Be still: Jesus Messiah, give me ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches today. Amen.
Read: Revelation 2:12-29
…I will ask nothing more of you except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come. To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, to them I will give authority over all the nations. (vv24b-26)
Encounter: We looked yesterday at treading a careful line between holding tightly to truth and acting in love for one another. In today’s passage, the church at Thyatira is praised for doing better than before in acts of love, faith and service. Yet there are still problems.
This city was known for its trade guilds, particularly of brass (note the reference in v18), copper and bronze. However, these guilds were problematic for the local Christians due to the ceremonies associated with membership of the industry:
‘…within the young and muddled Christian community, some had become convinced that their spiritual freedom could appropriately be expressed in sexual licence…and in attendance at pagan shrines, cult meals and the…fellowship meals (still with religious overtones) of the trade guilds.' *
How does this relate to us today? Like the first Christians, we too are called to be a holy priesthood. But it takes real wisdom and discernment to see the world with God’s eyes.
Apply: Although you probably aren’t partaking in religious ceremonies in pagan temples, in what ways might you or your church be worshipping at the quasi-religious altars of greed and fame? To fit in and stay culturally relevant, how might you be compromising right behaviour in favour of looser sexual ethics, overconsumption, viewing of inappropriate content or pursuit of reputation? These are hard questions, but necessary to consider in order to hold tightly to Jesus and ultimately be victorious.
Devote: Jesus Christ, yourself the morning star, light my way to discern what is right living in your sight, in my context. Help me to work with my church to build a community which holds on tightly to the end.
*p. 26, Revelation for Everyone – Tom Wright