The Unity of the Church

All for One and One for All

Revelation 1:9-11

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

Commentary: John now moves from the description of who God is and for whom the book is written (God’s kingly priests) to a scene highly charged with images from the Hebrew Bible.  This vision is given to John while he is on the island of Patmos.  There is some discussion on what exactly John was doing on the island; Romans occupied cities and penal colonies (work camps for those found guilty of crimes against Rome) on a number of Aegean islands.  It is most likely that was a prisoner on the island, and, according to his statement “on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” it had something to do with his faithful witness to Christ.  In other words, he had done something to upset the pax romana (Roman Peace); likely challenging the worship of Caesar or some local divinity (which was common throughout the Roman Empire).  He was not doing Cultural Christianity 🙂 The book he is commissioned to write is for seven churches in what is today the country of Turkey.  But it is not seven separate letters:  it is one book, containing the Lord’s summation to each church, but its words are to be communicated to all of them.  In other words, the correction given to the church in Thyatira is not a private message between the Lord and the Christians at Thyatira; God is placing each churches’ “dirty laundry” before the others – not to shame them but that they might be warned and encouraged by each others’ experiences.  The fact that these are 7 churches means that this is a message for the church as a whole.  

Application:  

Ok, so you’re settled in your identity as a member of God’s king-priest people.  You recognize that He is ruling from His throne, and that you have access to that throne.  You also acknowledge that from before that throne the Holy Spirit is going out into all the earth on the mission to have the Almighty’s name raised up and glorified among the nations. So you know God is at work in the world, through your priestly duties, and by your willing surrender to the Holy Spirit’s mission.

Before we get into the specific messages to each church we need to have clear in our minds why God is doing this: He is emphasizing the unity of His people and His care for them.

Read Ephesians 5:25-33.  According to verse 32, Paul says the relationship between Christ and the church is a “profound mystery,” one that is best understood in human terms as the ways of a husband with his bride.  In this section paul moves back and forth between the imagery of human marriage and the union of Christ and the church.

Read Ephesians 5:25-33 again.  

Now consider the 7 churches of Revelation as the church Paul is describing in Ephesians 5.  

Now think about your experience of church (also consider how your own interaction with gathered Christians (i.e. the church); have you been a positive player in the preparation of the bride, a passive, apathetic onlooker, or negative influence?).  

Write out 2 or 3 things you’ve done or said in the recent past that have either worked towards building the church (the people).

If you’ve been working for the purity and growth of Christ’s body, let him speak to you today and commend your efforts.  This is totally ok!!!!!  It is not pride!!!!  Let Him encourage you!!!! If there is a temptation to pride, simply remind yourself that you KNOW every good thing you’ve been able to do for Him is a result of His work in you:  “apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5)

If you know you’ve fallen short in some way (trying to tear down someone’s reputation, acting in impure ways, dishonoring your parents, etc.) confess that now.  Don’t allow that to grow into something more, and don’t allow the energy you must use to keep that thing hidden rob you of the energy to do good!

End your time by crafting a short (or long 🙂 prayer, recognizing that God’s word is for THE CHURCH and that you are a member of it: Jesus is not coming back for brides (plural), but a Bride – We the Church!