This is part 3 of a 3 part series. You can find part 1 and part 2 here: Part 1 Part 2

(Originally published on March 7, 2016)

Practicing Priesthood

In the previous posts in this series, we looked at the need to set the culture in regards to depression, as well as provide training for the church. Now we come to the third aspect to consider, namely, we are a royal priesthood and are called to act as priests toward one another (1 Pet. 2:9). These are the trenches of one-anothering. Our maturing and training is lived out within a culture for the purpose of aiding one another in growth. A person struggling with depression feels isolated and alone. They scream out into the darkness, “Why?!” not, “How?!” He or she is not looking for steps but for meaning. We can easily err in this priestly role and try to be engineers—dealing symptomatically to restore normalcy. In walking with someone who suffers with depression, the priest seeks to help with the deeper struggle.

Recently Jennifer (not her real name), who battles depression, told me that, “It feels like I can’t live, but I can’t die either. My heart is continually ripped out over and over again.” Such words echo Bunyan’s Giant Despair in The Pilgrim’s Progress, “Why should you choose life, seeing it is accompanied by so much bitterness?” The Proverbs tell us that, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Pro. 13:12). Such hearts need voices of hope, to speak into their pain. In endeavoring to impart hope, we must ensure that the hope we impart is Gospel hope.

We can easily impart false or trite hopes in an effort to lighten spirits. Gospel hope, however, is the sustaining wind that carries us through the storm to our desired haven (Psalm 107:30).

Below are four different ways we can seek to unveil this hope:

Befriending

Just this week, I spoke with Edward (not his real name) whose neighbour committed suicide. Edward, oblivious to his neighbour’s depression, assumed his neighbour was simply avoiding relationship. While he may have been avoiding relationship, it was expressive of his isolation. But the greater our suffering, the greater will be our sense of feeling alone. Hope says, “You are not alone.” “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Pro 17:17). Befriending one who suffers, brings Christ near to them through his Body. God said he would never leave us nor forsake us (Deut 31:6). He declares us His friends (John 15:15). We can model the hope of God’s presence in befriending those struggling with depression.

Remembering

Second, when we remember people, it tells them that, even though we are out of sight, they are still in mind. In Ed Welch’s book, Side by Side, he says, “If we are affected by someone’s suffering, we will remember it, which is one of the great gifts that we give to each other” (pg. 103). The Apostle Paul certainly communicated this in his prayers for the church, “I always remember you in my prayers” (I Tim 1:3, see also Eph 1:16; Phil 1:4). Remembering communicates,“You matter.” It is certainly true that we are created for a purpose, and we are meant to be shaped by one another (Pro 27:17). Remembering brings solidarity, and there is beauty in solidarity, “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them… since you also are in the body” (Heb 13:3).

Sufferers of depression often feel that they are incapable of expressing their anguish. Our remembering their anguish says that at some level, “I feel your pain.” Knowing another feels their pain helps unbolt the doors of solitude. This too is a reminder that we have a high priest who can, “Sympathize with our weaknesses” (Heb 4:15). The fact that weaknesses is plural means we cannot exclude a category of weakness (such as depression), from Christ’s sympathies.

Grace Hunting

Third, as we enter into their pain, we obtain a new vantage point. Our first response tends to be going on an idol hunt. We want to find the sin or the idol that is at the heart. Whilst there is a place for this, the depressed person is likely heavily engaged in morbid introspection and thus would be greatly helped seeing signs of God’s grace at work in them. Saying something like, “You are so courageous. God has given you grace this week to get out of bed and get the kids to school.” We want to commend manifested grace where we see it. For those who feel hopeless and alone, this is a reminder that God is near and working even in the mundane.

Jesus’ Suffering

Fourth, the suffering of Jesus is both our example and help. We may want to speak of the glories of heaven obtained by Jesus’ suffering. But there is also consolation in Christ’s suffering itself. Spurgeon, who suffered from depression, said, “It is an unspeakable consolation that our Lord Jesus knows this experience.” Zack Eswine, in his book Spurgeon’s Sorrows writes, “To feel in our being that the God to whom we cry has Himself suffered as we do enables us to feel that we are not alone and that God is not cruel.” Here we can begin to see our burden as belonging to him.

When Amy Carmichael struggled with an unbearable burden in India, she considered Christ and his burden bearing in the Garden, “Under one of those trees our Lord Jesus knelt, and He knelt alone. And I knew that this was His burden not mine. It was He who was asking me to share it with Him, not I who was asking Him to share it with me.” She found great comfort knowing that she was partaking in the sufferings of Christ. Jesus not only knows our pain, he endured it, and we kneel beside him in it.

Continuing Work

God is a redeeming God, who continually works his redemption into us. As we walk with depression sufferers, God is not only continuing to work in them, he is continuing to work in us. We mutually grow, building one another up in our most holy faith, as we await the day when all sin, sickness, and death gives way to the glorious liberty of the children of God (Rom 8:21).

In the world we live in today, fame is no longer confined to places like Hollywood; the flicker of fame resides in the heart of everyone with a social media account of some description.

In a moment of almost prophetic genius, Andy Warhol said in 1968, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” How right he was. In an era of viral videos and Instagram accounts, just about everyone in the world has the chance of their moment of fame. And many pursue it with everything they have. Self-promotion is no longer considered gauche or tasteless, but a necessary right of passage to attain the acclaim people desire. We’re building towers constructed with our own image of greatness.

There is a story in the Bible of a nation that built a tower to show how advanced and mighty they were. They were building a tower to heaven, but not to reach God and worship Him, no, instead, to gain renown and admiration. They wanted to show the world how great they were and to show God He was not so high above them that their greatness could not reach Him.

I am speaking, of course, of the Tower of Babel, which is described in Genesis chapter 11. In verse four of chapter 11, the people say, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves…” The desire to make a name for ourselves has been a part of human nature from the beginning. This desire, however, no matter how successful, rarely ever brings contentment. This is why we see so many unhappy famous people.

The fact is, we were not created to make our own names great but to proclaim the greatness of the name of God.

The name of Jesus. To lay our lives down for Him, so that He can be glorified. Interestingly, we see a beautiful picture of this in the very next chapter of Genesis. In stark contrast to building the Tower of BabeI, chapter 11, we see Abraham in chapter 12 coming to a new place, and building an altar to God.

God had promised Abraham the land of Canaan, and so when He came there, He built an altar to the Lord, “Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time, the Canaanites were in the land. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring, I will give this land.’ So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.”

