Bella Vista Church of Christ
LIFELINES
March 21, 2001 Randall Caselman
Surviving Spiritual Winters
The book of Revelation is about survival - surviving spiritual winters of temptation, sin, persecution, ignorance and apathy. The seven churches received seven letters admonishing them on survival techniques. Truth is, human nature doesn’t change. Their sins are our sins; their solutions our solutions; their savior our savior. Let’s see what we can learn.
The problem at Ephesus was a loss of first love. A first love is essential to Christian survival. Jesus said if you love Me, you will obey Me. If we lose the love that drew us out of the world into an intimate walk with Jesus, we have no hope. It is this walking with Him in the light that continues to cleanse us of all our sin. “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor. 13:13).
At Smyrna, the pressure was to abandon their faith. “Do not be afraid” they were told in Revelation 2.10, but “be faithful, even to the point of death.” Christianity is a life of perseverance, of keeping-on-keeping-on, of never giving up even in the face of danger. The Hebrews’ writer tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. Daily, Jesus says to us what he said to the synagogue ruler: “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” (Luke 8.50) The call to Smyrna, and us, is not to faith only, but to faithfulness. There is a difference.
The letter to Pergamum stresses our need for integrity. The doctrine of the Nicolaitans may have been personal power and acceptance at the price of integrity. It is the love for the inner circle, peer pressure, a place in the “in crowd.” Jesus asked them and us to make our decision. We must decide daily between this world and His world. We can’t walk in both and maintain genuine integrity. We can’t serve two masters. “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2.15)
Thyatira was about compromise. Jezebel represents idolatry and immorality wherever she is mentioned. Compromise, the toleration of sin in the church and in our personal lives, is the sin of Thyatira. Compromise always destroys holiness. Holiness is not only God’s will, it is His purpose. Jesus came to make men holy. He came to redeem us from wickedness and to purify for Himself a peculiar people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. When compromise is the issue, Jesus’ call is to repent or die.
Sardis was in deep trouble. This church started well, but became satisfied with the status quo. Resting on past accomplishments is a sin. Jesus points out that there is a distinction between past reputation and present reality. Genuine faithfulness is about today! Today is the day of salvation. Peter admonishes us to add and abound in the Christian graces. Our love for Jesus must motivate us to never rest on our laurels. Paul said, “Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal.” (Philippians 3:13-14).
Philadelphia merits the full approval of Jesus. It is the church without reproach. What kind of attributes must a church or individual have to gain such an approval rating from the Lord? They were not procrastinators. They walked through the door of opportunity providentially set before them - perhaps the door of evangelism, hospitality, serving others or good deeds. Even in face of severe persecution, this church did not deny the name of Jesus. Faithfulness is not just excluding sin from our lives. It is walking through the doors of opportunity. He that knows to do good and does it not, sins. Genuine Christianity is knowing to do good and doing it, right?
Laodicea was self-sufficient. This church saw themselves as needing nothing. They were condemned by Jesus. They should have read again Jesus’ sermon on the mount. Blessed are the poor in spirit - they that mourn - and the meek. Pride, self-sufficiency, a haughty spirit are hated by God. True spiritual riches are found in seeing ourselves as we really are - sinners in need of God’s continual forgiveness. Luke-warmness is always the product of self-satisfaction. But acknowledgment of sins results in His forgiveness and His purifying us from all unrighteousness.
Spring is here. We survived a rough winter. But the real question is, are we surviving our spiritual winters when the winds of sin, temptation, persecution and apathy blow cold? I pray these seven thoughts will help.
RANDALL CASELMAN
