Thinking in 3’s - Jude 1,2 - Kept, and Keeping

Thinking in 3’s - Jude 1,2 - Kept, and Keeping

Jude 1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: ² May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

The Letter of Jude is brief, but important. Jude identifies himself as a “servant” or “slave” of Jesus Christ, though we understand that he was a brother of Jesus. It seems highly unusual for a brother to identify himself as a servant, but this is no ordinary relationship.

Jude writes to those who must “contend for the faith” (v.3) because of intruders who are mixing the message and contaminating the faith, a “3” that we will get to shortly.

I would like to combine some “3’s” in this post. First of all, Jude identifies those to whom he is writing in theological terms: called, beloved, and kept. These are actions that are performed by God in behalf of believers. We do not “call” ourselves. God calls. Christianity is not about loving ourselves. We are beloved by God. We don’t keep or defend ourselves, especially against spiritual forces. We are kept by God. This is what I mean by theological. They are divine activities, which provides a framework for who we are and how we live.

Verse 2 has a list of three words that I would like to relate to these three divine activities. In this case, I will align like this: A-B-C; A-B-C. That is, called in mercy, thus sparing us from the wrath of God; beloved and thus experiencing peace, as opposed to enmity with God; kept by Jesus’ love, which is ever-present and part of our daily experience as we daily walk with Him. What we find is that the divine actions are associated with most compassionate and gracious of God’s perfections and relations to humanity. We will find in this little letter that God also will also relate to sinful humanity, but with qualities in keeping with justice/judgment. We should be very grateful that God is willing to relate to us in His divine activities in mercy, peace, and love.

Also, taking the last element of the first list of three, “kept,” we find that it is part of a “3” in the Letter of Jude, which includes vv. 21, 24

²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 
Jude 24   Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling

We find that the first and last of these “keepings” are performed by God in our behalf: “kept for Jesus Christ,” and “Him who is able to keep you from stumbling.” In between we find that we have an important role to play as well - “keep yourself sin the love of God.” The surrounding participles help us understand that this does not mean that we need to work to sustain God’s love for us. No, God’s love is self-sustaining. Rather, we are to keep ourselves in a proper frame to receive God’s compassionate and gracious manifestations by “building up” and “praying” and “waiting,” another “3” that we will have to look at later. 

This elongated emphasis on “keeping” helps us to understand Jude’s primary concern as he writes to people like us: In our being divinely and graciously kept, we’ve got some patterns, some disciplines, some engagements to keep as well.

Autonomous Vehicles

Many have tried to imagine what it will be like to live in a world of autonomous vehicles. How in the world can you trust in these limited systems to know and anticipate everything that needs to be considered in an ever-changing world? How, indeed!

But we already live in a world of vehicles who seem to think that they are autonomous. And it’s making this world into a bigger mess all the time. The vehicles to which I am referring are humans - silly humans who think they are autonomous vehicles.  

 
Cinderella used to sing, “In my own little corner, in my own little chair, I can be whatever I want to be.” To be fair, I think she was using her imagination to picture a situation where she would not be subject to the cruel whims of her step-mother/sisters. But today, people are singing that song as though they can decide for themselves who they will be and how they will live their lives.

How in the world can you trust limited persons to know and anticipate everything that needs to be considered to live and behave in an ever-changing world? We fail to fathom the wisdom with which we were designed by God. We diminish the liabilities that have befallen us in the Fall, or that we have incurred due to our own sin and guilt. We have no idea about the ends for which we were designed, whether living completely for the glory of God and not for ourselves, or what it means to serve God’s purposes and not our own. So how in the world can we pretend that an experiment in living our lives as autonomous vehicles will result in anything but disaster?

We are finite creatures, and will never escape that finitude. Our privilege is, rather, to live in right relationship with our Creator and Father who is infinite. We are created male and female, and fantasies or feelings about being or changing to something different is based in just that - feelings and fantasies - rather than in the fact that we created creatures, and only the one, true God is Creator and Sustainer of the only Reality that is real, found and focused in Jesus.

You can pretend to be an “autonomous zone,” but you’re not. You can pretend to know it all, but your ignorance will soon reveal itself. You can pretend to have it all, but your deep need that cannot be cured by money will still cry out for help. Why? Because none of us are autonomous vehicles. 

