By David Faust
The New Testament portrays the first-century church with stark realism, and the picture isn’t always pretty.
The twelve apostles quarreled about who was the greatest. Ananias and Sapphira were greedy and dishonest. Immature, divisive members of the Corinthian church misunderstood key doctrines and engaged in appalling immorality. Barnabas and Paul disagreed sharply about Mark’s missionary role.
At the Feet of the Perfect Christ
Many today have a negative view of Christians. Skeptics consider us hypocrites—weak-minded phonies who use God for a crutch. Politicians try to use us as a voting bloc, moviemakers (and some history teachers) cast us as villains, and culture watchers point out the church’s waning influence on society.
However, the world doesn’t define Christians; Jesus does. We imperfect sinners cast ourselves at the feet of the perfect Christ and discover that while Christian is a noun, our lives are characterized by verbs like trust, follow, love, go, teach, work, rest, give, pray, forgive, and persevere. Grace is free and salvation can’t be earned, but God designed us to do good works (Ephesians 2:8-10). The church’s inspired history book is called the book of Acts, not the book of Good Intentions.
Infused with Purpose
Jesus’ first-century disciples fished and farmed, collected taxes, and made tents—but a sense of purpose infused their daily routines even when faith brought them persecution. Today Jesus’ followers bring the kingdom with them to schools, offices, farms, and factories where we love our neighbors and live purposefully for God—even when our faith puts us in uncomfortable positions.
The final book of the Bible is about God and what he does, but it also shows what Christians do.
Christians serve. God gave the book of Revelation “to show his servants what must soon take place,” and revealed the message “to his servant John” (1:1). Christians are servants, here to do the Master’s bidding. Christ “has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father” (1:6).
Christians suffer. God’s people aren’t immune to adversity; we expect it but triumph through it. John himself was exiled to the island of Patmos because he dared to testify about God’s Word. He wrote as a “brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus” (1:9). Throughout Revelation the Lord encourages his suffering followers to persevere. Seven churches scattered around Asia Minor received seven exhortations urging them to overcome and be “victorious” (2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21).
Christians shine. The risen Lord Jesus “walks among the seven golden lampstands” (2:1), which represent the seven churches (1:20). The Lord walks among the churches, observing what takes place in each one. A lampstand produces no light; it merely lifts up the light. If the sun stops shining, the moon will go dark; and if a church stops lifting up Christ, it will grow dark.
The book of Revelation reminds us that, even in tumultuous times, imperfect Christians can serve, suffer, and shine for the Master. In the mundane and the magnificent, the day-to-day and the once-in-a-lifetime—we hear the unwavering voice of the glorified Christ and praise him for filling our lives with purpose. Earth’s turmoil can’t prevent us from joining heaven’s song and declaring, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power” (4:11).
Personal Challenge:
There is a lot of darkness in our world today. How does the light of Christ make your life brighter? How are you shining his light to others?
Author: David Faust
David Faust serves as contributing editor of Christian Standard and senior associate minister with East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is the author of Not Too Old: Turning Your Later Years into Greater Years.
