(Reflections on the context for the letter to the seven churches in Revelation 1-3. Catch up on the series so far by reading part one as well as part two in the series so far.)
“Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
Revelation 1:11
Seven churches. John writes to them as directed by Jesus and although Jesus has specific things to say to each church, it is important to Him that the churches hear what is being said to them all. Hear and respond in order.
Those seven churches have different issues but all share the same overarching issue of being in the Roman Empire at a time where views on the place of Christianity were highly suspect at best. John’s exiled on the island of Patmos is due to his stance for Jesus. The Roman Empire at the time had an imperial cult which stated that there was no greater power than the Emperor. Whatever else others would do, they could not do anything to challenge the place of Caesar as Lord. They even marked a day for that known as the Lord’s Day where people in the provinces would acknowledge the lordship of Caesar (1). The large scale political external persecution on the churches was real.
As well as that, however, there was still the hassle that the Jews would give to those who followed what they viewed to be a Nazarene sect. It was something that they plagued the apostle Paul with all the way to Rome as seen in his episodes recorded in the book of Acts (2). It was something still present as a negative for certain groups of believers scattered throughout the empire. These Christians were jeopardising the Jews place in the scheme of things and the pressure was on for those who followed Jesus to recant or at least take on wholesale the demands. It wasn’t just the Jews, these were after all areas that had their various idols – gods and goddesses that gripped the attention of the populace. These idols dictated economic realities as well as social practices in these areas (3). The claims of this sect of people about a God that is unseen and a message of a man crucified and raised from the dead was often at odds with the social and cultural norms in the area. The local religious pressures on the churches were real.
As well as that, there were various teachings that were creeping into churches that were allowed to fester and filter into the lives of the saints. This is something that Jesus Himself would expose in what He has to say to some of the churches. These teachings corrupted members of the churches to accept sexual practices, dietary practices and other practices that contradicted the very teachings of Jesus and how His Kingdom was to be lived out by these commuities of grace. These were allowed to carry on whilst the saints still made a profession of faith in Jesus. The internal teaching and practice errors that threatened the integrity of the churches were real.
It is something to consider and appreciate that the Bridegroom would be so concerned about the welfare of His Bride that He should see her state and write to her. Write to her to let her know that He sees the external pressures, He sees the local pressures, He sees the internal pressures. It is something that as a good husband with His wife, the Bridegroom is taking the necessary steps to ensure that the Bride He presents to Himself will be spotless, without wrinkle and without blemish. Reading what Jesus has to say to His Bride should make us take careful note of what the Bridegroom sees then. It should also get us to think about what the Bridegroom sees now.
Questions based on the Context for the Letter to the Churches
- How would you respond to a call to deny/downplay your faith in Jesus in favour of a dominant ideology that could imprison you?
- What external political factors affects the church that you belong to?
- How has the church you belong to responded to the political factors?
- What local issues affect the church that you belong to?
- How has the church you belong to responded to the local issues?
- What internal challenges affect the church that you belong to?
- How has the church you belong to responded to the internal challenges?
References
(1) Check Caesar or Yeshua for more information on the Lord’s Day.
(2) Among other episodes check the argument made in the Acts 24:1-21)
(3) Consider the episode of the riot in Ephesus in Acts 19:23-41)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 
2 thoughts on “What The Spirit Says … 03 Three Factors to Consider”