What would He say to us today?
Yesterday evening’s service, the speaker took us through Christ’s message to the 7 churches in the Book of Revelation, as one in the whole series of pulpit teaching on this book these few weeks. The focus was on the church in Laodicea, one of the 2 churches that Jesus had nothing, absolutely nothing to commend about, and the speaker challenged us, what would Christ say to us if He were to visit us in person today? To us as a church, and to us as individual followers of Him.
“I have this against you….” is a ringing indictment from the Lord himself. Our pastor in giving us holy communion earlier had asked us to consider which aspects of our life needed a turning away from, which is true repentance. As I pondered this in my own life, I know one area that needs to be jettisoned is over-sensitivity to other peoples’ criticisms and over-reaction to injuries and jibes sent my way, most painful when it’s from those nearest and closest to us. And the Holy Spirit led me to this verse in which Paul says “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20).
“No longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” ….I f Christ truly lived in me, I should be able to overlook an offence, turn the other cheek, overcome evil with good, shame my enemies with kindness, turn away wrath with a gentle answer. How many of us have truly enthroned You in the temple of our lives that like You we can undergo humiliation, sarcasm, jibes, unjust persecution and still say “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do?” Amazing love, that can save sinners such as us.
Was it that the Lord heard my heart’s cry for our lives to be sufficiently tenderised by Him that we can walk in His ways, that after service I ended up talking to 2 ladies, one recently widowed, the other a divorcee, over their family situation? And that Monica should call me later that night at home to talk of leadership issues in church ministry?
What my spirit tells me this morning a I quieten my soul is that He has been preparing me for a time as this, through my workplace struggles, tenderising me in the process through having to lean on Him for comfort and strength, that I may now in my tenderised state, be of meaningful use to Him.
The comforting part of the rebuke to the church at Laodicea is that Jesus ends off with this beautiful promise for a future and a hope: “Those whom I love I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore, and repent”. And to him who hears His voice, and opens the door, He promises to come in to him, and to dine with him, and he with Him.
There is hope yet, for the church and for us.
“And (if) My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
