“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
“‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. Only hold fast what you have until I come. The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ (Revelation 2:18-29)
What Kind of Church Are We Getting Inside Us?
Sacred/Secular: Making a Living as a Jesus Follower
Revelation 2:18-29
Yesterday we wrestled through the question of how to make a living as Jesus followers in a world that has rebelled against its creator. The prophetess nicknamed Jezebel was leading the believers of Thyatira astray, promoting an approach to faith that divides sacred from secular, separating work and worship. From her perspective, believers could function how they needed to in the marketplace on Monday so long as they maintained the right religious rituals on Sunday. Jesus had the strongest words of condemnation for her teaching and those who fell prey to it. Unfortunately, her gospel still seems to have a strong foothold in the church. We can easily fall into this notion that Jesus is good for Sundays, but our workplace needs something more rough-and-tumble, real world than a mamby pamby savior. That popular heresy might help us justify our less than Christlike behaviors at the office, but it completely loses sight of the flesh and blood Jesus of the gospels who was equally comfortable in the carpenter’s shop of His father and the temple of His Father. Jesus came to tear down the dividing walls between sacred and secular and to draw us to salvation in His Father’s world. Following Jesus leads us to worship on Sundays in a way that makes a profound impact on how we live with our family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors the rest of the week. Faithfulness to Christ leads us to participate in God’s mission of redemption for the whole world. If we will follow Jesus Christ faithfully, He will give us the morning star; He will give us Himself.
· Why do you think the Jezebel heresy has been so popular through the ages? Why is it so common to completely divorce how we function in the workplace and in worship?
· What would it look like to live with no divide between sacred and secular?
· How can we honor God more fully in our workplace? What impact would that kind of life have on our worship and what impact would worship have on that kind of life?