An altar, unlike a tower, is a place of sacrifice. A place where Abraham could make a sacrifice to God, in gratitude for all he had given Him. An altar says, “You are great, Lord. You have brought me this far. My life is yours. A tower says, “Look at me; look at me. I am great. I have done great things. Adore me. Worship me.”

In a world where the norm is building towers to ourselves, I would challenge us to be more interested in lifting high the name of Jesus. One really practical way that we can check ourselves in this area is to ask ourselves if we are building altars to God or towers to ourselves.

Abraham had come to a new place when he built his altar. Are you entering a new place in your life? A new career, home, a new baby, an engagement or marriage?

I would encourage you to build a metaphorical altar to God in this new place. An altar says, “God, You brought me here. I couldn’t have achieved any of this on my own. You have led me. You have provided for me. I can take no credit but only raise a sacrifice of praise to You for all You have done for me.” An altar says, “God has brought me this far. He will bring me all the way.” An altar says, “God is faithful. I can lay my life before Him for He is good.”

A tower says, “To me be the glory.” An altar says, “To God be the glory.”

In 2019, I want to build an altar to God in my heart and lay this year before Him.

I want to say, “God, You have brought me here. Now, use me this year to spread Your fame, Your love, Your life-changing power to all those I encounter.”

If you are focused on what towers of self you will build this year, I would encourage you to re-evaluate your thinking, and instead, look to see how you can offer your life once again to the God who offered His whole life on the altar for you. He was led like a lamb to be slaughtered, the ultimate sacrifice, the ultimate altar, once for all. So how can we build towers to ourselves when He gave it all for us?

Let this year be the year that we lift high the name of Jesus in our lives, and when it comes to altars or towers, let’s make it an altar every time.

Have you ever been broken, in body or in soul, and prayed earnestly for healing and not received the answer you hoped for? This past year could have been named “the year of the scalpel” because God removed so much from my life that just needed to be removed for my own good. Halfway through the year, I was absolutely worn out from trying too hard with certain relationships and to manage my health, but to no avail. Brothers and sisters around the world and I prayed for healing for that wonderful instant healing that God can bring. The healing that is so quick and so complete that we can forget about the pain altogether. But rather, God responded with, “I have a better plan.”

If you are looking for a comprehensive study on healing, this is not that article. This is my story of how God brought deep, powerful healing during one of the most painful moments in my life. Having spoken with people afterward, I’ve come to realize that many people are going through the same thing.

This led me to write and shed some hope, that during those dark days, God is at work often in unexpected ways.

I’ve had multiple colon disorders for years now and had grown used to the special diets, the hospital stays, the pain and all that is associated with it, and so I was surprised when last July my doctor said that I needed surgery as soon as possible. I had grown used to living with disease, and now I was at a critical point where the only option was to “cut it out.” It all happened so quickly and so painfully slow as well. I had to wait months until I was well enough to handle surgery, and during that time, everyone I knew prayed for healing. Complete, immediate healing.

The day came, and I had to go through with surgery. I remember laying in the hospital bed after eight hours in surgical suite, surprised at the size of the incision that spread across my abdomen and wondered how things would go now. Alone, in this sterile environment, far from everyone who fills my busy life, I prayed, “Lord, what is going on? This is a waste of time. I have things to do!” And in reality, my soul was whispering in a dejected tone, “You could have healed me.” I’ll never forget when He spoke so gently to my heart, “This is the sacred place I chose to heal you. I want you to sit in this quiet place, unable to move for a little while.”

The problem with healing is the pain, right?

Pain associated with the healing is congruent with the pain of the wound. And your broken body or soul becomes unmistakably vulnerable.

It is humbling, even humiliating to go through, but God can do such a beautiful work in that time of healing.

I looked to the Word to see exactly what God has to say about healing. We know that Jesus heals; He spent so much of His time on earth healing, but what about me, right now? In my silent, sterile pain? When I looked it up, the Word was a comfort to my soul.

There are verses such as Luke 9:11, “But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.” The Greek words used in just this verse are Therapeia¹ and Iaomai. Therapeía: “attendance” (especially, medical, i.e. cure); figuratively and collectively, “domestics:—healing, household.” And iaomai is “to cure, heal to make whole to free from errors and sins, to bring about one’s salvation.” Which, according to Vine’s Expository Dictionary and Strong’s Concordance, is where we get “therapeutics” and “therapy.” I needed both, and the Lord provided both; I’ll get into that later.

Then in verses such as Jeremiah 33:6, “Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.” In Hebrew, ărûwkâh² means in the sense of “restoring to soundness; wholeness” (literally or figuratively):—”health, made up, perfected.” I also needed that divine touch that only our Maker can bring.

Therapeutics, therapy, soundness, wholeness, health… being revealed in the abundance of peace and truth. That is what we need when we are broken; this is what I desperately needed! A divine touch from our Savior.

As I laid in that hospital bed, I did a lot of meditating on the Lord and on the healing process, both on the emotional healing that had happened that summer, and what was currently happening in physical healing. Both require an incredible amount of trust in the Lord to reknit broken people back together.

Both need truth to be infused into a confusing situation. A good friend reminded me that the enemy is the author of confusion as God is the author of order (1 Corinthians 14:33). We need honest people to come around and remind us what the truth is about what our true condition is. We need honest, kind words, words from God’s own heart. To be around people, who are filled with the Holy Spirit, who truly love you. Sleep is also essential to let the body and mind heal.

As we listen to the people that God puts into our lives to carry us through this trauma, we heal a little bit every day.

God does this great work. But, we need to let God put people into our lives, the right people. When I was at my worst, God sent people from all across the world who had no idea what was going on, to minister to me. God did that. He sent in spiritual first responders to come in and bandage me up. But, I had to open the door and let them in. I had to listen to those first responders that He sent, and I had to put it into practice.

He reminds us to shed off that bitterness that would be so easy to give into because sometimes life is really hard, and we end up wounded. That is why we have to go through a healing process, right? But the pain of life doesn’t change the fact that you are loved by God. Beware, because those wounds of life cannot get infected by bitterness; they must be bandaged and then let alone. If we keep them tightly bound up in bitterness, they will never heal; and we will suffer because of it. The people or situation that caused this suffering will not be affected, but we will.

And I realized that as I let God send people in to help – there is this knitting of bonds that develops, that could not have developed otherwise; it is the Body of Christ in action. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to accept help until the time came, and it was an eye-opener. People stepped out of the woodwork to do kind things, and it brought tears to my eyes on many occasions. God used His children to speak love and good works into my family and the church’s life, when I couldn’t do what needed to be done.

