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.