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 1:3 - A Celebration of Scripture

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 1:3 - A Celebration of Scripture

“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” (Revelation 1:3 ESV)

This is our final “3” in our backwards run through the Book of Revelation. And this verse is an invitation to read, hear, and heed this particular book of Scripture. We know that the Book of Revelation,  with all its fantastic images, is a more difficult book than others. And yet, there is still value in reading, hearing, and heeding this book, as is true of all sections of Scripture, whether or not they are easily understandable or applicable.

A few years ago, Jason Nightengale came as a special guest and quoted the Book of Revelation for our congregation and guests. Jason, who has now gone to be with the Lord, had memorized large portions of Scripture. His recitation of Book of Revelation was the one, it seemed, in highest demand. Jason did exactly what this Scripture verse says: he “read aloud the words of this prophecy.” The people assembled were “those who hear.” The test for us, then, is have we “kept what is written in it.” 

In the early church, everyone would not have had their own copy of Scripture. It is possible that not everyone could read. It would have been common for Scripture to be read aloud in their gatherings. People were used to listening, then, to Scripture read aloud. They would have trained their ears to pick up repeated words and themes, even as we train our eyes to do the same. (And actually, today, the practice of listening to Scripture is on the rise due to apps that have the option to “read” Scripture aloud. Many people would rather hear instead of read.) I believe that the “blessing” mentioned in these verses applies to both hearing and reading. The question, of course, is: do we actually spend time in hearing/reading Scripture?

But what does it mean to “keep”? I’m sure it can mean several things. Let me offer a few thoughts. 

First of all, “keeping” means that we will not forget or ignore this book of the Bible. We should not forget or ignore any book of the Bible. For someone to say, “Well, Revelation is just too far out there for me,” is not an attitude that we should take. 

Second, there are sections of this book that are easily applicable. The letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 contain many warnings, corrections, and praises. We can easily heed those.

Also, this book reminds us that this world is full of powers that can be human, or spiritual, and that spiritual forces are directing the physical forces. These powers are presented as powerful, and that we stand in need of God’s protection from spiritual forces. This is a word to be “kept.”

The book also makes clear to us that there is a future that is radically different than the turbulent present. Evil powers will be done away with. The prayers of the saints will be heard. Jesus Christ, the Lamb, triumphs.

And finally, this book contains much worship material. Chapters 4 and 5 in particular show both heavenly and earthly representatives bowing in worship to the Father and the Son, and singing glorious songs of praise to our God. This is something that we can do now, in anticipation of that future. 

Perhaps we could, each of us, take an hour or two, and sit down, and just read through this book one more time.

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 1:4-5 - Holy Trinity

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 1:4-5 - Holy Trinity

Rev. 1:4   John to the seven churches that are 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, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

There are many places in Scripture where the three Persons of the Trinity are mentioned together. There are many other places where they are mentioned separately, or where they are mentioned in pairs. But here we have them all together - the Holy Trinity.

All three Persons of the Trinity share the traits of divinity. Divinity is distinguished from humanity at least in part by the idea of infinity. God is infinite. Man is finite. All three Persons, then, are infinite in all the aspects of their character, including love and justice; holiness and compassion. God knows all (omniscience), and has all power (omnipotence). All three Persons have this omniscience and omnipotence, though the Son of God, in the incarnation, gave up the use of some attributes as He took on human flesh.

God the Father is described above as “Him who is and who was and ho is to come.” This refers to His eternality. He always was. He always will be. He never is out of existence. He is always there. He is always present. That should be great encouragement for His children. He may not always answer immediately when we call, but He instantly hears, and in fact knows what we ask before we know to ask it. He does not always do what we ask, but He, in His infinite wisdom, will always do what is right, and what is best.

“The seven spirits before the throne” refers to the Holy Spirit, in my understanding. In Revelation 4 and 5, angels and elders are around the throne as worshippers, but not this seven-fold spirit, as though the Holy Spirit would be relegated to worshippers. He, as a member of the Holy Trinity, is to be worshipped along with the Father and the Son.

You may know that John in Revelation is big on numbers. Certainly the number “3” is important. But the number “7” is even more so. It is the number of completeness or fullness. This Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is fullness of Spirit. He is the Spirit of full and overflowing. He is the abounding Spirit. He is able to take the fullness of God, and to communicate and apply all the resources from the throne of God in full measure to every single believer. There is no limit to His ability to encourage and enable, to convict and convince. We may need more Spirit, but that is no fault of the Spirit. We may need more Spirit because we live too much in the flesh. That is on us, not on Him.