So, as He walked me through incredible physical and broken-hearted pain, I started to see healing differently.

It is a God-given time that He ordains in order for us to be our best and to minister to us. During those moments, He gives us what we need to heal from the true wound. He has my back, and He has your back. Let the healing process begin, and embrace it, though it be painful; and it may take longer than we wish. God knows what we need to be fully restored, and who better to reknit each one of us than the one who knit you together in the first place.

Let’s be on our look out for the blessings that God has put in our lives to help us walk through these days, especially through the difficult days. He never tempts us beyond what we can handle, and when that scalpel is doing its work, know that those things are causing harm, and that is why God has to remove them. He loves you enough to remove the things from your life that aren’t good, and He will heal you after surgery. It won’t be easy, but it will be worthwhile.

Notes:

¹ Blueletterbible.com

² Ibid.

I was surprised by the following true story:

The location: Pearl Harbor The date: Sunday morning, December 7, 1941. Three hundred and fifty-three Japanese airplanes began swarming all around the harbor. Within a couple of hours, America lost eight battleships, six major airfields, almost all planes and 2,400 men. What began at 7:50 a.m. was supposedly a surprised attack. But these are the startling facts:

That morning, 50 minutes earlier, at 7 a.m., while the Japanese warplanes were 137 miles (50 minutes) away, two US soldiers on a small radar station in the Pacific scanned the screen and saw dots appearing, until the whole screen was filled. These soldiers notified their youthful supervisor, a lieutenant. No other officer was around, that being a Sunday.

The lieutenant thought these must be planes from California, and without another thought, said these crucial words: “Don’t worry about it.” There would have been time to scramble the planes at Pearl Harbor, prepare the battleships and shelter the men, but this lieutenant, at the most responsible moment of his career, failed the nation with the words, “Don’t worry about it.”

In our own lives, is there something that could wreak havoc–spiritual destruction in your life–and yet you dismiss it away, thinking, “Oh, don’t worry about it! It’s just a ‘little’ sin”? It is nothing big.” That is what we call spiritual compromise. Pearl Harbor may have been prevented if someone took the warning seriously. But because they didn’t, they said, “Don’t worry about it,” and numerous lives were lost.

Many of us may have an area of spiritual compromise in our lives as we read.

Compromise. We hear that word in politics, and we think that it is a good thing. Recently, we had a limited federal government shutdown. I heard media personalities asking the question: “When will the Republicans and Democrats reach a compromise on DACA, so we can move forward together?” Compromise: It sounds like a good thing, at least in politics. What about compromise in relationships? Compromise in marriage is not only important, it is necessary. Think of married couples going shopping together, and you’ll understand the importance of compromise.

My wife Jenn tends to shop in slow motion, like she’s leading a group of children on a field trip. There is very little attention span, lots of bathroom and snack breaks, and generally you move about .5 miles an hour. On the other hand, in a mall I’m more like a Navy Seal team on a rescue op. It’s an in-and-out mission–we’ve got to make the clothing extraction. I’m running in, almost at a frantic pace, checking the sign to find the location of the store I need; then I’m mapping out the most strategic route to find the fastest shortcut, and I’m in the store and out with my jeans in about 18 seconds, while the cashier is thinking, “Did you see something?”

So when my wife and I go shopping, we have to use this word “compromise.” I have to slow down, and simultaneously, Jenn has to speed up. We both compromise our strategies and generally enjoy our life and marriage much better that way (plus Amazon doesn’t hurt…) In politics, relationships and business agreements, compromise is important. But in our moral and spiritual lives, when we use the word “compromise,” this is a very negative thing.

Tony Evans said:

“Compromise is the cancer of the church, and we must rid Christ’s body of it. While Christians can compromise on preferences, they cannot compromise on principles. We can’t be one way on Sunday and another on Monday. This is a major problem among Christians in America today. We don’t take a stand. We don’t keep our standards. We merely shift to satisfy society.”

There was a church in Asia Minor that was beginning to take those slippery steps. Today we’re going to study the church that met in the city of Pergamum. John the Apostle was on the island of Patmos and turned around to see Jesus in all of His unveiled glory. And Jesus said, “write these things down” and then spoke a word for seven churches in Asia Minor. With each of these messages, we see the following outline:

. A City

. A Characteristic of Christ

. A Commendation

. A Criticism

. A Correction

. A Crown

The City of Pergamum

Pergamum was a religious epicenter. We’ve already looked at Smyrna–the commercial center–and Ephesus–the political center– but then there was Pergamum, the religious center. It was quite an impressive city, built high on a mountain and a very strong tower of defense. In fact, the name, “Pergamum,” means “citadel,” or “lifted up” or “high.” It had beautiful views of the country around it. Usually high places invoke a sense of wonder, awe and meditation, and the religious cults took advantage of that fact. Pergamum can also mean “marriage.” The church there was married to Christ but were allowing spiritually adulterous thoughts to creep in.

As soon as you walked into the city, you would see the imposing temple to Athena, right inside the city gate. Then there was the great temple of Caesar Augustus and also Hadrian’s temple.You look a little farther and oh, there’s the large altar to Zeus with an idol on it near the king’s palace. If that wasn’t enough, look along the side of the mountain, and you’re sure to see the temple of Dionysius, the goat god of wine. He is depicted with horns, but his upper part as a man and his lower part as a goat, with cloven feet and a tail.

When you think of the spiritual oppression with all of these temples all gathered in the same vicinity, it is no wonder that Jesus refers to this area as “the throne of Satan.” The word “parchment” derives its name from Pergamum. In fact, the people there so appreciated books, they had a library of 200,000 books second only to the library of Alexandria. Though they were immersed with piles of literature and parchment, only one divine paragraph was needed to heal them!

Characteristic of Christ

“These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword.” Interestingly, Jesus refers to the church that is beginning to compromise back to His mouth, where the sharp, two-edged sword was extending out from. When you think of “sword” in the Bible (mentioned 404 times), in the New Testament, it is almost exclusively–though not entirely–used in the context of the Bible/the Scriptures/the Word of God.

Commendation

“I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

First, Jesus says “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is.” What does “Satan’s throne” mean?

