In this post I want to point out how these statements can be reminders for us both as a corporate body but also as individuals. What we read in Revelations the words of Jesus to seven Churches. These seven Churches had an awesome opportunity. How awesome would it be to hear what Jesus had to say about you.
First we have Ephesus; the great protector of doctrine and tradition, and yet somewhere in their zeal for doctrine they lost the love. Then there was the mighty Pergamum, strong in the face of persecution outspoken against the devil. Yet in their strength they lost their hold on truth. Then thee is Tryatira, the Church that does more and more, active and moving, always coming up with new programs and things to do, yet while they were doing they allowed into their midst immorality and lies. Then there was lively Sardis, the lively outgoing Church , and yet, despite their reputation for being alive they were in fact dead. Then of course there was Laodicea, safe and secure, I imagine them as the constant fence sitters, doing everything they can to not make waves, and Jesus says to them that he wants to “spit them out of [his] mouth”.
But I left two out, in fact, I would image these two Churches would bee used to being left out. There was Smyrna who was poor and disliked by the community. There were rumours about Smyrna and they had no way to combat it. To them God says “I know that you are poor, but you are really rich... I will give you life as your prize of victory”. Then there was Philadelphia, who had “little power”, weak in the eyes of the world. They are persecuted and hated, but Jesus says to them about those who persecute them “I will make them come and bow down at your feet. They will all know that I love you.”
So who do we strive to be? I think too often we can get caught up in this mind set that somehow as Christians we have to be over the top, work aholics who work all day, then go and do Church programs at night, we have to put out kids in every Christian program that comes our way, we have to go to every conference, every program, we have to volunteer at least ten hours a week in our Church, we have to be an extrovert. We can't be alone because we need to be out there meeting people and showing just how awesome we really are.
We go further to think that we all have to be leaders in every area and at every time. That being led is for the weak. When we take this mindset we become like Sardis, we have a reputation for being alive to the world, but in they eyes of God we are dead. We become idolaters who serve an image of what it means to be a Christian, rather than serving God.
I noticed this at family camp this weekend that there are Christians who were always around people always doing things, always helping, and there were some who went away to be by themselves. It was awesome to see that they all have a place in the body of Christ. But in talking to one of those who wanted to be by themselves to be with God in Prayer over going to all the session and playing all the games, I get the feeling like they can feel somehow that they are less of a Christian. But this is not the case at all.
There is a time and a place for doing more, and there is a time and a place for taking a moment to be led by God. Stepping back from our desire to be “alive for Jesus” ( in the pop Christian culture way) and moving simply towards living with Jesus, and often this means dropping the busyness and being alone with God.
So how can we stop doing more and start being faithful more? These things are not one in the same. As we read with these Churches, just because you are bigger and better and just because you are doing more and planning more does not mean you are more faithful. In fact, more often than not our plans and our work can become an idol when we do too much. Here is what James says : James 4:13-17
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
If we are to do what is faithful to God we have to look at our motives for doing more and more. Are we doing more to impress people, to elevate or social status, to seem cooler, to get more people to come to our Church, to appear to be a better Christian to the world, to get over our own feelings of inadequacy, if we are doing more for any of the above reasons we are doing doing it for Christ. That stuff does not matter as Philadelphia and Smyrna found. Being bigger and better, being more socially acceptable, being more extroverted does not matter in comparison to being faithful to Jesus.
However, if what you are doing is simply to glorify God then you are doing it right, and yes there is a right way and a wrong way, clearly from what we read in Revelations 2 and simply from the numerous examples of Christians burning out for doing more and more. If we simply seek to glorify God then we won't have to try so hard, we will spend quiet time in prayer, we will move as he moves us not as the world moves us, and God who is infinite in time moves differently then this world that is limited in time.
Proverbs says “Commit your work to the Lord and he will establish your plans”. If we simply give it to God rather than trying to do it all ourselves, if we faithfully listen to him in prayer and in reading the Word then he will set the plans before us.
So I encourage anyone who feels like they have to do more to stop. Take a break and listen to what God is calling you to do and shut out what the world is telling you to do.