God the Son is here referred to as “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness (I’ve written earlier concerning the “3” that includes witness; firstborn; and ruler).” “Jesus” is His earthly name, given to Him by Mary and Joseph at the instruction of the angel of the Lord. “Christ” is His office, the Messiah, the One anointed and appointed by God to be the central figure for the accomplishment of the redemption and formation of the people of God. 

“Faithful witness” is an interesting term. A “witness” is either someone who has witnessed something, or someone who gives testimony about what He has seen. As a witness, Jesus can share with us (and He has) what He has experienced as a member of the Holy Trinity. He can share with us things about the Father and the Spirit that we could not possibly otherwise know. But as a witness, He also represents us to the Father. He lived with us, with people like us, and He shared our skin, our dust, and knows us inside and out. He vouches for us, though we be so often fickle and unfaithful. But He vouches for us nonetheless, because He knows what He has done for us.

No other religion worships the Holy Trinity. And thus, no other religion as an adequate, or saving, understanding of God. We should treasure this wonderful and Biblical teaching.

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 1:5-6 - O, the Deep, Deep Love

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 1:5-6 - O, the Deep, Deep Love

Rev. 1:5 To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood ⁶ and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves us. He loves us, not because of us, but because of Him. He loves us, not because of what we have become, but He loved us even when we were what we were. His love is not a response to His redemption of us. His love was a driving force for Him to do the work of redemption for us.

Love is not a mere sentiment. It demands action. We were in trouble. And Jesus loved us. Because He loved us, He would not, could not, sit back and do nothing. He had to step forward and accomplish this redemption, at great cost to Himself: by His blood.

The picture of our redemption, as it is here described, is not that of propitiatory sacrifice. That picture is present in many places where Jesus’ sacrifice is taught, but here, we are “freed.” This means that we were bound, in captivity, to some one or some thing, and that what Jesus had to do in order to accomplish redemption was to rescue us. This is different than Jesus “paying the penalty for our sins,” (and, again, that picture is presented many times in Scripture). Here, Jesus had to defeat the enemy that was holding us captive in order for us to be freed. Whether that enemy is described as the devil, or sin, or death - those enemies had to be vanquished. We could not do it ourselves. We were (are) powerless before them. Our salvation is in our Savior alone, our Deliverer.

And then Jesus transformed us, not merely as individuals, though that is an important part, but by making us members together with a people, the people of God. He made us to be a kingdom, and to give us roles in that kingdom that carries great privilege, and great trust, and great responsibility - to be priests. To be handlers of the glory of God. To be a blessing in the life of the world (or, new heavens and new earth), and to be a blessing to the lives of those around us.

When Jesus loves, the world is changed. The individual is changed. Something which did not exist before comes into existence, and God is glorified.

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 1:9 - Partners with John

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 1:9 - Partners with John

Rev. 1:9   I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 

John, who wrote the Gospel of John, the 3 Epistles of John, and this Book of Revelation, is one of the leading characters in early Christianity, one of the apostles. He was known as “the one whom Jesus loved.” He was faithful to His Lord until the end of his life, when he died (we assume) in exile on the Isle of Patmos. For people like us to be a partner with a person like John is rare company, and we are partners, not at our suggestion, but at his, and at the direction of the Holy Spirit, who inspired this writing.

John suggests, then, that this partnership is not merely a partnership with him, but more importantly, with Jesus Himself. John himself had seen close at hand the tribulation of Jesus; Jesus’ understanding and concern for the kingdom; and Jesus’ patient endurance. So this partnership, this calling, this lifestyle - it is for all who follow Jesus.

Romans 12:12 says, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” 2 Timothy 3:12 says, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Jesus said to His disciples in John 16:33 “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” We have a hard time believing this in a land and time when religious liberty has been our right and experience. But though we have been spared, we must ask, is it partly because our witness has been muted? And, we must also remember that around the world, many brother and sisters in Christ are currently experiencing tribulation and persecution.

We are partners in a kingdom. Paul says in Philippians 3:20: “But our citizenship is in heaven.” We really only fulfill our partnership with regard to the anticipation and preparation for the kingdom if we are “heavenly minded,” a term that is sometimes intended by some to be derogatory. But Scripture couldn’t be more clear: Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” We fail to good partners when we are so immersed in the affairs of this present life that we lose sight of the bigger, better reality of the kingdom of God.

