Episode 7: Family - Chapter 1 Verse 9

When you accept Christ as your savior, you are born into a family of believers. These brothers and sisters will watch out for you, help you grow and take care of you when you need it.

However, those outside the family of Christ will persecute you. All over the world Christians are being persecuted, some have lost friends, some have been fired from their jobs and some have been murdered.

The good news is that Christ has overcome the world and those who stand firm will receive the reward of eternal life!   Listen and know, that if you have experience persecution, there is hope. Your family will stand by you and your Savior will reward you.

Watch Christine's Revelation Study video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6SoO4NzHmU

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:20

Thank you for tuning in to Coffee with Jesus. We're back again. My name is Elizabeth Bristol, and Christine Hobbes and I are back to continue our discussion about chapter one of the book of Revelation. And we're picking up in verse nine. And um, just to remind you guys, I our goal is to be awake and ready for Jesus when he returns. So if you know others who are aiming to do the same, please click the like button and share the podcast. It helps us reach more people who might be interested in learning what the Bible says about end times so they too can be prepared.

SPEAKER_01 1:00

Well, the last time we spoke, um, we finished up the introduction. Okay. And so now we're moving into John's salutation to the audience that will be reading the letters that Jesus Christ is going to dictate to him. And so in verse nine, it's just one simple little verse, but again, there's a lot to talk about in the verse. You know, we could fly right over it, but it's got a lot of meat. And so let's just read through it to get familiar, and then we'll kind of break it out and talk about it. So it says, the Patmos Vision, I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance, which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. So what he's doing is he's introducing himself as a brother in Christ to the readers of the seven churches, like the people who will be reading this, and anyone else throughout history, which includes us today, right? Yep. And so um he mentions that I, John, your brother. And so he's using a terminology as like family. He's saying I'm part of the family here. And so for us, um, as part of God's family, what does that look like for us? You know, how wonderful is it to have the chance to become friends with people and know people in a way that you wouldn't, right? Those in any other circumstance.

SPEAKER_00 2:53

Yeah, that that Christ brings. I yeah, when I first looked at this, the the first one that came to mind, it was fascinating. I was in Israel and we were up on the Sea of Galilee, and we spent a couple nights there. And I would get up in the morning, take my Bible out, and it was just cool, right? To be reading my Bible, right where Jesus and the disciples and all everything happened. And I remember I was hurried, hurrying back to get the bus to go on the tour for the day. And I was walking by this lady. There were a bunch of Korean nuns out there, because there was a group of them there, and there was this woman doing the same thing, sitting out there reading her Bible. And I literally heard God say in my mind, you'll see her in heaven. And it was really funny because I ended up stopping to talk to her for a couple minutes, and I said, I'm so sorry. I'd love to chat. I said, But you know, I've got to catch my bus. And as I'm walking away, she said, See you in heaven. And I'm like, Oh my word, that's what God said to me as I was walking by you in the beginning. So I don't know, it's just funny. Or another time I was in the airport in London and I was doing the experience in God study. So I had my workbook, you know, hanging out the back of my carry-on. And it was just funny because this girl, a friend of mine, was really watching the change in my life, right? Because when I used to hang out with her, I wouldn't have been walking around with an experience in God workbook hanging out of my and some stranger just came up in the airport and was like, I'm doing that too. And we instantly had this really excited bond. And I don't know, she was she pointed it out, and I thought that was pretty cool too.

SPEAKER_01 4:35

I had a similar experience just recently. Um, we were all doing a Bible study at this public restaurant, and um, it was like a breakfast place, and you know, this guy walks by, he was a businessman in his suit and tie, and he was just getting a bite to eat. And he walks by and he goes, Are you girls doing a Bible study? We're like, Yeah, we are. And he goes, I just love him. And we were like, so it was so funny. He's like, it thrills me to see you girls here with your Bibles open. And we were like, Oh, well, feel free to sit down and join us. I mean, a complete stranger. And he's like, No, no, I gotta get to work. But it was like we were instantly bonded because we had this commonality, this love for this person that we all knew in Jesus Christ. So um, yeah, there's something special about being part of the family of God, and so that's why John is introducing himself to the readers of this letter, saying, Hey, brothers, brothers and sisters, um I John, you know, and so then he says that he is a fellow partaker in the tribulation. Um so as families, like we're either part of the family of God or we're not, right? So basically, there's two families in the world. You're either of one or the other. Um, and if you don't belong to God's family, then by default, you are part of the family of this world, which is ruled by Satan. So you're either of the heavenly family temporarily here on earth, or you're part of the family of the enemy. That's kind of a tough one for people who maybe haven't made that decision yet, right? Like that seems a little bit extreme to say it, but really it's one or the other.

