I met Jerry on a Sunday afternoon in the oldest neighborhood in Fort Worth, TX. He and I had gathered with a small group for Sunday dinner at the home of Steve and
Lindsay. Steve preached at a nearby congregation. He and his family of five practiced a ministry of presence in this racially and economically diverse neighborhood. After
devouring Lindsay’s pot roast, we pushed back from their long wooden plank table
and shared stories.
Most of our tales had a common theme: church. Steve and I preached for
churches. A married couple at the table were training with Pioneer Bible Translators so
they could take the church and its Book to others. Jerry and his wife taught the junior-high students at their church.
We listened while Jerry discussed his desire to share Jesus with his patients and bring them to church. As a cancer doctor, he intersected the storylines of peoples’ lives
in some of their most challenging chapters. Jerry believed God had called him to not just treat their bodies, but their hearts and souls as well.
Still, he explained, he hadn’t been sure how to do this. He noticed another
doctor who modeled one approach. This physician aggressively evangelized patients,
sometimes explicitly telling them they didn’t have long on this earth and, unless they
changed, they didn’t have a shot at heaven. Not only was the method ineffective, it was unethical. A visit from members of the medical board ended his pugnacious
proselytizing.
Jerry decided on a more tender approach. He decided to tweak a conversation
that he’s required to have with every patient. While taking a history, Jerry asks a list of
questions commonly expected by patients:
• “Tell me about your work, what you do…”
• “Tell me about your home life…”
• “Do you have any hobbies?”
• “Do you smoke?”
But Jerry also inserts one question not expected: “And, where do you go to
church?” The question has opened the door to many spiritual conversations.
But to our surprise, Jerry reported that, without exception, every patient he’s
queried in this way has responded with just one word. When asked “And, where do you go to church?” every person has replied this way: “Well…”
- That’s the answer you get in February when you ask someone “How are your New
Year’s resolutions going?”
- It’s the answer you get when you ask a friend three months into a diet, “How’s the
diet going?”
Even those patients who finally revealed that they actually did attend church, at
least sometimes, began their answer with this qualifying word: “Well…” It was as if their relationship with church was complicated, not cut-and-dry. As if church was like a medicine they knew they needed but didn’t want to take.
Worse, a full fifty percent of Jerry’s patients go on to tell him they don’t attend
church anywhere.
There’s nothing scientific about Jerry’s anecdote. But it does illustrate the up-and-down nature of the relationship many today have with the church.
It’s increasingly common to find people who, at best, offer a qualified “Well…”
and, at worst, have no connection at all to church.
Rachel Held Evans has become a sort of poster-child for this group of people who really like Jesus but really don’t like church. Her blog and now her book have become a widely read chronicle of someone with great faith who, nonetheless, left the church. In her book Searching for Sunday she writes that 8 million young adults will leave the church before their 30th birthday. (Rachel Held Evans, Searching for Sunday, 11)
So, what good is the church? How should we view the church? What do we offer people like Rachel and Jerry’s patients who seem to not want church?
John, in the first chapter of the Bible’s last book, provides a compelling and honest picture of the church. Let’s listen to John:
9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “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.”
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in
full strength.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my
right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels
of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. (Rev. 1:9-20 ESV)
According to v. 11 John is writing to seven churches located in these 7 cities:
- Ephesus
- Smyrna
- Pergamum
- Thyatira
- Sardis
- Philadelphia
- Laodicea
These were prominent cities. And they are not just a random list of cities. These cities all belonged to a certain league of cities in the ancient world. The cities in this league competed against one another, trying to best one another in political enthusiasm for the Roman Empire. The Roman historian Tacitus tells us that 5 of these 7 cities were vying for a temple dedicated to the Roman Emperor and that 3 of them had one by the end of the first century A. D., about the time of the writing of this letter. (Richard Oster, Seven Congregations in a Roman Crucible, 71-72).
As I’ve mentioned in an earlier sermon, the prominence of Emperor worship made it difficult to be a Christian or a church in this region. People and groups who refused to make vows or offerings to the Emperor were punished or persecuted.
And in the face of this mighty Roman Empire and these significant ancient cities, these seven churches may have seemed insignificant. May have felt insignificant. They may have felt like churches today—that no one wants them around. Church members may have been wondering if the church was going to survive. Non-church members may have been wondering when the church would die.
Yet notice in v. 12 the vision John is granted. In this vision John sees two things: the church and Jesus. Next Sunday we’ll focus on Jesus. This Sunday we’ll focus on the church.
