“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, …” (Rev 2:1-7).
In the midst of all the turmoil the Ephesian church was very patient. Her patience is evident from the scripture “and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary” (Vs.3).
What is perseverance or patience? Patience is a blessed virtue that every Christian ought to have, especially in a situation like the one that prevailed at Ephesus, where un biblical teachings and practices were rampant. Some translations use ‘perseverance’ rather than patience. Perseverance is a virtue which helps you to hang on without easily taking back the hands from the rope.
The apostle John introduces himself thus: “I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:9). The NLT translates it this way: “I am John, your brother. In Jesus we are partners in suffering and in the kingdom and in patient endurance...”
This endurance was displayed in the life of Jesus during His earthly days. The climax of that endurance, to the extent that we know was seen at the cross. He had gone the last mile. After the intense struggle at Gethsemane, He might as well have quit. But He held on.
The Ephesian church too had acute pressure to let go of their faith. But they stood firm in the faith. They ‘have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.’ We too need to persevere in the midst of tribulation. “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).
Perseverance must arise in us and flow towards difficult people and circumstances. When strong winds of difficulties blow, one thing that keeps us from being tossed about and instead remain unmoved in any situation is faith in the mighty strength of God. Hebrews 11, better known as the Faith Chapter in the Bible, speaks of those who overcame the storm by their faith in the Lord.
How is perseverance formed in us? Most of us may have experienced how inadequate our theoretical knowledge is in a crucial moment of crisis or decision making. When a situation arises that requires you to be calm and patient, you may have burst out. You are weakened by failure after failure with evidently no progress. If that is your thinking, you may not be totally right. If you are a sincere disciple of Jesus, and have been trusting Him for deliverance from issues in the area of patience and other Christian virtues, surely God has been working in your life. In fact He has worked out His deliverance in you, to the extent that you have submitted to Him. It is true that you may not have completely stripped out your old nature, but surely you are not the same anymore. You may still become impatient, but not in the old measure.
It is true that we can choose how close we want to be with God and how fast we want it to happen. Say, two persons start their Christian journey together. After a while, it is possible that one is far ahead than the other in his knowledge of God and in life. Was God partial to him? No, it was his choice and commitment. When Jesus dealt with the rich young ruler, the choice lay with the latter as to whether he was willing to sell all his possessions as the Master required of Him (Luke18:18-24). God takes us through this journey of faith one step at a time. The Bible says “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18). But why step by step? To understand this, we need to learn how God brings about His character in us.
1. It is a process. One mistake we often commit when we pray for God to mould our character is to expect instant results. But we need to understand that God does His work through the day-to-day experiences of people and the circumstances that are a part of our lives. Besides, the change we undergo is a process that unfolds over a set period of time. Let us look to the life of Peter. Simon Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.” Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times” (John 13:36-38). Jesus did not answer his question but He gave Peter the answer which he needed to hear. Peter was an impulsive and strong-willed person. He asked why he could not follow ‘now’. Imagine that he did want to follow Jesus Christ on his own terms. Firstly it would not be possible to follow Jesus in His death at that moment of Peter’s choice. Secondly he would but be able to do it in the strength of the self. It is with much fear that we ought to carefully consider the truth that it is possible to undertake many ‘spiritual projects’ by the self. That includes prayer, fasting, preaching and teaching, evangelization and so on. In forbidding Peter from following Him then, Jesus was telling him, ‘It is a dangerous time to follow me now. You need to be delivered from the bond of your strong self-will (the self).’ Peter’s unyielding self is evident in his reply to Jesus’ warning. When Jesus said ‘It is not possible’, Peter thinks otherwise. ‘No, I can’, he says. It is worth noting the truths that Jesus draws Peter’s attention to: a.You are not ready now to follow me in my death. b.But that does not mean that you cannot follow me ever. Surely you shall follow me. But before that, you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and go through the process of molding that I have planned for you. c. If you insist on making your claims contrary to My words, I would need to use a rooster as a sign to prove that you are not as prepared now as you think you are. We expectantly pray thus: “Lord, I need a complete makeover before the end of this year” or “Lord, let me be changed by the time I get up from my knees.” But such prayers have mostly yielded poor results. There is undoubtedly a process involved. God ushers in change in us step by step. We are mistaken to think that if a servant of God lays his hand upon us and prays or if we ourselves fast for days together, we can expect to have a magical shower of the virtue of patience as well as many other virtues fall upon us. The truth is indeed far from it.
