Saturday, December 27, 2008

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you Concerning The Churches. I am both the root and the descendant of David, the bright and morning star. Rev. 22:16.

The church deacon had thoughtfully prepared a place for the guest speaker to look over her notes before the worship service. The speaker was seated at the church secretary's large desk just outside the pastor's study. A short while later three women came into the office and asked, "Have you seen our purses? We left them on the desk a half hour ago."

"I'm just a visitor her, not the receptionist," the speaker replied, "but no, I have not seen any purses, and I've been here for 15 minutes."

The women panicked, looking underneath the desk, beside it, and in the drawers, but still found no pocketbooks.

Just then the helpful deacon reappeared, and the frantic women asked him the same question.

"Yes, I have seen your purses," he said. "You left all three of them on top of the secretary's desk. So to make sure they were not stolen, I took all of them and locked them in the closet."

The women were understandably relieved.

But the deacon was not finished. He offered a gentle reprimand. "You should know better than to leave poecketbooks lying around anywhere. After all, although this is a church, it is not heaven!"

The deacon was balancing the ideal and the real. While the church can offer a forestate of heaven, it is not heaven in the fullest sense. It is very much a part of the great battle at the center of focus in the book of Revelation. The church family consists of human beings with a great number of imperfections.

In Revelation Jesus offers a clear testimony concerning the churches. This is true not only of the first three chapters of Revelation but of the entire book, according to this text. Every vision, every beast, every blessing, every war, every song of praise, has as its purpose to instruct the churches.

One thing is clear. The churches are not whitewashed in the book. Jesus applies a searching scrutiny to them and portrays their characters and experiences with rigorous honesty. While the churches contain many faithful ones, the people of God are still far from perfect. They deeply need the cleansing that comes from the blood of the Lamb(Rev. 1:5, 6;7:14;12:11). And they look forward to the transformation of all things that Jesus will effect when He returns.

Lord, help me to keep my balance between the ideal and the real in the chruch. When things go wrong, keep my eyes fixed on Jesus.

This is the treasure for which Christ bids us labor. Character is the great harvest of life. And every word or deed that through the grace of Christ shall kindle in one soul an impulse that reaches heavenward, every effort that tends to the formation of a Christlike character, is laying up treasure in heaven(TFMB 90).