Hold Fast!
Revelation 3
“I know your works. Look, I have set before you an open door that no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not but are lying—I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. Because you have kept my word of endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. I am coming soon; hold fast to what you have, so that no one takes away your crown. If you conquer, I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God; you will never go out of it. I will write on you the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”(Revelation 3)
This letter to you in your time is not meant to interpret the words that you can read in the passage above. I will leave that to you. But instead, I hope that my words can serve to encourage you, because it’s very likely that you will be facing some sort of opposition, perhaps even the same challenges that we face. Let me explain.
First, who am I? You won’t know my name, nor my place in the history of our faith. I am a nobody, in some ways, not even a person, because, you see, I am a slave in the city of Philadelphia (known as the city of brotherly love), in the Roman province of Asia. I live in the early years of what you call the second century.
Most important, I am a follower of Christ. I did not come to my faith as a Jew, as some did, but instead, as a gentile who followed many gods. And of course, as a subject of Rome, I am expected to worship the emperor as a god, and to testify that “Caesar is Lord.” In fact, our city is home to a temple housing an imperial cult which fervently worships the emperor.
As you may know, emperor worship is a problem for me and my fellow Christians. You see, our faith calls us to claim that only “Christ is Lord” and not the emperor. Only Christ.
At times, the Roman authorities enforce the law that we must worship the emperor, resulting in persecution and even death to those who will not publicly curse the name of Jesus. We live in the shadow of such oppression, which can abruptly change with each new emperor.
What’s more, you must understand that we are a tiny minority in the larger community of Asia. All of the Christian churches, most of which were started by the Apostle Paul, remain far outside the mainstream pagan culture. We are thought of as strange, worshiping a god who was a criminal, crucified by the Romans. As a result, we live as outsiders; most of us are very poor, with limited economic opportunity. Friends outside of our faith are rare. Ours is a constant state of rejection.
To make matters worse, the Jewish community in Philadelphia despises us. You see, they have been here for generations and were granted favorable treatment by the Romans. And since we Christians are seen as a splinter faction of their faith, they believe that we threaten their hard-won privileges. It’s probably true.
Back to the passage above: you should know that it is read aloud in our weekly worship. Its author, a prophet named John, wrote the letter to the entire Christian community in Asia: the letter is addressed to the seven churches. If you are able to read all of the letter in your time, I encourage you to do so.
Frontispiece to the Book of Revelation, Bible of San Paolo fuori le Mura, 9th century
But for now, just read the passage above again. To us, it strikes to the heart. Yes, it’s true we have “little power.” Actually, it’s hard to see that we have any power at all. And it’s also true that the best thing that we can do is to keep what Jesus calls the “word of endurance.”
But it’s hard. And for how long must we struggle? Where do we find encouragement? We read John’s letter over and over in our weekly worship, and we do find some comfort in the words of Jesus, especially in his promise of “coming soon.” And his urge to “hold fast to what you have” helps us to keep the faith.
What’s more, the Risen Christ calls us to share that faith. That’s where I am failing. Yes, a few of my family and friends have accepted my invitation to join our small church. We are as close as brothers and sisters, and our fellowship means so much to all of us!
But others, including some I thought were friends, have turned away. And worse, it’s not only that they have rejected our faith, it’s that they have also rejected me as a friend. I have become strange, they say, and they predict that I will get in trouble, bringing disgrace onto all my family. In fact, the friends I have lost now outnumber those who have joined me in my new faith.
There is a woman in our church, Ammia is her name, whom we regard as a prophet and leader of our congregation. Her wisdom is sought out by all of us. Yesterday, I went to her for counsel.
“Ammia, how long must we suffer?” I asked. “This testing of our faith is so hard; can you see the end of it? I’m so discouraged. It’s so much harder than I thought it would be. And my lack of success is only part of it. What makes it worse is that I can’t understand why others, including friends of mine, can’t see what I see, can’t embrace this new faith that has totally captured me, and why they don’t feel the passion and energy that mean so much to me. Can you tell me? When will Christ return? The prophecy is that he is coming soon! Can you see?
“No,” she replied, “I cannot see. I do not know when he will come. But as to suffering, let me tell you what I can see. I can see Jesus, the Son of God, who also suffered and who, in fact, suffered so much more than we do. And I can see how our father God raised Jesus from the dead to sit in glory and how we are given promise of the same. I can see the apostles of Jesus, like Peter, James and John, who endured persecution and even death for the sake of the name of Jesus. I can see Paul, who founded our church, and who suffered opposition just like we do, and who was executed in Rome. Yes, I see all of these and many more, who endured for the sake of the name of Jesus.”
She went on: “We seem to be only at the beginning of something new, something that will someday change everything. The love of God in Christ must spread, as Jesus commanded, to the ends of the earth. We are doing our part here in Philadelphia, and others as well, across Asia. But there is far to go. Remember: Paul wanted to go to Spain but he didn’t make it. Like him, we are opposed on every front, it seems; but we cannot rest from our labors. As Jesus told us, “the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.” (Matthew 9)
“And what’s more, Jesus told us this would happen,” she said. “In fact, he warned us that we will face not only rejection but even persecution.” She quoted the words of Jesus:
“If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15)
“But isn’t it worth it?” she asked. “Isn’t our faith in Christ worth the suffering?” And she went on, again quoting Jesus:
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13)
“So, you see,” she went on, “We have found something precious, like the one pearl; we must treasure it and protect it, even in the face of opposition and rejection. Our faith in Christ has value beyond measure, and so it’s natural to want to share it. And we are called to do so by Christ himself.
“But he never said it would be easy. It will be a struggle, not quick success. In fact, Jesus warned us that sharing our faith with others would produce not only apathy but would even arouse the opposition that you are facing. So, you see, you are in good company, because all of those who went before faced the same thing, and some even paid with their lives.
“I wish I could tell you more.”
“And what about you, Ammia, what about you? Aren’t you discouraged?”
“Yes, of course,” the wise woman replied. “I am. But I have been given a special gift from Christ himself, a gift that helps me to truly appreciate the precious pearl of our faith.”
“What gift? What is it? Can you share it with me?”
“You should know,” she quietly began, “that I do not have long to live. A tumor is growing inside of me, and it can’t be cured. I don’t know how long I have, but surely, Christ will call me home sometime soon.
“So, in a way, my illness, my condition, has become a great gift, yes, one that I appreciate more and more. You see, it has given me the peace to live one day at a time. Yes, one day, just one day. I wake up each morning, grateful for that particular day, perhaps even a special day. And I ask for guidance in sharing God’s love just for that one day. No more. No longer do I look far into the future. No longer do I worry about what Christ meant when he told us he was “coming soon.” No longer do I fear living my faith openly in our evil culture, and no longer do I avoid rejection.
So, you see, my illness truly is a gift, one that gives me a peace that I could never have by worrying about my failures or about future happenings.”
That was all she said.
I will need to ponder Ammia’s words for myself. I will need to pray. And what about you? Are you, in your time, facing anything like the apathy and fierce opposition that we face? Are you, like me, discouraged? If so, I hope the message of Jesus to our church will encourage you in yours. I hope Ammia’s gift will help you think about focusing on what you can do today. And finally, I hope that, as Paul wrote, the peace of God, a peace that surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4)