“I, John, both your brother and companion in the
tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is
called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus
Christ.”
- Revelation 1:9
What makes a pastor effective? What makes someone
effective in serving our Lord? A lot of damage has been done to the name of
Jesus, to His bride the church, and to the reputation of our Lord by those who
claim to be pastors of Christ or in some way claim to belong to Christ. The
world is deceived and under the sway of the wicked one (1 John 5:19). But even
those who walk according to the course of this world and the prince of the power of
the air are able to spot a charlatan, hypocrite, or shallow disingenuous
follower of Jesus (Eph. 2:1-3). And when they spot a phony or shallow “follower”
of Jesus, they are quick to exploit it to their own ends. They only have to
find one slacker, one superficial “Christian” to have enough ammunition to excuse
themselves from listening to any conviction for their sins that the Holy Spirit
might be dealing with them about.
Did you ever ask yourself why the hypocrites Ananias
and Sapphira were dealt with so severely by the Holy Spirit? They sold some
property and gave a portion of it to the church giving the impression they had
given it all at great personal sacrifice. That doesn’t seem to be such a big
deal. But they were both exposed for their deceit and stopped literally dead in
their tracks. What was the big deal? Peter was moved by the Spirt to indict
them for having a heart filled by Satan to lie to the Spirit; they tested the
Spirit of God with their lying ways. Why was that such a big deal? Why did they
have to pay such severe price? After the incident it says, “So great fear came
upon all those who heard these things” Acts 5:1-11). There was an important
lesson to be learned early on in the early church; one that we should revisit
in our day.
The lost world is rejecting a shallow superficial
Spiritless church today. Sinners are running hell bent from the church headed
for a cliff that will plummet them into a Christ-less eternity. It’s a heart
breaking situation. But what is even more heartbreaking is that so much of the
church just doesn’t seem to care. They indulge in political discussions which
soon degenerate into arguments. They are satisfied to be preoccupied with tweets,
twitters, and texts of depersonalized messages to others. Maybe they have a Facebook
“ministry.” Maybe they have an Instagram account. But when was the last time
there was an actual conversation up front and personal with an actual flesh and
blood person?
Then there are the people who are more concerned with
the standings of their team than the spiritual state of the lost around them.
People know the sales coming this month but they aren’t too privy to the
salvation condition of those around them.
The world sees through superficiality. They can spot a
hypocrite a mile away; even if it is for the selfish sake of justifying or
excusing their own sin. What’s the solution? One of the most enduring examples
of effective ministry is the Apostle John. In His last inspired piece of
writing he wrote the following:
·
Revelation
1:9 - “I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom
and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the
word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
John identified himself as “both your brother and companion in the tribulation.” John was in
the trenches with his people. He didn’t lead from the rear but led from the
front lines. And because of this he was loved by those he led in the Lord. No
one could accuse John of not genuinely caring or being false or hypocritical in
some way. That was because he was a “brother
and companion in.” That small little preposition “in” carries a lot of
weight. It was because John was “in” life with those he wrote to and ministered
to that he was so effective.
Now we would be amiss to attribute John’s effectiveness
and longevity to only being “in” something. Most importantly he “was in the Spirit” (Revelation 1:10).
But it was the Holy Spirit who moved John to be that loving brother and
companion to those he ministered too. And this work of the Spirit in and
through John is what made him one of the lasting pillars of the early church.
John was their companion in tribulation. Today we have
Isis and Islam as the prime instrument of the devil to persecute the church. In
John’s day it was Rome. Today’s brand of persecution has nothing on the Roman’s
brand. The devil is ruthless in every age. It takes a genuine Spirit-filled
Church to weather his diabolical storms. John was a church leader, a pastor,
who led the charge through tribulations. And those following him loved him for
his courage. Rumor had it that Domitian tried to do in John by boiling him
alive in oil. But old bro John was miraculously preserved through it all. Was
it true? We don’t know. It’s possible. But even if such an account isn’t true,
it tells us a lot about how those around him felt about John.
The environment into which this revelation is being
received is one of “tribulation” (Greek
thlipsis). “Tribulation” means
literally a pressing, pressure. It
can refer to anything that burdens the spirit of a person. Jesus used this term
when He stated, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the
world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the
world.” (John 16:33). There
have always been, and there will always be, pressures and persecutions in this
life, until the Lord returns to set things right. Until then people inside and
outside of the church will be looking for those who have a genuine answer to
their trial produced questions, a genuine solution to their pressure produced
problems.
