SOME THINGS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER - 14

Strength In Times Of Trouble. The Lord's Day. The Meaning Of Faithfulness.

STRENGTH IN TIMES OF TROUBLE

“4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:4-6, KJV).

Loved ones, not the size of the struggle, but the strength of the mind determines whether we will be faithful to God. When trials and difficulties arise, the mind often grows weak. As one proverb says, “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” A more modern version says, "If you give up when trouble comes, it shows that you have very little strength" (Proverbs 24:10).

So, the question is this: How Can The Christian Remain Strong When Troubles Come?

The apostle John wrote the book of Revelation to the seven churches in the region of Asia (Revelation 1:4). First Century New Testament Christians in that area were suffering persecution because of their faith. By means of a vision given to him by God, John showed these disciples that a greater battle was going on in the invisible, spiritual world.

The Christians were few in number, with limited resources. The Roman government appeared to have the upper hand. But this battle was weighted greatly in favor of the church of Christ. Their spiritual advantage was far greater than what their physical disadvantage appeared to be.

In the beginning of his letter, John reminded these Christians of three important spiritual facts that would help them to remain faithful to Jesus. Even in an age so far removed from theirs, remembering those facts will also keep our minds firm when we face trials.

1. Jesus is the One “that loved us" (Revelation 1:5). Suffering for the sake of the gospel should never cause us to doubt God's love for us. God's own Son suffered the horrible death of crucifixion in order to save many people. We may be sure, therefore, that when God allows His people to suffer it is in order that many may be saved.

2. Jesus is the One who (in His death) “washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Revelation 1:5). God has therefore forgiven our sins. Our sufferings should never cause us to doubt that we have been pardoned and welcomed back (reconciled – Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18) into God's fellowship.

At times, you might think that something you have done in the past still causes God to let you suffer. It is true, of course, that forgiveness often cannot remove the consequences of sin, but it does remove the guilt. The message revealed through John in Revelation is a reaffirmation to all Christians that forgiveness is real, even though we may undergo great trials.

3. Jesus has made us to be a kingdom of priests who serve God his Father (Revelation 1:6). When Jesus saved us at our baptism and added us to His church (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:47), we became a part of His spiritual kingdom (Colossians 1:13). This means we obey Him as LORD in everything. He is King, and we are His faithful subjects.

It also means that we work to build up His kingdom (cf. Matthew 16:19). John says that we serve God. His work is to save more and more people from sin (Luke 19:10). When we suffer persecution, we must remember that our work still must be done (Matthew 28:19-20). We cannot let our difficulties keep us from teaching others that only Jesus saves (Acts 4:12). In fact, we should expect to be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12). Showing the power of God when we are under trials is a part of our work.

From the very beginning of his letter of Revelation, John shows us how to remain faithful when we are persecuted. He moves our attention away from ourselves. He directs our thoughts to the person of Christ. This apostle reminds us of Jesus' love, of His forgiveness of our sins, and of His call for us to serve God in His kingdom.

If we remember these things, we will be firm and strong to the very end. No problem, no matter how large, will be able to move us away from Christ.

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THE LORD'S DAY

“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet” (Revelation 1:10, KJV).

Question: "Would you please give me a Bible test that shows that Sunday is called 'the Lord's Day'? Do not use Revelation 1:10, since John did not specify what Day he was alluding to when he said he was 'in the Spirit on the Lord's Day.'

Answer: To my knowledge, the term "Lord's day" is only found one time in the Bible, and that is in Revelation 1:10. The questioner is correct in his observation that John (the writer of Revelation) did not specify in that passage what day "the Lord's day" referred to.

So, the real question is, "What is the Lord's day — Saturday (the seventh day), or Sunday (the first day of the week)?" Surely we will all agree we should all worship on the "Lord's day;" but what day is that?

“The Lord’s day” in this passage should not be confused with the “day of the Lord” or “the day of Christ” (2 Peter 3:10; 2 Thessalonians 2:2; Philippians 2:16). The latter expressions refer to the second coming of Christ as is clearly shown in the context. John could not have been speaking of the Lord’s return, which is yet to be, as he uses the past tense, “I was….” This particular “Lord’s day” had already passed when John wrote.

"Lord’s," in Revelation 1:10, is an adjective, from the Greek “kuriakos.” This refers to Jesus and is used in the possessive case. This word is found only one other time in the New Testament where it is used of the “Lord’s supper” (1 Corinthians 11:20). Just as the “Lord’s supper” is the supper belonging to the Lord, so the “Lord’s day” is a day belonging to the Lord. It is a day particularly devoted unto him. Therefore, this was His great day.