If you polled the average person and asked them, “Where is Satan’s throne?” They would invariably, unequivocally say “HELL.” Or Las Vegas or maybe even Washington, D.C. But in John’s day, Jesus would say it was in Pergamum. “Satan’s throne” was most likely referring to the large throne of Zeus, which was located in Pergamum. Interestingly, this throne was discovered by the German engineer, Carl Humann. Humann excavated the throne stone by stone and took it to Berlin, where it was reassembled in placed in the Museum of Pergamon. In 1930 the museum opened with the throne as its centerpiece. Eventually, the altar caught the eye of Albert Speer, the new chief architect for the Nazi Party. Germany’s new chancellor, Adolf Hitler, had commissioned him to design the parade grounds for the party rallies in Nuremberg. For inspiration, Speer turned to the Pergamon Altar.

Can you imagine living in the midst of “sin city?” Having the throne of Satan right down the street from you? You may not have a literal throne that you can point out, but we still dwell in the midst of a sinful people. Jesus knows that where we live in this world can prove difficult. He who dwelt in the dregs of Nazareth understands the difficulty of living in the world but not of it.

Notice the second commendation:

“You Hold Fast to My Name”—they weren’t selling out, as a whole. They remained true to God, even though they were right there in the midst of incredible evil. The verb “hold fast” (krateo) means to “grasp forcibly,” or in this figurative use, “to remain firm.” In Revelation 2:1, Jesus “holds the seven stars” as He watches over the churches and here the believers “hold fast” to His name. “My name” points to their adherence to the deity of Christ. In the midst of a pluralist society, much of the church refused to bow the knee to the false gods among them.

Willing to die for the faith—they were even willing to die for what they believed, and Jesus points out an example: Antipas—Jesus’ faithful martyr—whose name means “against all.” Antipas was the first recorded martyr of Asia. Some people believe he was slowly roasted to death in a bronze kettle during the reign of Domitian. His name represented the convictions he lived by: He would not give in nor compromise. Even if he had to be “against all,” he would not bend the knee to spiritual compromise.

So you have this great positive report from the Lord Jesus Christ. You have a wicked city but a faithful group who were willing to DIE for what they knew was right. So what’s the deal? Is that all Jesus had to say to them? No, there’s still a problem. Look at the criticism in verse 14.

Criticism

“But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate” (Revelation 2:14-15).

What? Not the high and lifted up citadel of Pergamum! I thought they had it all together! Perhaps at first glance. They were in the midst of evil all around them, and they were willing to die for their beliefs. But it was their behavior that was bringing them down.

Jesus mentions the doctrine of Balaam. Balaam was a prophet that Balak, the king of Moab, wanted to hire to pronounce judgment on Israel. But Balaam opened his mouth to speak for the Lord, and all he could do was utter blessings on Israel. And Balak said, “No, please don’t do that! Utter curses, not blessings.” And Balaam said, “Well, there’s no way I could do that. Even if you were to give me say, $10,000 in cash and five wives; I could never do that!”

So then again, he pronounced blessings, instead of curses, and Balak says, “No, utter curses, not blessings,” and this happened three times. Balaam said, “Hey, I said, ‘even if you offered me $10,000 in cash, I still couldn’t do that!” Then the very next verse we see that suddenly the children of Israel began to get involved in sexual immorality with the Moabite women, and God sent a plague and 24,000 of them died. What happened? Elsewhere in Numbers it says that Balaam gave them that advice.

It doesn’t say this in Numbers, but we can read between the lines. It seems Balaam was hinting at something with the money suggestion, and said, “Look, I simply can’t utter curses, but I do know these Israelite guys really well. They seem to be tempted easily by the seductive Moabite women. So bring a bunch of the women around to persuade the men to commit sexual immorality, and then God Himself will curse them; and we’re all happy: I get paid. I don’t have to lie when I prophesy. You get your curses, and we all go home happy!”

Balaam was the prophet for profit. His advice led the Israelites to compromise–and sin–and thus, his counsel was successful. Balaam’s counsel became the prototype for all false teachers.

Peter said this about false teachers:

2 Peter 2:15-19 (ESV)

“Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness. These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.”

So what is the doctrine of Balaam? It is to compromise what we know is morally upright for what is expedient. It’s to put stumbling blocks in front of people, things that will trip up our walk with God. For the church of Pergamum, it began by eating food sacrificed to idols; and then eventually, the slippery slope led to spiritual idolatry.

What about the teaching of the Nicolaitans? As we learned with the church of Ephesus, the Nicolaitans were followers of Nicolas, who apparently taught that you were free in Christ to do whatever you wanted to, with no consequences, a license to sin. There was a separating of the leadership and the laity–a hierarchy of superiority versus the everyday man or woman.

So the combined hybrid teaching of both Balaam and the Nicolaitans was that you could compromise your behavior and mix in what the world is doing, yet at the same time, have the reputation of being a lofty, high stronghold of authority and religious superiority.

What a sad indictment on the church. There may be some among the visible church that have compromised what they know is wrong, because either they thought they were free to do it, or there were no consequences, or because it looked fun or exciting, yet at the same time, maintaining the guise of spiritual superiority toward others.

The church of Smyrna was unbending toward compromise, even under intense persecution, but the church of Pergamum wanted to maintain their lofty standing while still allowing sin to creep in.

One official in India purportedly said off the record one time: “Don’t persecute the Christians, or they will become strong and spread. Instead, wherever you find Christians grouped together, build cinemas, drinking halls, night clubs and gambling dens, and they will destroy themselves.”

All too often this is the case. We worship Jesus on Sunday morning and put on the Christian radio station posture, and then go home and worship pleasure, or money, or success or self the rest of the week.

Spiritual compromise isn’t choosing other gods to worship INSTEAD of Jesus. It’s trying to include other gods along with our worship of Jesus.

Plenty of people are bowing down to other idols. The problem is when Christians purport to bow down to Jesus and then also choose to bow down to other gods. It’s compromise. It’s the way of Balaam.

D.L. Moody said: “Christians should live in the world, but not be filled with it. A ship lives in the water; but if the water gets into the ship, she goes to the bottom. So Christians may live in the world; but if the world gets into them, they sink.”

Compromise says, “I know I shouldn’t, but why not?” Compromise chooses to either ignore or belittle judgment that comes upon wrong behavior. You could define spiritual compromise as: Accepting a lower moral standard to live by that lessens or deadens your spiritual effectiveness. In spiritual compromise, you begin by taking a step, then another step and then another step in the direction away from your convictions and eventually toward destruction.

Sin begins in the mind, develops in the heart and comes to fruition in the body. All sin can be traced back to an initial moment of compromise.