In this vision, the church is symbolized in two ways. First, the church is symbolized as a lampstand. Each of the 7 churches is represented as a golden lampstand. This is not a reference to the Jewish menorah common in the Old Testament. This is a reference to the simple source of light common in the ancient world. It’s the same thing Jesus refers to in the gospels:
- 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do
people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to
all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
(Matt. 5:14-16 ESV)
- 21 And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under
a bed, and not on a stand? (Mark 4:21 ESV)
- 16 “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. (Luke 8:16 ESV)
The word translated “stand” is the word used to describe what John saw. He saw a stand or post with an oil lamp or lantern sitting on its top, casting light all around. Thus, in this vision, the church is symbolized as a lampstand.
Second, the church is symbolized as a star. John sees Jesus holding seven stars in his right hand, which, he writes, are the “angels of the seven churches.” Volumes have been written trying to understand what that means. Some think the word “angels,” which means “messengers,” refers to the humans leaders of these churches. But given all the Bible says about angels, it’s pretty clear that John is writing about literal angels. He’s stating that each of these 7 churches has an angel assigned to it.
But what does that mean? Well, angels, in the Bible, are servants of God. They work for God. They do his bidding. In this case, since Jesus holds the angels in his hand, they are servants of Jesus. And they are assigned to these churches. So, whatever this means exactly, in general we can say that the angels are a direct link from Jesus to the church. They are a means by which Jesus is providing for, directing and engaging these churches.
And notice where Jesus is—he is “in the midst of the lampstands” (v. 13). He is holding the stars (v. 16). He is in the middle of the churches. And from that center, stars, angels, in hand, he is tending those lampstands. We’ll look more closely at that next Sunday.
So, what is John telling us about the church through this vision? Two things:
First, the church is where the world encounters Jesus. This book, according to v. 1, is called “The revelation of Jesus Christ.” That means two things.
First, it means this is a revelation from Jesus. He is its source.
Second, it means this is a revelation about Jesus. The purpose of this book is to reveal Jesus. To help us encounter Jesus. And notice where Jesus is in the opening vision—he is in the middle of the churches. John encounters Jesus in the middle of the churches.
And that is where the world still encounters Jesus—in the middle of the churches. The church is where the world encounters Jesus.
The Memphis Zoo is an award winning, world-class zoo. Part of its excellence is found in its habitats. I remember decades ago, visiting the lions and tigers when they were still housed in a concrete cage that looked like a jail. Today, they roam free in large open-air habitats that look like their native habitats. Zoos remind us how important habitats are. If we wanted to go find a wild lion, we wouldn’t go look in the streets of a major city. We’d go to a lion’s habitat.
And one of the things John is showing us is that Jesus has a habitat. Jesus has an environment in which he lives and thrives. And sometimes we’d like to think that habitat is some city street, or some mountaintop. He is, indeed, present in those places. But his primary habitat, it seems, is the church. Jesus’ natural habitat is the church. If you’re looking for Jesus, if you want to encounter Jesus, if you want to know Jesus, it’s going to be in a church. The church is where the world encounters Jesus.
Eugene Peterson writes this:
It is not possible to have Christ apart from the church. We try. We would very much like to have Christ apart from the contradictions and distractions of the other persons who believe in him, or say that they do. We want a Christ who is pure goodness, beauty, and truth. We prefer to worship him under the caress of a stunning sunset, or with the inspiring tonalities of a soaring symphony, or by means of a penetrating poetry. We would like to put as much distance as possible between our worship of Christ and the indifferent hymn singing and fussy moralism which somehow always get into the church…Many people, wanting to nurture faith in God, instead of entering a company of saints who still look and act a lot more like sinners, take a long walk on an ocean beach, or hike a high mountain, or immerse themselves in Dostoevsky or Stravinsky or Georgia O’Keeffe.” (Eugene Peterson, Reversed Thunder, 44-45).
We’d like to think that we can find Jesus in great paintings, inspiring music, high mountains, or long walks. But eventually, and fully, where we truly find Jesus is in the church. If you’re looking for Jesus, you’re going to find him in the church.
Now, of course, that does depend on whether a church is actually trying to host Jesus, or trying to host something besides Jesus. It’s certainly true that Jesus can’t be found in some churches because some churches are focused on providing an environment for everything but Jesus. More about that next Sunday. But in general, even in imperfect churches, that’s where Jesus is going to be found.
Jesus revealed himself to John in the midst of the churches. And Jesus still reveals himself to people in the midst of churches.