We are partners in patient endurance. Starting well is important. Ending well is essential. If we do not persist in our faith, then the start really does not matter. We have found by bad example that those who were regarded to be significant in faith, and who then betray that faith, do damage not only to themselves, but also to those who look up to them.

John shines as a good example of what it means to faithfully follow Jesus, despite persecutions, with clear vision of the promises of God, and with patient endurance. May we be partners with him, and with His (and our) Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 1:17-18 - Jesus UnLike Any Other

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 1:17-18 - Jesus UnLike Any Other

As we move backwards through Revelation, we find chapter one full of 3’s. I’ll combine a few of these.

Rev. 1:17   “Fear not, I am the first and the last, ¹⁸ and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

Jesus states three unique things about Himself as Son of God, that clearly set Him apart from any other man, even the greatest of men. 

“I am the First and the Last.” That is, Jesus in His divine nature as the Son of God is eternal. He was always the Son of God. Even when He took on human flesh and was named Jesus, He was still the Son of God. His existence as Son of God was uninterrupted. He continues to be Son of God, still clothed in flesh, and coming again in physical form, and will always be Son of God.

He shares this quality of eternality with the Father. Verse 8 says:

Rev. 1:8   “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

The idea of it is difficult, even impossible, for our minds to contain. We think in terms of cumulative years, and infinite numbers stump us. But this eternality, in my understanding, stands above and over time. It helps to explain how God has always been, but He is not old.

I am “the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore,” The Son of God, along with the Father and  the Spirit, were all involved in creation. Together, they are “the author of life.” But this phrase tells us something more. We know that death entered the created order through Adam’s sin. So not only is the Son of God the creator of life; He is also the defeater of death. There is now nothing that threatens life, eternal life, for believers in Jesus Christ, because death has been vanquished.

“I have the keys of Death and Hades.” In addition, He is our Savior, but He is also the Judge. He has authority. He has “the keys.” And those who find their salvation in Him will receive, as a gift, eternal life. Those who choose to seek salvation in something/someone else will receive the “wage” of their actions, thus, Death and Hades. Temporal despots may spare or kill. But only the Son of God has authority over eternal life or eternal death.

Earlier in Revelation 1, we have another set of 3 that seems to correspond with this set:

Rev. 1:8 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

Jesus Christ can be the faithful witness, because of His eternality. There is nothing that He has missed. He is not a second-hand witness to anything. He is the firstborn from the death, the only One raised who will never die again. As the ruler of the kings of the earth, He has absolute authority.

Jesus Christ is truly unique among (or, above) men. He alone is the God-Man. He alone is able to be our Savior, who can truly save, and fulfill all the promises of God.

The Church in a Changing Culture

One of the blessings of the past weeks has been reading some authors who are new to me. I’m not sure exactly how I came across them. I’ll call it providential.

One has been Mark Sayers, an Australian pastor. It seems that those “down under” have a little different perspective, though aligned quite closely with the western world. The first book I read by him was called “Strange Days,” and he wrote this before the pandemic! He also wrote “Disappearing Church” and “Reappearing Church,” as he describes how churches can respond to a rapidly changing culture.

Our recent situations suggest the possibility of rapid change, whether it be working remotely, or tele-medicine, or on-line learning, or less confrontational police activity. I cannot say what is good and bad about each of these, nor am I smart enough to point out the unintended consequences of each. But it seems as though significant change may happen rapidly, whether we like it or not.

What Sayers claims (and he cites several historical studies) is that Christians and churches have unusual opportunities when societies experience change. People who are not grounded in God and the Gospel will be faced with many inconsistencies and tensions, and are likely to ask questions, and, by God’s grace, be more open to the Gospel. His formula looks like this:

New Cultural Landscapes + Faithful Orthodoxy + 

Courageous Creative Response = Revitalization of the Church and Culture

One need for individual Christians, and for Christians in family settings, and for local churches, is to have deep roots in the faith, in order to weather changes and to point to Christ in the midst of a turbulent society. We need to live our faith, and the time to deal with inconsistencies that exist between our profession and our daily practice is now. Perhaps God has given this time precisely for this purpose, in order that we might grow deeper, and be ready to be a witness to a confused and angry world.

Most people do not like change. But that’s not the business of the Christian, to like it or not like it. The calling of the Christian is to re-present Christ for his/her world, especially when that culture is “white for harvest.” 