What if the world decided to compromise one percent. That’s all? Here’s what would occur:

Verizon would have no cell service for 14 minutes each day. One point seven million pieces of first class mail lost each day. Thirty-five thousand newborn babies dropped by doctors or nurses each year. Two hundred thousand people getting the wrong drug prescriptions each year. Unsafe drinking water three days a year. Three misspelled words on the average page of type. Two million people would die from food poisoning each year. In fact, there are:

Five Slippery Steps to Spiritual Compromise:

1. A failure to purpose in our hearts ahead of time to do the right thing.

2. Underestimating evil (including the failure to recognize temptation).

3. Rationalizing.

4. A failure to consider the costly consequences.

5. A sudden, deliberate choice to give in to sin.

The best example of this sort of compromise in the Bible is Lot. Lot got into an argument with Abraham over the land because they had their own sheep, cattle and farmers, and the land wasn’t big enough for them both. So Abraham was a godly man and said, “Look out onto the land, and choose where you want to dwell.” And Lot looked, and Genesis says that he saw that the land was fertile and pleasing to the eye, so he set out for that land. What land was that? The plains near Sodom and Gomorrah. So Lot went out. You would think he would have stayed as far away from Sodom and Gomorrah as possible. But his eye was appeased, and so often it is with our eyes that we see something we want; and we head toward it. We didn’t actually do anything wrong yet, but we are taking a step closer to it, putting ourselves in danger and harm’s way. So his tents were pitched TOWARD Sodom.

The next we read about Lot, he was IN Sodom. Not only IN sin, but at the city gate, in the most prominent place, fully engulfed in culture, politics and all that Sodom had to offer. He couldn’t get out easily. His family thought he was joking when he tried to convince them to leave. That is the most saddening: Your compromise will usually affect others.

Correction

“Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.”

What does that mean? If you look back in verse 12, Jesus wanted to identify Himself to this church as, “He who has the sharp, double-edged sword.” The sword is coming out of Jesus’ MOUTH. This kind of sword is used in judgment. If you do not repent of your compromise, Jesus says, “I will come with judgment and My Word, and you will reap what you have sown.” God is offering the church of Pergamum (and you and I) a chance to repent of our compromise. But not only that, He also offers a crown–a reward for those who overcome.

Crown

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it”’ (Revelation 2:17).

Manna is the bread, the supernatural spiritual sustenance that God alone provided miraculously. And Jesus promises this, along with a white stone. This stone, also called “Tessera,” had many usages in the ancient Near East

(1) It could be used for a ticket to special banquets.

(2) It could be used to vote for acquittal by a jury.

(3) It could be used as a symbol of victory for an athlete.

(4) It could be used to show the freedom of a slave.

Notice that all of these represent something amazing about Jesus.

. Jesus provides Access to a banquet feast.

. Jesus brings Acquittal from the penalty of sin.

. Jesus brings Victory over sin and death.

. Jesus has Redeemed us from the curse of the law.

Many ladies had on their left hand a very expensive and beautiful stone. It was given to them by someone who loved them deeply, and probably given sacrificially, at great cost. That stone represented a relationship with someone. Amazingly, Jesus offers us a white stone, and on that stone is a name written which no one will know except the one who receives it. Jesus desires a marriage relationship without compromise-with intimacy and fellowship-with provision and an identity found in Him. And it is promised to those who overcome.

Are you already heading down the slippery slope of spiritual compromise? You may need to purpose in your heart not to sin. Or you may need to start heeding the warnings around you and start taking serious what is tempting you. Or perhaps you may need to put safeguards in place to protect your heart and mind. Perhaps someone reading this needs to repent and confess that they have given in to compromise.

Dr. Laurence M. Gould, president emeritus of Carleton College, once said this:

“I do not believe the greatest threat to our future is from bombs or guided missiles. I don’t think our civilization will end that way. I think it will die when we no longer care. Arnold Toynbee has pointed out that 19 of 21 civilizations have died from within and not by conquest from without. There were no bands playing and flags waving when these civilizations decayed. It happened slowly, in the quiet and in the dark when no one was aware.”

Does that describe you? Is there spiritual apathy that has crept in to your heart; and like the lieutenant at Pearl Harbor, you find yourself saying, “Don’t worry about it”? Are you in need of the Word of God to come and speak to your divided heart? My prayer is that you will hear the Word of God, and you will heed the Word of God. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying…” ( Revelation 2:7).

^{Enjoy “Lessons from the Church of Smyrna” & “A Letter to the Modern Church” by Pilgrim in this series.}

Many Christians begin their life in Jesus Christ somewhat ignorant of the idea of spiritual battle. They find it easy to ignore what the Bible teaches – that is, that there are spiritual beings of intelligence and power that seek to defeat and hinder God’s people. Through a combination of experience and instruction, they learn the truth of this spiritual battle, and the most common passage in the Bible regarding the spiritual conflict begins at Ephesians 6:10.

It’s a rich passage, teaching us about spiritual strength, the nature of the battle, and the armor and weapons available to the believer in the conflict. What the Apostle Paul wrote about spiritual warfare has fascinated Christians for a long time, probably because it touches the life experience of almost every follower of Jesus.

One pastor captivated by the themes of this Ephesians 6 passage was named William Gurnall. Starting in 1655, he published his book, The Christian in Complete Armour, an explanation of Ephesians 6:10-20. In his dedication, he described his book as a “mite” and a “little present,” but it contained three volumes, 261 chapters and 1,472 pages – all on those 11 verses.

This is how Gurnall subtitled his book:

“The Saint’s War Against the Devil, wherein a discovery is made of that grand enemy of God and his people, in his policies, power, seat of his empire, wickedness and chief design he hath against the saints; a magazine opened, from whence the Christian is furnished with spiritual arms for the battle, helped on with his armour, and taught the use of his weapon; together with the happy issue of the whole war.”

There is a lot to think about in the Ephesians passage, and Gurnall thought it was worth 1,472 pages. Yet I think the most important word in the famous Ephesians 6:10-20 is the first word of that passage: “finally.”

Look at the verse: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).

The word, “finally,” obviously means that this comes at the end of the letter to the church in Ephesus – a letter in which Paul carefully established our place in Jesus, and then the basics of the Christian walk. The spiritual warfare passage is Paul’s last section dealing with the Christian walk.

We can say it this way: The foundations for success in spiritual warfare (and our entire Christian walk) are the truths and principles found in the previous sections of Ephesians. Everything about our spiritual battle comes, finally, in light of all those things described earlier in Ephesians:

. In light of all that God has done for you.

. In light of the glorious standing you have as a child of God.

. In light of His great plan of the ages that God has made you part of.

. In light of the plan for Christian maturity and growth He gives to you.

. In light of the conduct God calls every believer to live.