Another matter that we need to consider seriously is why we desire the fruit of the spirit. There ought to be only one reason for this. As the Bible says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5), “It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master…” (Matthew 10:25a). If we want to be like the Master we have to pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit (not for a one-time but rather for regular filling). Jesus has promised, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13).
2.God uses difficult people and circumstances to mould us. When we are filled by the Holy Spirit, He will teach us, strengthen us and enable us to walk in the ways of God. This may necessitate being in circumstances which help to strip off those undesirable parts of our personality which are not of the character of God. “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope “ (Romans 5:3-4).
While tribulation produces character, tribulation alone can do nothing in us. The same tribulation might as well come to someone without the Holy Spirit, but it is not beneficial for them. In our lives, tribulation may arise in the form of a quarrelling spouse, a disturbing neighbor, the non-stop honking of a vehicle behind us, a long queue ahead of us or a delayed train. We generally tend to consider these as pertaining to the works of Satan and understandably rebuke him. While some of these may have been hindrances caused by Satan, it is not always so. A believer ought to know which is from the Satan and which is of God and directed towards his own discipline.
3. Only God can change us. No fruit of the Spirit is ever produced by ourselves. The virtues we ‘produce’ by our effort and training are only a changed pattern of ‘behavior’ of the self. Such ‘fruit of the spirit’ will produce strong self in us. But nevertheless, we have a definite part in the process. And it is not a trivial part. That comes from the unique way in which God chooses to operate. ‘God can do without me; but He will not do without me.’ He does not so choose to work because of His weaknesses to do without us, but rather it is the way that God has ordained in His sovereignty. Our part in developing our own character is to fit into this divine scheme, yielding ourselves in full cooperation with the Holy Spirit. Yet again, it is a process. As we increasingly yield despite many struggles and difficulties, the character slowly emerges. This can be likened to the way a rough, hard stone in the river slowly transforms into a smooth stone after many years of jostling through the uneven, stony river bed.
God’s workshop operates in a way that is beyond human reason. We may arrive at His workshop desiring a change in our character. But as days go by, we find ourselves lost in the pursuit of our lover, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. It is but natural that as our focus shifts away from us and towards the Lord, we forget in the process, the changes we sought for ourselves in the first place. Imitating Him is no more a careful repetition but rather a natural reflex. We are no more looking at the change in us because we have left behind our calculation of such changes as we are lost in the wonder and amazement of seeing His face every moment and in every detail of our lives. “The Daughters of Jerusalem: “What is your beloved More than another beloved, O fairest among women? What is your beloved More than another beloved, That you so charge us? ”The Shulamite:”My beloved is white and ruddy, Chief among ten thousand” (Song of Solomon 5:9-10). Even though we are not aware of the change happening in us, it would be visible to others. As when Moses came down from the mountain after a period of communion with God, Moses himself was not aware of how his face shone in the glory. But the people could see.
Where perseverance is wanting, the results are tragic. Many end up leaving God’s workshop half-done as a result of one of the two attitudes. Some give up hope of reaching the intended goal and fail to trust in God’s power to see them through to that glorious end. Some others conclude for themselves too early that they have reached and begin to pray as the Pharisee prayed “...God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector ” (Luke 18:11). Then they carry on in their dangerous path of self-righteousness.
In the thick of tribulations the Ephesian church stood faithfully for the Lord. God says “I know your patience, and you have persevered and have patience.” We are in the last days. The Bible warns us that in the last days will be terrible times, with apostasy prevailing. “And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved ” (Matthew 24:12-13). → to be continued next week. Please do visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays to check out new posts!