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 2:2-5 - Credits and Debits in Ephesus

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 2:2-5 - Credits and Debits in Ephesus

In the very first letter to the churches in Revelation, to the church at Ephesus, Jesus commends, and condemns; He praises, and corrects; He credits, and debits. As He does this in our lives, we must be very careful to pay attention to both. We have a tendency to receive good news about ourselves, and ignore the words of correction.

Rev. 2:2  I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance,

The Ephesian believers had begun their walk by faith. You will remember Paul’s writings to these same people: 

Eph. 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Clearly we are not saved by our works, toil and patient endurance. But their faith shaped their conduct, and it expressed itself in good works. Again, we are not saved by our good works, but we are saved for good works.

Jesus expands His commendation of endurance in the second set of three:

Rev. 2:3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 

Sometimes when we are involved in good works, we can feel beaten down and tired out. The Ephesians believers had resisted this danger, and were continuing to labor, unlike some of the other descriptions that we find in these seven letters to the seven churches. They had not thrown in the towel. They had not become self-centered. They had not retired from ministry (as we age through this life, our ministries may change, but new ministry takes their place. I suspect that prayer becomes more and more the ministry of the elderly).

But, Jesus adds to these two 3’s of credits a third 3 that would be required to remedy a serious debit. That fault is described like this:

Rev. 2:4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.

I mentioned that the Ephesian believers began with faith, and then proceeded to works. But now we see that their faith was now lacking the essential component of love.

Faith and love go together. Again, referring back to Paul’s words to these same believers:

Eph. 1:15   For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 

A faith without love becomes a calcified love, and the works that proceed from a calcified faith are works of dry duty rather than joyful service. Yes, people can gut it out, hating the work but feeling good about themselves because they did their duty and checked off the list. But this kind of work is not a fruit of the Spirit. It actually becomes religious activity that proceeds from the flesh rather than the Spirit. It falls into the category of “filthy rags (KJV):

Isaiah 64:6 and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.

Further, these works are not only damaged on the front side, showing something serious about ourselves, but they also are damaged on the back side, in that they are not enabled by the Spirit to produce powerful results.

It is easy for us to fall into this condition, to do one’s duty, going through the motions, but without humility and prayer, without faith and love. We need to beware.

And thus the remedy, the 3rd 3:

Rev. 2:5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.

Remember, repent, and return to your former ways, when you served the Lord with willingness and joy.

A Little Reviving

A Little Reviving

In Michael Horton’s book “Ordinary: Sustainable Faith in a Radical, Restless World,” he states that reviving (or, revival) usually comes gradually, in small steps. That’s not how we tend to think about this word. It tends not to be what we want. We want the big experience, the emotional event that might even attract the media. In light of Horton’s words, I thought Ezra’s humble prayer and phrase were interesting: “grant us a little reviving.”

“Revival” is related to the little-used “vivify.” It means to bring to life, or, to animate. Certainly it could refer to bringing the dead to life. But it can also refer to those who have been alive who have become sleepy, lethargic. To use both words, “a little reviving” could then be phrased, “small steps of re-vivification.” 

The condition is otherwise described in Revelation 3:1-6, in the letter to the church at Sardis. “You have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God (vv. 2-3).” What is called for? It’s hard to miss the “Wake up!” part. A little further, we have the command to “remember” and “repent.” It all describes a prayerful activity in which the people who are serious about walking with the Lord (the “overcomers”) do exactly what Ezra was doing in Ezra 9: humbly and repentantly asking for God’s gracious activity in their midst.

At this moment in our time, as we prepare to join together for worship again next Sunday, June 14 - having been separated from one another for close to a quarter of a year - and having experienced worship and fellowship and discipleship in very different ways - I think we also, at this moment in our time, stand in need of “a little reviving.” Oh, I don’t mean to downplay the significance and value of great revivals, and if God so chooses to send that kind of disruptive grace into our lives, then we will thank the Lord and pray that the name of Christ will be magnified, and that it would touch the lives of a great number of people in saving and lasting ways

But, if Michael Horton, and Ezra, are right, that God ordinarily does his extra-ordinary work through ordinary means in ordinary people like us - through preaching and praying - then let us humbly, expectantly pray that God would re-shape our lives together, in our worship and fellowship, in our discipleship ministries to one another and in our evangelism ministries to those around us and around the world.

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 2:9 - Opposition

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 2:9 - Opposition

I wish all of our “3’s” could be uplifting. But I could wish for a whole lot of things, and so could you. But life, like cherries, is full of pits. This one has 3: tribulation; poverty; and slander.