. In light of the filling of the Spirit and our walk in the Spirit.

. In light of all this – finally – there is a battle to fight in the Christian life.

Before you launch out into spiritual battle, give attention to the basics, the foundations of Christian living – who Jesus is and what He did for you. Build on those foundations explained from Ephesians 1:1 to 6:9, then we come to the important subject of spiritual battle – but not before.

Last Sunday’s game was, by many accounts, either one of the best Super Bowls in recent memory, or perhaps the best ever (hard to argue with the latter if you are an Eagles’ fan). In any case, such an enormous public platform as the Super Bowl (an estimated 103.4 million tuned in for the game) becomes a medium not only for the athletic skills of the various players, but for their respective personal stories as well. Two of the main stories going into the game were the personal stories of New England quarterback Tom Brady and Philadelphia quarterback Nick Foles. As interesting as these stories are in their own right, from a Christian perspective, they are interesting for the ways in which they compare and contrast with a Christian worldview, and for how they might both help God’s people to compete in the arena of life.

Going into the game, the Patriots were the odds makers’ favorite to win the Super Bowl by a 4.5 margin, and the biggest reason for that was New England’s Tom Brady. Brady is without question one of the greatest, if not the greatest quarterback of all time (I did grow up in the San Francisco Bay Area during the Joe Montana era, so I understand the argument for him as well). Under his leadership, New England has established itself as one of the most dominant franchises in NFL history. Tom, himself, is smashing past records left and right. And to add to that, he is playing at 40 years old and still playing at the highest level (he passed for 505 yards, a new Super Bowl record). His commitment to the game, his willingness to learn, to change his diet, to explore alternative training and therapy, are inspiring as we all realize that while age really can slow us down, many times it is because we let it.

As a Christian, and a man who is about the same age as Tom Brady, I have become more and more convinced that our best years could be, and perhaps should be, in front of us.

One of the things that motivates Brady to continue playing and challenging himself is the belief that because he has seen so much more of his opponents’ formation and plays over the years, he ought to be able to respond even better now than ever before. Simply put, he has become much wiser. As Christians, as we grow in the Lord, and we see the many looks or temptations the Devil throws our way, we too ought to be learning, growing and responding better than ever before. Our spiritual life should be thriving, and perhaps, it is in our later years where we are meant to do even more for God than in our younger years. While it is true that we have to take our limits seriously, it is equally true that we must not impose false limitations on ourselves that keep us from pursuing God’s call on our lives.

At the beginning of episode five of his “Tom vs.Time” videos, Brady says, “Spirituality means a lot of different things to different people, for me, it’s your deepest purpose.” While one could critique this statement biblically and theologically, I find it quite useful. For Tom, his deepest purpose is to be the most he can be, not just on the field, but also at home with his family. This is admirable, and I could certainly think of worse purposes. But from a Christian perspective, something is missing. Christianity wants to say, yes, spirituality is your deepest purpose, but it is not something you decide for yourself. And as great as sports or family may be, they are ultimately not our greatest purpose. One of the great fathers of the early church, St. Augustine, summarized the mystery of life’s purpose this way, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” Our deepest purpose is to know the only true and living God, and Jesus Christ whom God has sent (John 17:3). So if we are truly finding our purpose, we will be constantly learning, growing and attempting great things for the kingdom. May what was said of Job be true of us, may our latter years be more blessed than the first (Job 42:12).

In Deuteronomy 1, Moses spoke to a new generation about to enter the Promised Land. He gave them both a history lesson and reminded them of the terms of their covenant with God. He wanted to make sure they didn’t repeat the error of their parents, who 38 years before failed to enter the land out of fear of the Canaanites.

That fear was wholly unreasonable in light of all they’d seen over the previous year and a half, proving God’s love and power. Moses was dumbfounded that people who’d witnessed so much would balk at a relatively minor challenge of Canaan.

In verse 34, Moses says God heard the people and was angry. We go back to verse 27 to see what God heard and when. There we read, “You complained in you tents, and said, ‘Because the Lord hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.'” I paraphrase: “God wants to destroy us because He hates us.” That’s more than outrageous; it’s blasphemous. It makes God into a devil for it’s he who seeks to destroy while God wants us to flourish (John 10:10).

God’s anger was due to their thoughts about Him were so utterly undeserved and kept them from enjoying the blessing His love intended.

That tips us off to the origin of this thought. It’s ever the accuser (Satan’s) strategy to defame God.

We see it back in Eden when he suggested to Eve God was holding out on her, that God did not have hers and Adam’s best interest in mind. That lie worked well then, so he’s used it ever since.

Take note of where the people were when they said this, in their tents. Their grousing was in private. They complained in their homes. Men to wives, wives to husbands. Mothers to daughter, and brother to brother, they complained about the raw deal God made with them. Though they thought they spoke in secret, God heard them. We ought to pay close attention to our inner monolog, that conversation we all have with ourselves all day and night.

Set a watch on your thoughts.

Some have their origin in the counsels of hell. The Holy Spirit is a marvelous referee in discerning our thought life. It’s crucial we pay attention to our inner monolog because it’s the seedbed from which our speech comes. And what we say reveals what we believe about God. As Jesus said, it’s out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34).

Your mind is the battlefield where the Holy Spirit wars with the world, flesh and devil. The Apostle Paul puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

A few years back I had this great idea of restoring a 1972 Chevy Blazer 4X4. I loved that specific year, great body lines, removable top, and it looks great with a 6″ lift kit. A good friend in the restoration business started the search and called me a few days later with what he said was the perfect truck to restore. What I got in my garage was affectionately nicknamed by my kids “Mater” after the rusted-out bucket of bolts tow truck from the Disney movie Cars.

I really had no idea how much work was ahead of me. Step one was stripping the truck down to frame and body and grinding out all the rust. Everyone knows if you don’t get all the rust out it will come back with a vengeance. You can paint over it, but in time, it will bubble through the paint and eat away at the body and frame of the car. In other words, stripping is essential for not only a good restore, but one that lasts.

Sometimes the same can be said for our lives and our churches. We want an enduring work of God that brings Him glory but just covering up the imperfections won’t produce that. Sometimes what’s needed is a deeper work. This has been a prayer for our church over the last several months as we’ve seen God working in three specific areas.

1. STRIPPED OF RELIGIOUS PRIDE

Nothing is more dangerous to a genuine work of God’s Spirit than religious pride. The Pharisees stand for everything that any sane Christian doesn’t want to be. They had inflated egos perceiving themselves to be better in every way than those around them. They believed their religious works were the basis for their supposed right standing before God. They were all religious show on the outside while the things most important to God were missing on the inside. All of this and more made them inflexible old wine skins, unable (and unwilling) to contain the new wine of God’s desired work.

