Religion

Knowing the Truth … ISN’T ENOUGH!

Today, we look at the letter to the church at Ephesus, Revelation chapter 2, verses 1-7.

IN THE DESCRIPTION of the Lord, we learn that HE WHO IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD is said to HOLD the light, and WALK in the midst of the light.

IN THE COMMENDATION “… And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; …” (v.2,3).

We learn the true nature of testing.

To test anything:

  • WE MUST RELY ON LIGHT THAT ONLY COMES FROM THE LORD!
  • AND we must first actually listen to whatever is tested, hear what it says, understand it, consider it, weigh it up against the truth.
  • We are actually also testing our own understanding.

Too often we simply REACT, on the basis of:

  • The language used – without understanding the meaning of the speaker.
  • Our perception of the person speaking.
  • Our beliefs of what is good, true, right and acceptable, which is often based upon our cultural and societal norms, or even mere hearsay.
  • Which side of the bed we got out of this morning.

IN THE CRITICISM: “you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works,”

We learn that the ability to test the truth of what others say is not in itself sufficient to claim spiritual life. TRUTH MUST BE APPLIED TO OURSELVES. IT MUST BE PRACTISED.

AND IN THE PROMISE: “I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” (v. 7)

We learn the value of holding the vision as we travel.

We begin to climb the mountain with a view to reach the top. We may lose sight of that goal along the way, but the vision we receive at the start can sustain us if we remember it.

Learning an instrument, learning to code, learning to draw or paint. We imagine ourselves mastering that new skill – very quickly we find just how far we have left to go! We may be tempted to give up, but if we persevere we know that the goal is still there, although we may have lost sight of it.

When we are first married, those first few months and years give us a vision of what marriage is – as we begin to work on ourselves and each other, and in the busyness of everyday life, we can lose sight of that, but recalling that first state can sustain us.

When we begin the spiritual journey, the conviction of Faith Alone can be so powerful: we look back at all our attempts to “be good”, and we see how miserably we have failed, and how we must continue to fail if we continue to rely upon self. We need one more thing – an inner conviction that we must take the journey. So, in that first state, we have a view of where we are, and a vision of where we wish to be – and we have no idea of the journey that will take us there.

Recorded on Sunday 26 March 2023.