SPEAKER_00 6:31

Right. And it's like we were talking about earlier with some of our friends that um just aren't ready to hear, you know what I mean? And again, I recognize that because that was me. And standing with my friend in London that time, I I had come in for a week visit or something, a week-long visit, and it was just interesting because of course I love her and I wanted to share with her, but she was a little um didn't have ears to hear, I think is what the Bible says until the very last night. I think some of it was a little scary for her. Like, I don't know if she thought I was gonna try and cram it on her or what, but the very last night she did start to ask me some questions, and it was just really cool because again, we're still friends, and I was excited to share the difference and not force anyone. We can't can't force anyone, right? I mean, that totally doesn't work, so yeah, it is sad when we have people that we love that aren't ready to hear, right?

SPEAKER_01 7:32

Right, and we have to trust God, that's where it's yeah, okay, we're not the ones who know their inner heart. We didn't, we didn't create their heart, God did, so he knows exactly, you know what they'll respond to. And we just need to be ready as believers with the answers for any questions they might have. And then God does the rest. Um, and that's taken me a while to understand because I've done some some hard pushing in my day, and it doesn't work. They're just, you know, they just need to see that there's something special uh about being part of the family of God, and you don't see the specialness because there's not a ton of us out there, you know, sadly.

SPEAKER_00 8:20

Because I had this, oh, it was one of those um, you know, the in-between place when you're not really asleep and you're not really awake. And long story short, a friend of mine is dying and she's on hospice. And I was kind of questioning God. At one point, we really did use to walk the walk together, and then at some point she um has shifted a little bit, and so her book, I was thinking about it, and I thought it reminded me of kind of new age stuff, and God was funny. He's like, and how do you know? And well, after I became a Christian, I knew God was cooler than the church was telling me, and so I read a lot of those new age books, and that's what I said to God. I know because I read them.

SPEAKER_01 9:07

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_00 9:08

Reminding me that the reason her walk looks like that is because those are the people that he's working, he's reaching through her. And those that say my pastor, for example, is out there on the street talking to people, and you know, and I see more boys.

SPEAKER_01 9:26

I think it's important to understand when you're part of a family, it doesn't mean the family all looks the exact same. Yeah, it doesn't, right? Absolutely, so even within a family, one child's growing faster than the other. Yeah, you know, there's growth spurts, and so you know, we have to um not get self-righteous in where we're at because we may be one place, but we're fully unaware that there's another tier to go to, and we think we're at the pinnacle, right? And that's that's the journey on this side of Jesus. Like that's the that's the journey for us while we're here on this earth is to be part of the body of Christ with brothers and sisters who are all at varying stages of their walk, with some getting it right and other places maybe not getting it so right, but they're still part of the family. And that's where we sharpen one another to have like these conversations that you and I are having right now. Like there's things that it's like, oh, I didn't know that, or I didn't never thought about that. Let me go see what the word of God says. Like that's part of the process. And so I think as we encounter other believers, they I don't have my act altogether. I know that. Like, I feel like the the more I walk this journey, the more wicked I feel. Like as God reveals things to me, I'm like, wow, I really did need a savior. So, you know, that's just part of it. But, you know, here's John, and he's writing to his church and the seven churches that we will study in chapter two, they are all at varying places in their journey with pros and with cons. And what we'll discover is Jesus points out, this is what I have against you, but this is what I like how you're doing. Right. And here's where you need to grow, and this is who I am to help you in this area of growth. And we'll study that in in great detail. But for now, you know, this church that he's writing to, which will be read by many churches over the centuries, um, he's saying, We're family. Yep. If if you're a believer in Christ, you are family with us. Um, and so, you know, we have to unfortunately know that there is a false premise that has entered the church. So he talks about being a partaker in the tribulation in the kingdom, and that's telling us that just because we're Christian, it's not a cakewalk. He's saying I'm here on this island having tribulation because I'm being persecuted for being a Christian, and so that is in exact um contrary to some of this prosperity preaching that we hear today. Well, if you're a Christian, all is gonna go well for you because God loves you and he will bless you. And and yes, that's true in a way, but he's also interested in growing us. And let's face it, we don't grow when all is well. Like if everything's going perfect for me, I will sit in that chair for as long as I can until God kicks a leg out from under me to get me to move to that next place that I need to go. And it never feels good. No, it doesn't. So, where is a place, Liz, that you could share that maybe you got the chair kicked out from under you?

