Imitations and contrasts

It’s often said that imitation is the best form of flattery.  Although typically meant to be a compliment, I think it depends a lot on whom we’re imitating and what kind of behavior we’re attempting to emulate.  I can remember times when my boys came home and imitated some other child’s whiny tone or disrespectful behavior.  Yeah, that wasn’t as cool and complimentary as he may have imagined…

As a parent, we confront this kind of behavior with both questions and contrasts: Why are you acting like them?  Are they saying encouraging things, or are they rude?  Why would you want to do the same thing?

But it’s not just our kids who need a talk like this from time to time.  Remember, we’ve been making observations about this particular verse:

Revelation 22:14
“Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.”

We’ve taken a close look at this verse in order to fully understand the blessing Jesus is announcing.  We’ve observed that this blessing is obtained by those who wash their robes, those who do the commandments of Jesus, and that there are specific, big-deal rewards available to those who do so.

Remember that whenever we do a deep dive, our best next step is to zoom out and place our new understanding within the surrounding context. 

Revelation 22:12-14
“Look, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me to repay each person according to his work.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.  Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.

And then Jesus offers this contrast:

Revelation 22:15
Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

This contrast is almost identical to the one we observed back in 21:6-8; in fact, the earlier section contains all these descriptions and adds a few more.  Previously, this description was pertaining to unbelievers.  The same contrast is made here as well – and we understand that because of the phrase everyone who loves and practices falsehood. 

But why does Jesus insultingly refer to unbelievers as “dogs”?

Dogs during ancient times were not pets; they were tolerated as scavengers of unclean things.  I’ve read that even today, most every town in Palestine has lazy, filthy curs that will hardly move out of anyone’s way in the daytime, but are prone to howling throughout the night.  These degenerate animals show no qualities of intelligence or morality, as they tend to be mean-spirited and greedy.  Any time you read of dogs in the Scriptures, it is never in a positive light.

So we see that the contrast Jesus makes in 22:14-15 is between those who will be blessed in Heaven and the unbelievers who are going to the lake of fire.  Although there will be believers in the New Jerusalem who do not receive the blessings listed in verse 14, Jesus makes this contrast in order to get their attention now…so then Jesus is essentially asking the question:

Whom do you wish to imitate, the ones who will be blessed or the ones who act like dogs?

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Follow the leader (part 1)

When the Scriptures give us a direction, it’s always best that we pay attention.  If we observe God talking about the same subject more than once…well…then He’s putting down some emphasis that we need to linger on.

Twice in his closing statements and encouragements, the author of Hebrews mentions how the church body should be acting toward our church leaders.  The first one reads as follows:

Hebrews 13:7
Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you.  As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.

When looking for a mentor, role model, or Godly example, those who lead in the church should be at the top of our list.  However, the author does not give his approval to cast a wide net and grab ahold of any church member in any leadership position.  He says to focus on the ones who have spoken God’s word to you.  Does your preacher teach from the Bible, or does he only teach from pop-psychology to keep the audience engaged?  When you ask a question, does your teacher point you toward God’s perspective, or she rely on feel-good statements and stories?

The leaders who have spoken God’s word to you are the ones worthy of observation and imitation. 

Learning to be like Jesus is a lifelong journey.  We’re not going to figure out whose lives and faith are worth imitating by only checking them out at a surface level.  It will be impossible for us to evaluate the outcome of a leader’s relationship with God if our only interaction is by watching him online or reading her books.  This is why it is best to be involved with our local church.  Find a leader there who is worth partnering with and learning from.

Once you’ve found a good example, how should we follow them?  Notice the author says to imitate their faith.  Now, let’s be clear – he doesn’t tell his readers to act out their faith in the same way their leaders have done.  They don’t also have to be preachers, teachers, worship leaders…instead they should be trusting God as they use the gifts He has given them. 

They are to imitate the leader’s character and reliance on God – not to try and do the exact same skill in the exact same way their leader operates.  This is why the author says to carefully observe the outcome of their lives.  When we are able to watch closely, we can see the strength of their faith in God…which drives their ability to lead (instead of us guessing about their relationship from afar).  We must also keep in mind there are many ways to exercise our faith and demonstrate our reliance on Him.  God does not expect us to be carbon-copies of our pastor, teachers, and other leaders.

So, the first part of following church leadership looks like this:

·       Stay local
·       Find a leader who points you toward God’s Word and God’s perspective
·       Observe their lives
·       Imitate their faith in God as you act out your own

Keep Pressing,
Ken