Tribulation is a general word. It can come in a lot of shapes and sizes. The Greek word usually behind our word “tribulation” speaks of a narrowness, as though we are being squeezed. We have the familiar phrase, “between a rock and a hard place.” That is a description of someone experiencing narrowness, or tribulation.

Christians are squeezed when they experience a restriction of religious liberty. The Christians of the first century lived in a time of widespread religious liberty, as long as you were willing to accept the presence of many gods. But just as soon as you say, “No, there is only One,” as did Christians, then your right to express your faith was not tolerated by the Empire.

In fact, there is a strong, political strand to their tribulation. Throughout the Empire, people were expected to say, “Caesar is Lord.” They could believe in a hundred gods, but they needed to say “Caesar is Lord.” But Christians say, “Jesus is Lord.” And when one means by “Lord” one ultimate authority, well, there can only be One Ultimate Authority. And Caesar is not it; Jesus is. And so, tribulation.

One of the most effective ways that government has for exercising control over peoples’ actions is through the economy, whether the levying of penalties and fines, or restricting permits to operate, or just not permitting certain ones to work at all. Thus, poverty is experienced by Christians in this environment. They are being squeezed in ways that hurt on a very practical level.

The third affliction is slander. The slander does not have to come from the government. Slander may come from other religious people whose religion is not exclusive. This would include those who say they are Christian, but deny that Jesus is the only Way of salvation. Their slander of Christians may be partly an attempt to place themselves in another category - to separate “acceptable” religion from that “narrow” religion of Bible-believing Christians.

In America, we have a heritage of religious liberty. We fear that those liberties are in some danger in the days ahead. But let’s be clear, that we have experienced nothing like what Christians of the first century experienced. But I do believe that thinking a bit carefully about this list of three will help us to value what we have, to be on guard against encroachment on our liberties, and to prepare ourselves for when it happens.

John, our Bible writer, includes a helpful reminder in the middle of our verse. When he mentions their poverty, he adds in parentheses: “but you are rich.” And he’s right. We have spiritual riches that the government cannot take away. In addition, we have a “broad place” that cannot be squeezed. Oh yes, we can be squeezed here and now. But we have a broad place prepared for us forever in God’s future. And there will come a day when no one will speak against us, but every day God will speak in our favor. We must remember that tribulation, though real, is described as “this light, momentary affliction.”

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 3:5 - Full Acceptance

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 3:5 - Full Acceptance

John transcribes a letter to the church at Sardis from Jesus. It is a sleepy church. They have not been working hard on the mission that the church has received from Jesus. And yet, the promises at the end of this letter contain great promises of full acceptance.

“The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments.”

The white garment shows that one has been accepted into a select community. The student in marching band receives a uniform, and there is no confusion about the group to which she belongs (one would not likely wear a getup like that for no reason). The white garment, of course, speaks of much more. White is the color of righteousness or purity, and it replaces that which is soiled and stained (remember the prophet Joshua). We should also notice here that “the one who conquers” does not clothe himself, but is clothed by Christ. And, the righteousness or purity that becomes ours is not from ourselves, but from Him.

“I will never blot his name out of the book of life.”

Those who are truly alive (spiritually) will be truly alive forever. When God gives us a new heart (in the new covenant), He does not reach in and take it back again. He does not abandon His adopted child. This is such an important truth, and our phrase states it so powerfully. “I will never.” This runs counter to our feelings and our sense of what is right. We often disappoint ourselves, and even more, we are sure that we are a disappointment to God. We would think it right that, in the face of that disappointment, God might give up on us, since sometimes we want to give up on ourselves. But He does not. Here He promises that He will not.

“I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.”

When our child graduates from high school or college, we sit in a large crowd and wait, and wait to hear their name called out as they walk across a platform (at least in those years when there is not a pandemic). That’s the moment. We want to hear their name called. I never expect to hear my name called in the greatest forums on this earth, whether it be lofty educational institutions or national award shows or on international platforms. But this verse tells us that our name, yes, your name, will be called out on a stage far greater than the Grammys. Your name will be confessed in the court of heaven, before the King of the universe and His heavenly host. “He’s mine,” Jesus will say. “He’s one of Yours,” Jesus will say to the Father. 

Why? Not because of our own selves. But because God, through Christ, bestows on us full acceptance.