Many times, when someone is baptized at Highland, we make a video. In that video, that person shares one specific thing: why he/she wants to follow Jesus. Usually the videos end with the person saying, “I’m ___ and I want to follow Jesus.” Consider that for a moment. For the most part, that baptism is taking place in the church building. It’s being shown during a church worship service. The person being baptized has often been attending Highland for some time. The person doing the baptism is usually a long-time Highland member or leader. And after the baptism the person usually goes on to be an active participant at Highland. It was in a church, through church people and church programs, through teaching and mentoring and modeling at church, that this person made a decision to follow Jesus. Most of our baptisms at Highland are a testimony to the fact that we still encounter Jesus in the church. The most likely place for most of us to truly engage Jesus is in church. Raise your hand if, in some way, you found Jesus, in part, through this church or some church like it.
But there’s a second issue raised by John. Not only is the church where the world encounters Jesus. But the church is also where Jesus enlightens the world. We shouldn’t let the image of the stars/angels confuse us. They are a vital part of this picture. And what they say to us is that Jesus is using angels to resource these churches. They are a pipeline running from Jesus to these churches. Jesus is providing something through the angels for the churches. What is he providing? The lampstand image answers that. Jesus is using these churches to bring light into the world. Jesus is enlightening the world through the churches. And the angels are simply helping him help the churches to do this.
And what’s surprising is that Jesus is using some messed up churches to do this. We learn in chapters 2 and 3 that every one of these 7 churches is not just imperfect, but achingly imperfect. Just note these churches and their problems:
- Ephesus: “you abandoned the love you had at first” (Rev. 2:4)
- Smyrna: “I know your tribulation and your poverty” (Rev. 2:9)
- Pergamum: “you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam…you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans” (Rev. 2:14-15)
- Thyatira: “you tolerate that woman Jezebel” (Rev. 2:20)
- Sardis: “You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.” (Rev. 3:1)
- Philadelphia: “I know that you have but little power” (Rev. 3:8)
- Laodicea: “So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” (Rev. 3:16)
We don’t have time to explore the exact nature of these issues. But, in general, we can say that every one of these seven churches had problems. Some caused by themselves. Some caused by others. They were powerless. They were poor. They were distracted. They were lukewarm. They tolerated things they shouldn’t. They were sometimes lifeless.
But what John sees, nonetheless, are 7 stars shining and 7 lamp stands burning. In spite of their messiness, each church is being used by Jesus to enlighten the world around them. Each church is making a difference in a prominent city in the ancient world.
And that’s still happening today. The church is still where Jesus enlightens the world.
In a recent paper, Andy Lewis, professor at the University of Cincinnati, describes the many kinds of light which churches bring into their communities:
- Churches provide jobs for the community and support local businesses.
- Churches make neighborhoods more appealing for potential homeowners.
- Churches provide a variety of social services (helping the poor, equipping parents, decreasing violence, promoting volunteering).
- Churches increase the morality of residents in a community.
Studies have even calculated the “replacement value” of churches—how much it would cost a community to pay for services that are offered free by churches. One study in Philadelphia found that it would cost $230 million to replace the social benefits of the churches in that city.
It’s easy to think of many examples in the city of Memphis in which this is also true. Jesus is using the church to enlighten this city as churches engage in things like Power Hour, WorkCamp, Jesus Loves Memphis, Friends Speak, racial reconciliation programs, and the like.
The world is an immeasurably brighter place because of the work Jesus is doing through churches.
More and more people today, when you ask them about church, say “Well…” They are likely to love Jesus but not the church. Yet what John sees in the Bible’s last book is a compelling case for the church. Why does the church still matter? Why should we invest in the church? Why should I bother with the church Because the church is where the world encounters Jesus. The church is where Jesus enlightens the world.
So, here’s what I want you to do this week. For those of you who are just checking out church, give this church a month. Don’t just give us a Sunday. Give us a month. And don’t just come to worship. Get into a Sunday School class. A small group. Participate in a ministry. Give us a month. And if you don’t encounter Jesus in a fresh way in this church or see this church enlightening the community, move on. But I think you’ll want to stay. Because even though we are a terribly imperfect church, I think you’ll encounter Jesus here. And I think you’ll see Jesus enlightening the world here.
And for those of you who are already participating in this church, invite someone to give this church a month. Our studies have found that the vast majority of you made your way to this church because someone in this church invited you to come. Now it’s your turn. Invite someone in your life to give this church a month. To find Jesus here. And to join Jesus here in bringing light to the world.
