Patient Endurance in Faithful Witness

1. Letter to the Church

Before we continue to chapter 4, it is important to pause and review the messages to the seven churches. We have learned much and we need to bring it all together, see the big picture, and summarize the lessons learned.

These seven letters are an integral part of Revelation. We have seen the many links between these letters and the rest of the book. Each letter opened with descriptions of the glorified Christ from 1:5-20 and other parts of the book. They ended with the promises of eternal fellowship with God in the new creation of chapters 21-22. They introduced topics that are expanded further in the rest of the book — crowns, thrones, white clothes, gold, fire, stars, new names, open and closed doors, false teachings, false prophets, idolatry, sexual immorality, tribulation and persecution, repentance, being victorious, patient endurance, and faithful witness. They introduce the major themes of Revelation. The church is living in the end times. God, the all-powerful Creator rules as the Sovereign Lord over his creation and history. He is in control. The world and history are moving to its foregone conclusion — God’s final judgment and the new creation. Jesus Christ is coming soon to fulfill this. All these form the basis and reason for Revelation’s central message and purpose — to motivate and encourage the church to endure patiently in its faithful witness to Jesus Christ no matter what the circumstances are, no matter what the consequences are of its witness. In this way, these letters are mini-versions of the rest of the book. They prepare the church for what follows.

One of Revelation’s main themes is that there is a cosmic battle between God and Satan’s forces of evil. This conflict is pictured in the visions of chapters 4-20. The church is not a spectator to this battle but experiences it in its own life. The seven letters describe the reality of this conflict in the church’s life during the end times. They describe the challenges, issues, and temptations the church faces in this battle. Jesus affirms and commends the churches for what they are doing right and well. He rebukes, corrects, and warns them about what they are doing wrong. The first and last churches, Ephesus and Laodicea, are in danger of losing their very identity as Christian churches. He calls them to repent to prevent judgment. The second and sixth churches, Smyrna and Philadelphia, have proved themselves to be faithful and loyal to Christ even in the face of persecution. The three middle churches, Pergamum, Thyatira, and Sardis are a mix. Some of them remained faithful but others compromised with the pagan culture. He exhorts them to deal with and get rid of the sin in their midst to avert God’s judgment.

These commendations, warnings, and promises are for all churches at all times and in all places. These strengths and weaknesses are found within all churches. We should not be too quick to say that this is not us. We must listen faithfully to the Holy Spirit as He convicts us of our own flaws and sins. To whatever degree our churches reflect these same issues, we must take heed to what the Spirit says. We should be encouraged and where necessary we must repent.

At the beginning of each letter, Jesus presents himself with attributes and titles suitable to the situation of each church. These titles and attributes of the glorified Christ call us to consider our lives and situations in relationship to Christ. Today, in our current circumstances as we live in the end times, what does it mean for us that Jesus Christ is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again, who holds the seven stars and seven spirits in his right hand, and walks among the seven golden lampstands? What does it mean for us that Jesus Christ has the sharp, double-edged sword, that his eyes are like blazing fire and his feet like burnished bronze? What does it mean for us that He is holy and true, that he holds the keys of David, and what he opens or closes no one can close or open? That He is the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning, the ruler of God’s creation? These are not fancy titles or wordplay. No, they call us to see our lives and circumstances always in relationship to Christ who is the Lord of all situations. Our faith in Christ as He is presented here is the basis for overcoming the challenges we face and for enduring in faithful witness.

And that is how we overcome — patient endurance in faithful witness. At the end of the letters, Christ promises us that we will inherit eternal life with Him in his new creation. This is the main point of each letter. It is for this promise that we must overcome, that we must persevere in faithful witness no matter the circumstances and the consequences of that witness.

Like the seven churches, churches today find themselves in different situations. Some Christians are threatened by overt hostility from others in their society, their culture, or their governments. Some churches are engaged in internal conflicts over leadership and over the extent to which Christians should accommodate to the surrounding culture. Some Christians are comfortable and complacent in their prosperous and peaceful communities. All experience the same basic problem. We face challenges that threaten to undermine our commitment to Christ and our faithful witness, whether blatant persecution or the more subtle influence of the culture that is slowly eroding the basis and foundations of our faith. What are these challenges?

2. The Problem of Compromise & Assimilation

This is perhaps the overarching issue — whether or not to compromise with our surrounding culture. Will we remain faithful to our identity as Christ followers and kingdom citizens? Or will we compromise, assimilate, and become like the world? Will we listen to false prophets and false teachers like the Nicolaitans, Balaam, and Jezebel who teach that it’s okay to accommodate to the culture and participate in its idolatries?

By virtue of our calling and mission, the church must be in the world. However, we must remain alert because we are constantly in danger of becoming like the world. We must hold on fast to what we have in Jesus Christ. If not, we will be like the proverbial frog that is placed in cold water and then boiled by turning up the heat slowly. We give in here. We give up there. We compromise by justifying and excusing our actions. To be faithful disciples is costly and difficult. It is more demanding than we realize or even desire. It means we are out of step with our culture and society. We are swimming against the current. It’s much easier and more comfortable to compromise. And very soon we are like the world around us and we are drifting along with the current. We must daily allow the Holy Spirit to examine us to show us where we are compromising to the world. What are our idols? What in our lives and culture is preventing faithful discipleship and witnessing?

