Letter to The Light-bearers

Don’t let closing words of each slip past, for you and not just a few dozen… key is how…

A false view of themselves

However its members may think of themselves (probably very highly), the church at Sardis maintains a good outward reputation in sharp contrast with the inward reality. At Laodicea it is the church's view of itself which is the big problem. The people's own verdict is summed up in 3:17: ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ They demonstrate amazing complacency. The verdict of Christ is starkly different: the condition of this church is embarrassingly bad, yet the people in the church fool themselves that they are well off. Very likely it is the prosperity of the town itself which has removed any sense of dependence on their Saviour. But material prosperity does not equate to spiritual riches, as the sad state of the church in the West confirms. The end of verse 17 gives us a picture of a church which has nothing in itself and nothing to offer the world outside-and again, there is no sign that it is making any impact whatsoever on that world.

In the case of Sardis the prescribed remedy is simply to ‘remember’, ‘obey’ and ‘repent’ (3:3). For Laodicea, the picture is filled out a little more, but the essential message is the same: only Christ has the solution to their problem. The first step is to recognize and admit the problem, and the second is to turn to him for help. As long as there is any life at all in the church, there is still hope, for in Christ there are all possible spiritual riches. Thus verse 18 tells the Laodicean church to obtain wealth, dignity and health from Christ to deal with their poverty, disgrace and sickness. Though we could link each of these items directly to spiritual realities (especially the white clothes of righteousness in Christ), they are probably selected mainly for the references to Laodicea's famous commercial successes-its banking, textile and eye-care industries. The familiar features of their own town are called on to provide powerful illustrations of the resources they have in Christ, if they will only turn back to him. The alternative, as we shall see shortly, is the end of their smug church.

At Sardis, at Laodicea, and to some extent in Ephesus too (given the fault we are about to examine), the churches are living on a false reputation. Good organization, hard work and a glorious past can all conceal terrible deadness in a church. The letters to the churches suggest that the signs of that deadness are a lack of impact on the world outside, so that it feels no threat from what we are doing, and a complacent unwillingness to admit our own weaknesses. Laodicea warns us vividly of the way material comforts so often sap believers’ spiritual energy. If it is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God (Lk 18:24)-and most members of Western churches must be counted as rich-it seems to be equally hard for them to be faithful citizens once they are in it. A good reputation may be easy to obtain, but in the sight of God it is quite worthless.

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PhiladelphiaDefying the enemy

Not all opposition comes from within, or from attempts to infiltrate a church. While we must guard the gate, there is also the enemy who is outside the gate, and this enemy must be defied. Indeed, the example of Pergamum shows us that Satan, the great Enemy behind all our enemies, uses these two major strategies to destroy the churches. The first operates by seduction, appealing to our desires and ambitions. If that does not work, he still has his second line of action: to attack us head-on through persecution. More specifically, these are the two strategies of Babylon, which throughout Scripture stands for rebellion against God. Babylon is fiercely opposed to God's people and becomes a major theme in the later chapters of Revelation, especially 17 and 18. These are the two strategies which Daniel and his friends faced in the earthly city of Babylon, which first attempted to seduce them by giving them power and privilege, and then attempted to kill them when they resisted the seduction.

But at Pergamum the first of these methods has already succeeded, even though the second has not. At Pergamum they have faced and survived opposition (2:13-note the double reference to Satan). The heartland of emperor worship will not easily tolerate a group that declares its allegiance to another Lord. In this case it has even resulted in martyrdom. At both Philadelphia and Smyrna the opposition arises from the Jews. As sometimes happens elsewhere in Revelation (notably in chapter 11), the old language of ‘Jews versus Gentiles’ is adapted here to express the opposition of the world to God's own people. These opponents really are Jews in the literal sense-they belong to synagogues (2:9;3:9)-but they can no longer claim to be God's people because they deny Christ and oppose one of his churches. Thus they have forfeited the cherished name of ‘Israel’. But it is the name of Christ which is so precious to the believers of Smyrna, Pergamum and Philadelphia (3:8).

In Smyrna, meanwhile, persecution is still on the rise (2:9-10). Already they face ‘slander’; a specific, though limited, period of much more virulent attack (‘ten days’) now approaches. The warning, couched in words of wonderful, warm encouragement, reminds them that the Lord is in control even of times like these-a reminder which will be clearly broadcast to the whole church several times in the book and is one of its most vital themes (6:10-11;11:7-12;12:17;13:10;14:12). That is why the church in Smyrna should not fear-not out of empty bravado, but because they know who is really in charge. However feeble they may feel, with him they are both wealthy and strong. How this letter must have encouraged them again sixty years later when Polycarp and others were martyred!

It is noticeable that the two healthiest churches, those of whom no criticism is made, have both faced serious opposition. Both Smyrna and Philadelphia are given special promises connected with their faithful defiance. Smyrna's enduring believers are promised ‘a crown of life’ (2:10) and reminded that the ‘second death’ cannot hurt them (2:11-see 20:6,14 for the fearful explanation). Christ has already reminded them that he is the one who has conquered death for ever (2:8). Even if their faithfulness costs them their physical life, they are eternally secure. When the church in Smyrna later reported the death of their pastor Polycarp, they said, ‘He was crowned with the crown of immortality.’ I am sure they had verse 10 in mind when they wrote that.

For Philadelphia, the church of little power in a city of insecurity, the promises emphasize safety and permanence (3:10-12). There will even be a respite from trouble. The door is open-almost certainly this refers to the opportunity for further service, for effective mission. It has been opened by the Lord Jesus himself, so that no one can shut it (3:7-8), for those who bear the name of God and of his own city. More than any of the other six letters, this one anticipates the great themes which will be opened up later in the book: vindication for God's suffering people (6:10), the name of the Lamb on the foreheads of the saints (7:3-4;9:4;14:1;22:4), the new Jerusalem which comes down from heaven (chapter 21), and the promise of Christ's personal return (chapter 22).

Meanwhile, the closing promise to suffering Pergamum (2:17), though obscure (at least seven theories are in circulation to explain the ‘white stone’!), is certainly personal. Both elements of it relate to something revealed only to the recipient, as if to assure believers of the personal relationship they will enjoy with Christ if they remain faithful against every kind of enemy, both internal and external.

There are two churches, however, which show no evidence of conflict and no sign of hard work. It is not surprising that these are the two which face the severest condemnation-Sardis and Laodicea. Whatever else there is to say about them, it seems that they pose no threat at all to the world or to the enemy of souls. In a sense, that is the worst criticism that can be made of a church-that it bothers no one. There is no enemy to defy, for no enemy is bothering to attack. There is no gate to guard, for the church is so thoroughly compromised that there is no visible difference, let alone a clear boundary, between it and the world. There is no work being done, for the church has lost sight of what she is here for. If your church looks anything like that, almost certainly it is high time to get out.

Firm as a rock? How do our own churches measure up to the standard? Would the Spirit of Christ approve of our deeds, or find them incomplete? Would he see us guarding ourselves carefully against error and immorality (and doing so in a spirit of love!) or quietly letting it go? And where there is opposition-which even in the West is now on the rise, for in a sense we all live ‘where Satan has his throne’-are we able to face the worst with confidence in the Lord who reigns over every earthly power? It would do us good to imagine what persecution would be like-the economic pressure, slander, prison and death which threatened the faithful churches of Asia-and ask ourselves what our true priorities are in this life. The persecuted churches of today have much to teach us.

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