August 18, 202
The Book of Revelation starts with a very clear introduction. Jesus has a message for the Church. You can’t abandon balance; faithfulness and love must be embodied by the Church.
We tend to be drawn toward what is important to us, but doing so can easily lead to emphasizing one thing while neglecting another. There must be balance. Faithfulness is not possible without Love and Love without Faithfulness is empty. Repeatedly we see Jesus admonish Churches for being only half what they need to be.
Faithfulness and Love, Revelation 2:2-4 “I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. The Ephesians seems to really want to be right, so much so that they made it all that matters. Being right technically is not the same as being righteous because that is a state of heart.”
Revelation 2:19-20 “I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. While Ephesus cared about being right, Thyatira cared about being loving and serving and they did but then they tolerated false teaching. Part of Loving Jesus is obeying him and obeying him is not possible without the motivation that comes from love.”
Revelation 2:13 “I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. It’s good to resist compromise with the world and to stand up for what’s right even under outside pressure. Sometimes when Satan can’t get to you one way he will try another. This Church has stood up against the world but then allowed false teaching to take hold from within. Again we see that a Church can’t emphasis one area and neglect another.”
If we are to be faithful and effective we must be sure that we don’t sacrifice one aspect of our faith and justify ourselves by pointing to something we are doing right.
~ Kevin Cleary