3. The Problem of Complacency

Compromise and assimilation lead to complacency. When we are just like the world we become comfortable and complacent. When we live in comfortable conditions and there are no threats or hostility from the world, we become complacent. We become lukewarm. Let me repeat what I shared last week. Complacency is perhaps the biggest crisis we are facing. Churches seem to be more often full of “fans” rather than of followers of Jesus. If being a Christian were a crime, will there be enough evidence to indict us? We seem to have settled into a Christianity of mediocrity rather than of a burning passion to be Christ’s peculiar kingdom people in this fallen, broken world. Affluence has made us lukewarm. We interpret our trappings of “success” as God’s blessings. We too easily forget that God wants our hearts, not just our numbers. Physical wealth and comfort can foster spiritual complacency making spiritual poverty a real danger. Are we lukewarm? Are we complacent?

4. Tribulation & Persecution

Again, there is a cosmic war going on between God and the forces of evil. This cosmic battle plays out on the micro-level in the conflicts between the church and the world. We are no idle spectators of this battle. We are right in the middle of it. We experience it in our personal lives as we battle every day to remain faithful to our Lord. We experience it as we struggle against the forces of the culture which tempt us to conform to its ways and deny the Lord. We live the Christian life in the midst of the pressures from a hostile world. This is what Revelation calls tribulation. It has begun and is happening right now. Within this context of tribulation, Jesus calls us to endure patiently in faithful discipleship and faithful witness. We do not compromise. We do not become complacent. But faithful discipleship and witness result in persecution by the hostile world. And as we come closer to the end, this tribulation will intensify into a terrible persecution which will be the prelude to the end.

Tribulation and persecution already face millions of Christians around the world. Unfortunately, it is lacking in the West. I say unfortunately because persecution always has a way of purifying and strengthening our faith. It sorts out the true believers from the false, pretend believers, and lukewarm believers. The lack of persecution very often leads to mediocrity and complacency in the church. We are called to portray our devotion to Jesus Christ by being more like Him, living like Him in this world of self-centeredness and greed. He calls us to endure patiently in faithful discipleship and faithful witness.

5. Faithful Discipleship & Faithful Witness

We overcome and are victorious when we endure in faithful discipleship and witness. How do we endure? We must return to our first love. We must love God with our whole being and all of our strength and love others like ourselves. This love is active care for others. It is love expressed in deeds and sacrificial service to others following Jesus’ example.

We will not fear the world or Satan because Jesus is the all-powerful Creator and Ruler of the universe. We will not fear tribulation, suffering, or death. We will not return the hostilities. We will not repay evil for evil but overcome evil with good. We will love in action. We will be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer (Ro 12:9-21). We will follow our Lord’s example, willing to lay down our lives for Him and others. And when we face death we will be content to go through death with Jesus. He is the Lord of life and He will give us the crown of life, eternal life with Him.

We will take a hold and hold on fast to the Name of Jesus. We will not take a hold of nor will we tolerate false teachings. We will remain faithful in our witness by proclaiming his gospel, not being ashamed of his Name, and acknowledging his Name before others and the world. And He will write his Name on us, and we will belong to Him forever.

We will endure in faithful discipleship by keeping his deeds to the end. We obey our Lord by putting his words into practice and by following his example. We can do this because He gives us the morning star. He gives himself to us. He is with us always. He transforms us by the power of his Spirit to become like Him.

We will endure in faithful discipleship and witness by waking up and staying awake to guard against spiritual laziness and complacency. We stay awake so that we are ready all the time for Jesus’s return because He is coming back soon. He will dress us in white clothes. He will not erase our names from the book of life. He opens the door of God’s kingdom for us. He makes us kingdom citizens now and forever. And when we fail, as we will and so often do, we will repent. We open the door and Jesus will come back in to restore our fellowship with Him. Repentance is not merely feeling sorry for our sins but a reorientation to a new way of life, the kingdom life. It is turning back to Jesus and keeping our eyes focused on Him.

Yes, we are in a war, the war of the Lamb. The slain Lamb, the Crucified and Risen Lord, is here with us as our Shepherd and example. He calls us to a renewed devotion to Him. We will be victorious in this war, not by wielding swords or guns, but by following Jesus in faithful discipleship and witness in suffering. This may involve actual martyrdom and death for some. But ironically, that is how we are victorious, through suffering like our Lord. This is costly discipleship but the most excellent rewards are waiting for us in the new creation. Eternal life, eternal fellowship, and eternal kingdom rule with the Son and the Father and the Holy Spirit, forever.

We could summarize Jesus’ message in these seven letters like this:

Because I love you and want you to share in the new creation that is about to appear, I am calling you to hold on to your faithful public witness to me, or else to repent and renew it. As I said previously, “Beware of false prophets” and “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Matt 7:15, 21). Or as I will say later, “Come out!” (Rev 18:4)—and stay out, for as I promised before I left you, “I—the risen and victorious one—am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt 28:20). (Michael Gorman)

Let us wake up and stay awake. Don’t let the culture in which we live compromise and stamp out our Christian witness. May the ever merciful, ever compassionate God and his Christ come to our church and re-create us back into the divine image that is so faithfully portrayed in this final book of God’s Word.