What a deep deception it is to believe you are God’s instrument, when in reality, you’re a hindrance to what He desires to do. That religious pride needs to be stripped away and replaced with a raw and tender heart toward Jesus. Jack Miller popularized the phrase, “Preach the gospel to yourself,” which has now been passed on by notables like John Piper and Tim Keller. It’s good advice. We need to constantly remind ourselves that it is the gospel and the gospel alone that has saved us. When pride and self-sufficiency or egotism begin to rise, we need to grind it down with the gospel and rest our hope and our work completely upon the grace of God.

2. STRIPPED OF WATERED DOWN, UN-EMPOWERED PREACHING

Since I pastor in Las Vegas, every weekend I see a very unique cross section of humanity, and the need is great. Yet, like in so many large cities, a good portion of pulpits are centering their messages on self-help sermonettes or inspirational encouragements. While the idea may be that we need to give people what they want, our real responsibility is to give them what they need, and they need Holy Spirit empowered preaching and teaching of the full counsel of God’s Word. I don’t mean teaching that is simply conveying information. D.L. Moody said, “The Bible wasn’t just given for our information but our transformation.” Our preaching and teaching stands on the power of God’s word, but it should be delivered with the fire of God’s Spirit and from hearts and minds ablaze with His presence and divine unction. Moreover, we need to travel where others fear to tread. Over the past couple of summers, we have focused on a series called “Uncensored,” where we have addressed the most controversial and taboo topics that our culture is dealing with such as transgenderism, can a Christian be gay, race, divorce, prescription drug abuse and more. I think our culture needs Spirit empowered pastors who are willing to lead the way in teaching the truth in love.

3. STRIPPED OF CATEGORIZING THE PEOPLE OF GOD

I love looking out over the congregation on any given morning and seeing an ethnically diverse group of people from all walks of life: homeschool moms, lawyers, casino executives, people who work in hospitality, former exotic dancers, prostitutes and pimps. Only God can do that. Only God can transform lives and simultaneously break down walls so that we see each other as “one in Christ.” There are no categories; the ground at the foot of the cross is level.

Sectarianism comes naturally to us, but in the church and among churches, it must die. Paul said to the church at Corinth that divisions like this are a sign of carnality in Christians. And from my experience, it hinders the progress of the Great Commission. There are moments where I want to shout to the people the famous words of Rodney King, “Can’t we all get along?” Ultimately, the answer is love and sharing His love with one another, which covers a multitude of sins and identifies us as belonging to Jesus. The world needs to see the miracle of Christ’s love working among His people.

We all share the desire of experiencing a mighty outpouring of God in our generation, a genuine work of spiritual restoration. It may be that the first step to this great God glorifying work is some good, old fashioned body work where it’s needed most, beginning with you and me.

Ask yourself this question, do the words I use matter? The answer should be a resounding, “Yes!” rhetoric is the art of discourse; an art that aims to improve the capability of writers or speakers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. A rhetorical device is a technique an author or speaker uses to convey to the listener or reader a meaning with the goal of persuading him or her toward their perspective.

There is a true art to the creative use of the most powerful and simple of words. These are skill sets we learn as children in our homes, schools and playgrounds. A classmate of mine in the 4th grade, named Travis, paid a high personal price because of certain words used on the playground one day. Travis was known for being the “cool” kid and held the record for swinging the highest on the swing set.

On a cool fall day, as he was doing his “swing thing,” some of the cute girls started to challenge him to jump out of the swing when it was as high as he could go. (Please note that he had a pretty deep crush on one of the blond girls.) At first he refused. Then came the onslaught of never-changing playground rhetoric. “We dare you,” did not even warrant a response. “We double dare you,” received a, “Nah.” Then there was the, “We triple dog dare you.” The next thing we saw was Travis flying through the air doing his best Superman impression.

The problem was he couldn’t actually fly. Interesting thing about gravity: It is not a respecter of how cool you are or what sports you play. It treats us all the same, and he fell to the earth like a lifeless sack of Idaho potatoes. When he hit the ground, we didn’t hear the “thud” of flesh to the dirt. We heard the “crack” of bones. You see, he made the error of trying to arrest his fall with his arms and broke both of them above the wrists. He was the center of attention that interesting season as we watched him try to do his class work with both hands in casts.

There are always those who will push us to do immoral and destructive things, yet we have the God given, moral obligation to say, “No.”

How often do we become the center of attention because of our acquired injuries that result from the unsolicited taunts of others? Probably more than any of us want to admit. Consider for a moment all the young people in our broken society who are hospitalized or die from the unnecessary over encouragement of their so called friends.

They, like us, need to know there is a way out. Do you know the word that has the power to deliver you and me from almost any situation? This word is known for its universal power to change the momentum of any life or situation spiraling out of control. That word, “No!” If you have not mastered the innumerable uses of this simple yet multifaceted word, your existence may feel as if it’s coming completely unhinged.

What about the needs people have? I would say we need to help any time and in any way we can…when we can. “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so. Do not say to your neighbor “Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it,” when you have it with you. Do not devise evil against your neighbor for he dwells by you for safety’s sake. Do not strive with a man without cause if he has done you no harm.” (Prov. 3:27-30)

God called each of us to help whenever we can. But if you try to help all the time, you will continually be consumed by everyone who touches your life.

Be careful of what you commit yourself to, because God will hold us to account for our words. Jesus said, “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” (Matt. 5:37) At times, people will come to you, instead of going to God, to get help. Guess what? You’re not God. You can’t meet every need of a dying world.

Some days, as ministers of God, we need to prayerfully consider saying, “No.” This will help us to stay healthy, both mentally and physically, for the days when we’re called into the deep end of the pool to help rescue as many drowning sinners as we can.

Have you ever been in love? Have you experienced compelling, intense, strong feelings or emotions for someone? Have you yearned to spend time with someone because it felt so good to be in his/her presence?

Have you ever dreamt about spending the rest of your life with him/her? Have you ever eagerly anticipated reading a love note and wondered, what will he/she say?

I am passionately in love with my wife. I love to spend time with her. Being with her feels great to me. The twenty-five years that we’ve been married have been the best years of my life. And I don’t want to imagine life without her. My wife assures me that she loves me too, but she has also confessed that there is another man in her life. She has no shame about it either. Furthermore, on more than one occasion, she has let me know that her feelings for Him are stronger than for me. Although the first time she told me I was upset, I’ve now come to accept that this is how it should be. It’s not that we have some forward-thinking marriage; it is because we have an upward-thinking marriage. The man is Jesus. Jesus is the master passion of a disciple’s life.

