perhaps our theology of blessing needs to be revisited. As we have seen, we have indeed been blessed in every possible way.

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Ephesians 6: The Armor of God

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Tuesday, Nov 6: Eph 6

In this final chapter of Ephesians, Paul continues to talk about the concrete realities of the Christian life. Children live in obedience to their parents; fathers embrace their role as teachers and disciplinarians; slaves are to live obedience to masters; and these masters administer their responsibility in light of our common subject to the ultimate Master in heaven.

Paul’s closing discussion of the armor of God fleshes out the thought that began in 1:3 regarding our possession of “every spiritual blessing in Christ”. I believe the armor of God is a description of the fullness of these blessings. Look at them again:

  • Armor of God – to stand against the schemes of Satan.
  • Belt of truth – countering the lies of the present evil age.
  • Breastplate of righteousness – covering our old life of unrighteousness.
  • Shoes of peace – transforming our every step into moments of Gospel possibility.
  • Shield of faith – protection against the arrows of sin.
  • Helmet of salvation – the mindset of the believer.
  • Sword of the Spirit – God’s word, the instrument we deploy as we wage war not against flesh and blood, but in the heavenly realms.
  • Prayer – our persistent posture, petitioning God’s favor in the midst of this spiritual struggle.

And so Paul closes out this letter to the Ephesians, a letter that stretches out across the expanse of time to touch our hearts and fortify us for these hard days:
“Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.” (v23-24)

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Ephesians 5

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Monday, Nov 5: Eph 5

Paul continues his practical insight into the Christian life by calling us to the imitation of God’s character (v1). This requires an examination of behaviors unbecoming of the Kingdom of God. Not even a hint of sexual immorality (v3) means we should be vigilant in guarding our hearts and minds against the siren song of sensuality. The impurity of greed and unwholesome speech is also prohibited for Christ-followers “because these are improper for God’s holy people,” (v3). We should also be wary of those who would seek to lead us astray. Paul does not want us to be ignorant of the presence of such forces.

Instead, we are to “live as children of light” (v8), those who have been freed from the darkness of captivity to dance freely in the light of salvation. This light is expanding across history — “everything exposed by the light becomes visible,” (v13). The future is impacting the present. The end intersects the middle. We have seen the glory of the coming of the King. And our lives bear witness.

“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (v21)

This verse frames the following discussion of husbands and wives and the God-prepared roles for each. “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord,” (v22). Without the context of v21, this verse is subject to abuse. But in light of reverence for Christ, this passage becomes a beautiful demonstration of a wife’s faithfulness — to her Lord and to her husband. Likewise, husbands love their wives “just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,” (v25). Self-giving love is the hallmark of a good husband. In this way, husbands follow the lead of the Messiah, the ultimate example of self-giving love.

Again, this is the unity to which we are called.

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Ephesians 4: Unity

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Friday, Nov 2: Eph 4

This is the great unity chapter of Ephesians. Paul calls individual Christians to live a life worthy of their calling (v1); the collective experience of these focused lives is the unity of the Spirit (v3): “There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to one hope when you were called – one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all,” (v4-6).

In a culture marked by heated, red state / blue state partisanship, the church never forgets her identity as a unifying community.

However, this unity does not imply uniformity. “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it,” (v7). Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers…these are some of the offices God calls us to within the body of Christ. Each individual exercises his / her gift and, in so doing, the body of Christ is built up and unity of faith is achieved. Truth is spoken always in this community — but spoken in love (v15). Falsehoods are rejected (v25). Anger does not lead to sin (v26); Satan is not granted a foothold in our relationships (v27). Speech is encouraging, not unwholesome (v29). Bitterness and rage are replaced with compassion and grace (v31-32).

This is the kind of unity we’re called toward.

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