What great events in Jesus' life took place on the Sabbath or seventh day of the week? We don't know, but we do know that on Sunday, the first day of the week, our Lord was raised from the dead (Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1-9). In this He showed His power to conquer death, not only for Himself, but for us. It was and is truly the Lord's Day, the first day of the week. Many of His appearances following His resurrection were on the first day of the week (John 20:19, 26).

Also, the Holy Spirit power and Lord's kingdom (church) was established on Sunday, the first day of the week (Mark 9:1; Acts 1:8; Matthew 16:18-19). We read about this in Acts 2. We know this took place on the first day of the week because Pentecost, the day on which this all took place, always came on the first day of the week (Leviticus 23:15-16).

Further, we see that early Christians worshipped on the first day of the week after Christ's church was established. “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread [observance of the Lord's Supper that Christ had instituted Himself to be done in remembrance of Him], Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight” (Acts 20:7). Here we see a typical worship service on the first day of the week, with preaching and observance of the Lord's Supper, which they ate “to proclaim the Lord’s death till he come” (1 Corinthians 16:2).

Also note in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 that it was the first day of the week that the collection was taken for the needs of the church; “1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.”

When Revelation 1:10 was written, the custom of meeting every first day of the week for public worship was already a well-established practice. Later uninspired writers speak of Christians coming together on the Lord’s day which they call Sunday. Biblical Dictionaries Encyclopedias and Lexicons are almost unanimous in stating that the Lord’s day is the first day of the week. These are the reasons for believing that the Lord's Day is Sunday, the first day of the week, the day of Christian worship.

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THE MEANING OF FAITHFULNESS

"It is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful" (1 Corinthians 4:2, KJV).

Loved ones, faithfulness is not an option. As Christians we have certain responsibilities, both as individuals and as a congregation. Our purpose as a church is evangelism (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16), followed closely by benevolence to the saints (Galatians 6:10). These responsibilities are of individual Christians, but also of congregations where a group of Christians work together.

When we speak of faithfulness, our text speaks of the individual as a steward of God's economy. Some seem to think faithfulness is nothing more than attending services. I heard of a man who had been active in a congregation by leading prayer, serving at the Lord's Table, etc., until it was discovered he had been involved in several love affairs. The person relating the story ended by stating, "And all the while he was a faithful member of the church." His thought equated attendance to being faithful.

Others think faithfulness involves attending the assemblies, but also involving oneself in some of the work of the church. Of course, we are commanded to "be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58). Is it not true, though, that one can do "many wonderful works" in Christ's name and still be lost (cf. Matthew 7:21-23)? Just because I preach from the pulpit and teach a Bible class is no guarantee that I am faithful.

It takes a complete life of action and attitude for one to be faithful. Jesus said our worship must be in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). This involves actions as well as attitude. Someone once gave this illustration: A man attends all the assemblies, attends the Table, leads prayer, but does not teach. He says, I know I should teach. I have the ability; I just do not do it." He has the attitude but not the action (cf. James 4:17).

A second man attends, and does teach a Bible class, but says, "I do not care if I'm effective or not. I do not care if my students learn or not." He has the actions without the attitude. Neither is faithful according to Scripture.

Someone says, "Well, God knows I'm not perfect." We are not speaking of perfection, but faithfulness. My deceased wife and I were blessed to celebrate our 38th anniversary. In all of those years she never expected me to be perfect, but there was not one single day that she did not expect me to be faithful.

Jesus said, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). Forgiven of every sin, one is perfect in God's sight. Even though we still make mistakes, God counts us as faithful. I cannot live perfection as did Christ, but I can be faithful. And being faithful in all we do, with a good and honest heart we "walk in the light as He is in the light ...then the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses [continues to cleanse] us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).

We close with five questions that will help you determine your faithfulness. If you must answer NO to any, you fail the test of faithfulness.

1. Are you living daily for Jesus (see Revelation 2:10)?

2. Do you stand foursquare on the teachings of the Bible (see Hebrews 10:25; Matthew 28:19-20; 6:24; 1 Peter 1:5-11)?

3. Do you possess the spirit of obedience? Again, we are not speaking of perfection, but faithfulness. One must have the attitude of, "Speak, Lord, and I will obey your command."

4. Do you love the church for which Jesus died (Acts 20:28)? Test your answer by comparing your actions to Matthew 18:20 and Hebrews 10:25.

5. Are you trying to lead others to Christ? You may not have the ability to personally teach, but you can be instrumental in setting up studies for your preacher or another who is capable.

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Shared with you by Samuel A. Matthews, preaching with the Liberty NW church of Christ, meeting in Portland, Oregon, USA. The God of Heaven and Earth is so good, and His love reaches all. He is in control, so trust Him. We love you with the love of the Lord (John 13:34-35).