In this world Jesus affirms we will experience tribulation. But I should mention here that this
does not mean we will experience the Great Tribulation! We will experience
pressures from the world and our adversary the devil. The “tribulation” referred
to in John 16:33 and Revelation 1:9 are not the same as the Great Tribulation
described in Revelation chapters 6-19. The difference between the tribulation
referred to by Jesus that we would experience and that of the Great Tribulation
is that the source or origin of each is different.
During the Great Tribulation God is the One who
orchestrates the tribulation by pouring out His righteous and well deserved wrath
on a Christ rejecting world (Revelation 6:17; 16:17-19). Christians are not
destined to experience the wrathful tribulation of God but will be and are saved
from it (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9).
In this world now we have an adversary who prowls the earth like a
roaring lion seeking to prey on the weak (1 Peter 5:8-9). We are in a spiritual
war against Satan and his cohorts (Ephesians 6:10-18). We live in a fallen
world where sin causes tribulation to its victims (1 John 3:8). In this world
we will suffer tribulations.
It should also be noted here that the cause of the
tribulation John and his fellow believers were experiencing was their faithfulness to “the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Their
faithfulness led to tribulation. When was the last time you suffered for “the
word of God” and/or “for the testimony of Jesus Christ? They experienced trials
because they did the right thing in the eyes of God. They were not suffering as
a consequence of their personal sins. They were not compromisers. They were not
hypocrites. They weren’t sorry for themselves. They had no self-pity. They,
along with John, were suffering for faithfully living out God’s word and
sharing the testimony of Jesus Christ. The world yearns for those who can take
a hit and keep on moving, and do it with joy. When you’ve been genuinely saved
and born again by Jesus, how can you not tell the world of the incredible
truth?
At the time that John was given this revelation there
was a great persecution by Rome against those who called themselves
“Christian.” The Church experienced its
first persecution under Caesar Nero (54-68) and more particularly under Emperor
Domitian in A.D. 95 around the time that the book of Revelation was received by
John. The persecution under Nero was instigated by Nero himself as historians
tell us he blamed Christians for starting a fire in Rome that he in his
personal madness had set. It was a fierce fire that spread to the entire city. As the truth of this terrible deed began to be
discovered Nero diverted attention from himself and blamed Christians.
The Roman historian Tacitus wrote the following in
regards to this situation:
“With this view he
inflicted the most exquisite tortures on those men who, under the vulgar
appellation of Christians, were already branded with deserved infamy. They
derived their name and origin from Christ, who, in the reign of Tiberius, had
suffered death by the sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilate. For a while this dire superstition was
checked, but it again burst forth; and not only spread itself over Judea, the
first seat of this mischievous sect, but was even introduced into Rome, the
common asylum which receives and protects whatever is impure, whatever is
atrocious. The confessions of those who were seized discovered a great
multitude of their accomplices, and they were all convicted, not so much for
the crime of setting fire to the city as for their hatred of human kind. They
died in torments, and their torments were embittered by insult and derision.
Some were nailed on crosses; others sewn up in the skins of wild bests, and
exposed to the fury of dogs; others again, smeared over with combustible
materials, were used as torches to illuminate the darkness of the night. The
gardens of Nero were destined for the melancholy spectacle, which was
accompanied with a horse race, and honored with the presence of the emperor,
who mingled with the populace in the dress and attitude of a charioteer. The
guilt of the Christians deserved indeed the most exemplary punishments, but the
public abhorrence was changed into commiseration, from the opinion that those
unhappy wretches were sacrificed, not so much to the public welfare as to the
cruelty of a jealous tyrant.” [1]
Nero was a madman; a precursor to Antichrist who had
the spirit of antichrist (cf. 1 John 4). When Nero was three years old his
mother murdered his father by giving young Nero poisoned food to give his
father. One can only imagine the effect upon Nero as he watched his father
writhe in pain and die before him. At
age 12 Nero tortured to death a friend who displeased him. At age 15 Nero
married but then strangled to death his wife when she displeased him. He
married and murdered two other wives and eventually murdered his mother as
well. Nero was a madman and his behavior confirms this.
It’s believed that when Nero came to power his insane
nature led to his exalting himself as a god and demanding that all subjects of
the Roman empire bow to worship him. (Sounds like some politicians of our day
doesn’t it?) When Christians refused to worship him he began a one-man mission
to wipe out Christianity. Nero would travel throughout the empire with his
military and round up any who would not declare, “Caesar is Lord.” Nero would take these “offenders” and dip
them in hot wax and use them as human candlesticks in his imperial garden. He
would then strip naked and ride his chariot in the garden shouting, “You are
the light of the world! You are the light of the world!” A day is coming when
bowing to a world leader or system of government will be demanded. There will
be consequences for refusing. What will Christians do then? Will they have the
spiritual fortitude and faith to stand firm for the Lord? We will see. The
world is watching and they will see too.
