We Cannot Stay in Jerusalem
Read: Revelation 1-3
Some people may be distressed to hear that the church of Jesus Christ is changing. The message has not changed. The mission has not changed. Its purpose has not changed.
In Matthew 28:16-20 (NASB) we read this: But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
These words of Jesus set forth the mission of the church which was to be followed until His return.
In our reading today in Revelation chapters 1-3 we see that this mission was not always carried out. Jesus, speaking to John, praised some churches and condemned others. The book of Revelation is considered by scholars to have been written either during the reign of Nero (A.D. 54-68) or as late as A.D. 95-96, not a very long time since the life and ministry of Christ.
Today we read of churches abandoning the teachings of Scripture and even embracing pluralism (the idea that there many ways to God). Ironically the letter to the seven churches of the book of Revelation can speak clearly to some churches of today. To the church in Ephesus Jesus said, “…you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.’ But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” (Revelation 2:3 – 4) Like the church at Ephesus some have become complacent and lost sight of their first love.
Historians point out that after the Civil War, the only place that people in the South were allowed to gather in numbers was in the local church. Therefore the church became the place to go to meet your friends. It became a place of social gathering. The church lost sight of its vision and of its mission.
The early church in the book of Acts faced similar circumstances. Facing a rapidly changing culture and political scene the church turned inward. The people clustered together in Jerusalem, ignoring the mission and vision which Christ had proclaimed before his ascension. Therefore we read in Acts 4:1 …And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
Even in the time of Christ’s ministry on earth He remarked to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38 NASB).
The mission of the church has not changed. The Gospel is just as relevant and important as it was 2000 years ago. But are we living in Jerusalem, so to speak? Jerusalem is not a city or a place but a metaphor for our complacency. Do we need to move out? God brought persecution to the early church to get the Christians to move out of Jerusalem. Would God do that with us? God is bringing a new day to the church. Our cultural and political scene today do not afford us the luxury of hiding within the four walls of the church building.