Follow the Lamb - 21 Day Study on the Book of RevelationNäide

Day 8: The Faithful Witnesses

Scripture Reading:

‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

- Matthew 25.23 (NRSV)

Once we get our head around the fact that Revelation isn’t only talking about the future end times, but also, and perhaps more importantly, about the here and now, about you and I, and what we need to think and do, and be, in this world which God is going to make his home, we realise that it gives us some practical pointers on how to live our best lives. The seven churches were seven real churches, in specific places at a specific time. However, as we’re coming to realise, John’s images can mean more than one thing.

The seven churches can help us discern what our talents are, where our challenges lie, and where we need to grow, both individually and as the local church. We know that we can only strive towards our ideals in this world, but Jesus’ words to the churches in the Revelation can help us focus on what those ideals are. We might feel hopeless and ineffective. As individuals, we might be time-poor, economically poor, or in poor health, and frustrated at restrictions on what we can do in our faith journey. As a church, we might be small in numbers, not be able to provide all the ministries or do all the outreach we’d love to do; we might have worn chairs or not have the best coffee or the latest technology. But we go back to Jesus’ parable. It’s not about how much we’ve got, but about our intentions and what we do with our resources. In a nutshell, it’s about our faithfulness. We are to be faithful in following the Lamb, listening to God’s daily call on our lives and following it through.

Some things to think about:

1. If you had to be a member of one of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, which one would it be? Why?
2. What is one ‘talent’ God has given you?
3. What special gifts do you think your local church has?

Prayer:

Generous God, thank you for all you opportunities you give to my church to bless others. Thank you for giving me gifts to use in your service. Help me to grow my gifts to grow your kingdom. In Jesus’ name. Amen.