Nero was described as “an ugly man with a bull neck,
beetle brows and a flat nose with a tough mouth. He had a pot belly with
spindly legs, bad skin and an offensive odor.”
At the age of 31 Nero committed suicide by slitting his own throat. By
the end of his reign he had murdered an estimated 3 million Christians. Slitting
throats are becoming more and more common in our day too.
Titus Flavius Domitian was the next Roman emperor to
persecute Christians. He was the emperor who persecuted Christians during the
end of the first century when the book of Revelation was received. Domitian’s
persecution led to the murder of millions more Christians. Historians refer to
Nero as a crazy devil. But Domitian was a sane devil. Domitian was cruel and
calculated in his efforts to annihilate Christianity from the face of the
earth. Domitian chose to attack Christian leadership. It was Domitian who,
legend has it, attempted to execute John by boiling him in a cauldron of hot
oil. God miraculously spared John through the execution.
John alone of the 11 original disciples (not counting
Judas who committed suicide) survived execution for their faith. John, known as
the apostle of love, survived. “Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8a). Frustrated, Domitian exiled John to the
rocky, desolate, barren isle of Patmos. This island is 50 miles southwest of
Ephesus (located in the area of modern day Turkey) in the Aegean Sea. It’s a small
island 10 miles long and 6 miles wide. It was on this island, during a time of
tribulation, that John received the vision of Revelation. There’s a lesson here
for those partaking in comfortable Christianity today. Jesus has a way of giving revelation during times of personal
tribulation. Our problem is, we have been trying to avoid tribulation and
therefore aren’t in a position to receive much revelation from our Lord.
The Apostle John was persecuted for his loyalty to “the word of God and for the testimony of
Jesus Christ.” John would not compromise God’s word. John stood faithfully
for the truth God had revealed. John persevered in the “patience of Jesus
Christ.” John was who he was because he
was a man of the word of God. He referred to the Old Testament 518 times in
Revelation. He knew the word and lived by the word even if that meant
discomfort and trials would enter his life. There isn’t much tribulation for us
today because there aren’t many willing to stand for “the word of God and for
the testimony of Jesus Christ.” We are the spiritually poorer and less
effective as a result.
John was their brother and companion in tribulation. But
he was also their brother in the “kingdom.”
John wasn’t a doom and gloom pastor. I don’t mean to convey the idea of us
going and looking for trouble. We don’t have to manufacture trials. If we live
right, holy lives unto the Lord, trials will come. John spoke of the truth and
realities of persecution, but he also shared the prospect of serving in the
coming Kingdom of Jesus Christ on earth. Praise the Lord for that! Jesus is
coming back! That is just as certain as His first coming. And when we look at
the indicators of His return and compare them to what is going on in the world
today, well, yes indeed, we should be expecting Jesus to come take us home very
soon.
John was further their companion in the “patience of Jesus Christ.” All three
of these things mentioned, tribulation, kingdom and patience are all connected
to Jesus Christ. We suffer persecution because of our belonging to Jesus. If we
aren’t suffering, I suggest we examine the genuineness of our faith. If Paul
said, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer
persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). If we aren’t suffering or discomforted in some
way, then maybe we should follow another of Paul’s inspired instructions when
he wrote, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test
yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed
you are disqualified” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
We will serve in His Kingdom. But there is also an
aspect of “patience.” These things are coming and will unfold. The patience of
Jesus is necessary, even if it means trials and persecution because God desires
none to perish and for all to have ample opportunity to repent and be saved
(e.g. 2 Peter 3:9). If suffering some temporal trials is necessary to provide
more time to repent and be saved eternally, then it is well worth it.
As we patiently wait for the Lord’s return, let us do
so like a waiter or waitress. A good waiter or waitress is a servant, looking
to assist patrons until directed otherwise. The people of this world are our
patrons. Serve them the gospel. Serve them Christlike love. Serve them God’s
word. Serve them genuinely. And do so until told otherwise.
John was a brother and companion in. He was in their
lives. He was living in similar life
circumstances. He was not aloof. He was not preaching, teaching or living
something that was disconnected from reality or out of touch with the real
issues in the real world. John was effective in ministry, he was looked for and
welcomed by people for ministry, because he was in life with people demonstrating the real practical life
application of God’s revealed truths. That’s an example we should follow. Let’s
be a brother and companion to people according to His word and the testimony of
Jesus Christ.
[1]
Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon
(abridgment by D.M. Low) Harcourt, Brace and Co.: New York 1960, p. 202).
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