Jesus wrote a love note to the church at Ephesus [Rev. 2:1-7]. It was delivered through the Apostle John about thirty years after Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians. It is a love note from a Man who appreciates the one He loves and offers abundant praise for her many good traits and behaviors. But He also confronts to the one He loves that she has drifted from Him. He wants her back because she is loved, and He urges her to return to her first love, because she needs Him, whether she realizes it or not. In essence, Jesus commends, corrects, and offers a cure.

The commendation

Jesus praises the church in verses 2-3, “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.” The church was commended for good works, steadfast faith, and sound doctrine. First, it is wonderful and encouraging to know that Jesus is aware of all that we do for Him. Second, the commendation is impressive. Any church that does good works to advance the kingdom, patiently endures through steadfast faith, and is known for doctrinal integrity is deserving of an accolade or two. What were the conditions that created such a praiseworthy assembly? We can attribute the health of the church to the legacy of great leaders connected to the church at Ephesus: Paul, Aquila and Priscilla, Apollos, Timothy, and the Apostle John. Undoubtedly, the church’s passion to make disciples, develop leaders, and reach their world for Jesus influenced the commendation.

But I believe the clue that reveals the key to their commendation is found in the correction …

The correction

Jesus corrects them in verse 4, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” First, I believe this is the clue that reveals why this church was praiseworthy. Because they loved Christ supremely, they passionately sought to advance His kingdom and remained steadfast during adversity. The love for Christ was kindled by the sound doctrine they received. And they sought to live (apply) the solid teaching, because they loved Christ supremely. Yet, the church was corrected for drifting from Jesus, “You have left your first love.” First, love speaks to priority not chronology. They had made Christ their master passion, but over the course of time, other passions, unbridled objects of affection, had crept in. At first, the seemingly innocent flirtations of these other affections appeared harmless enough. There was still so much to commend about this sure union. But then the love letter is delivered, and we are gently confronted by the One who has loved us supremely. The One who not only knows our good works, but also knows our hearts better than we know our own. And unless we have become completely callous to this One whose love has been so compelling towards us, we are convicted if He delivers this letter to us.

Nevertheless the words not only bring conviction, but they bring comfort, even before we consider the cure. These words bring comfort to every disciple, because they confirm that there was a time when Jesus was the master passion of their life. It reveals that they are loved, and even though they have drifted, the One they have loved continues to love them supremely, and He wants them back. I am yearning to come back, and when I wonder how, I discover that He has made the way.

The cure

Jesus reveals the cure in verse 5, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works …” First, we are called to remember from where we have fallen. In essence, reflect upon a time in your life when you were supremely in love with Christ. What did it look like? Remember your passion for Bible learning. Recall how you read the Scriptures like you were reading a love letter from God and hanging on every word.

Reflect upon your prayer life, worship, sharing your faith, service, giving, and relationships with other believers. Second, we are called to repent. I need to change my thinking about God, my drifting from Jesus, and the reality of allowing other affections to obscure the One I’m committed to truly love. Then third, return and do the first works. When we return and do the first works, there is the depth of mature love. A passion that is distinct from the zeal of young love. A supreme love is that which has been nurtured through seasons of testing, discovery, and realization that no other love satisfies, like being supremely in love with Jesus.

Lifework

1. Describe a time in your life when you were supremely in love with Jesus.

2. Reflect upon your current situation. Have other affections obscured your love for Jesus? What might they be?

3. If Jesus is currently your supreme love: Rejoice. If Jesus is not your current supreme love, consider what changes you will make to return to Jesus.

When you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you. Deuteronomy 23:21

When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed. Ecclesiastes 5:4

“I’ll do that one day,” was Markus’ mantra. He’d see some household chore that needed to be done, but always felt too busy to do it right then. He deferred the chore to some unspecified future date.

A decade later, he lived in a house with a decade’s worth of backed-up chores. But it wasn’t just the house that had suffered. The family that lived there did as well. Markus’ marriage suffered. His wife had asked him to take care of things over the years but he always deferred, promising to take care of it “later.” When “later” arrived in the form of his wife threatening to leave, he was baffled. After all, he provided well for her; she had a nice home. How could she leave? He wondered.

So Markus tried to make up for lost time by following through on some of the things he had postponed, and quickly realized in what poor shape his house really was. The more he did, the more he realized how bad things had gotten. And he quickly realized the state of his house was a reflection of the state of his family. He hadn’t just neglected household chores; he neglected the relationships that were supposed to happen in that house.

Markus experienced something many others have. Procrastination can turn deadly. While the command of Deut. 23:21 speaks specifically to vows made to God regarding the promise of a sacrifice, a larger principle of following through on all our promises flows from it. When we marry, we make a promise to be a companion and helper to our mate. We need to follow through on that promise by being helpful and not procrastinating. Delayed obedience is the same as disobedience.

Delayed obedience is the same as disobedience.

When we put off doing something we really could and should do now, it’s easier to delay the next thing that comes up. Repeat that a few times and there develops a decisional inertia that builds to become a habit of deferring everything we deem unpleasant or a bother. Once we have the habit of deferring simple chores, it becomes easier to delay more important things, like investing in our spiritual lives and important relationships, like our spouse and children.

Repeatedly saying, “I’ll do that one day,” can lead to a day when everything that’s been neglected comes crashing down.

The Roman governor Felix is an example of someone who procrastinated to his own ruin. In Acts 24 we read, “Now as [Paul] reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, ‘Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.’” [Acts 24:25] That more convenient time never came for Felix. His profligate life came crashing to an end when due to his corruption he was recalled to Rome by Nero.

Benjamin Franklin said, “You may delay, but time will not, and lost time is never found again.” Thomas Jefferson said, “Never put off for tomorrow, what you can do today.” Neither man was much of an example of walking with Christ, but they understood the wisdom of shunning procrastination.

Proverbs 27:1 says, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.” The attitude that defers things to some undefined “one day” is an assumption we’ll be around. We may not. And what we left undone or unsaid could make a vast difference for those we leave behind.

I’ve counseled not a few whose loved ones have died, leaving a pile of unfinished living behind to clean up and sort through.

If you’re someone who’s left a lot of things to be done “one day,” may I suggest you make today and tomorrow, and the day after one of those days, and begin to pay all those vows and promises. Break the habit of procrastination.