SPEAKER_00 13:21

Well, definitely the mission field stories, right? It's a whole different experience from how we in this country suffer persecution for our faith, right? So I lived in Jericho, um, the ministry that I worked with, uh Living Bread International Church, had seven bombings. And I was there for um, I think it was the first one or the second one, and it was crazy. One time, one time when I was there, they would put tires down by our front door and light them on fire, and of course that would blow the glass out of the front door, and the smoke would fill the stairway, and it would be crazy. But the bomb, it was a um Molotov cocktail, and it was in the middle of the night, and we always had guests, so we had these two older women staying with us, and they they uh I didn't really know what a Molotov cocktail was, but it's you know, it's a Coke bottle filled with gasoline, and they light it on fire, put maybe a um something uh fabric in there and throw it through the window, and our whole building, like all three or four floors, just oh my word, the smoke. It was crazy. I had, you know, always been afraid, actually. That was one of my greatest fears of being in the fire in the middle of the night. And there we were, and kind of thankfully, because I needed to leave these women, I wasn't freaking out. I they were my focus, you know, and it was really weird because our pastor was like, take them up to the roof. Well, that's counter, you know, you're like intuitive, you want to take them out outside, right? So, but we weren't sure what was down there waiting for us, too. Or someone had actually thrown a bomb through our window. Were they waiting for us to come running out and do something? And it was crazy. We had a lot of stuff like that, and this was really interesting on that one in particular. Um, what it was this, it was the owners of the building. They rented it to us and they liked getting the money, but they didn't like the whole what we were there to do. Right. So that was they were having that struggle, and so what they did was hire one of our um guys who had converted. And he, of course, was struggling because he didn't want to do that, but he wanted to feed his family. So they were giving him money to feed his family. And the weird part was God told my pastor who did it. So we went over the next day and um and from forgave him. And the whole thing was just wild. I mean, he was like his shock on his face that we would know he did it and fear that something was gonna happen, and just an opportunity to do what we were teaching him was crazy. Yeah, so we had a lot of that, but we also knew that the Bible says that, right? That we will be persecuted. And so for some reason, we kind of just was like, okay, there it is. We knew it was coming. And I remember one time I did after that fire, I went to my pastor and I said, you know, I've always been afraid of the fire at night. And it was interesting because we kind of talked about it. It's like, we know we're not going anywhere. This is where God, you know, we're not gonna die. And all of a sudden it was like, you know what? I know that I know that I know that's the truth. Like He really is gonna protect us from that in this particular time. So I had peace. You know, people constantly would say, Isn't that dangerous for you to live in the West Bank? And because I knew that I knew that I knew it was God's call on my life, it felt dangerous for me to live anywhere else. So bizarre. But in this country, of course, we do, we do have persecution, but it's different. It's a different, completely different type of persecution. Like what's the worst thing you have suffered for your from your faith, would you say?

SPEAKER_01 17:14

Um, you know, it in comparison to a world that um has so much going on right now in terms of the wars and being uh a religious war and all of that, it just seems like for me, it's so minimal. Um, you know, we really only have, at least for me, all I've experienced is rejection from from people I love, right? That aren't walking the walk. And and you know, just stupid things like, oh, she's gone off the deep end. Like you hear it through the grapevine, and and it hurts a little bit, you know, because these are people that you you knew and loved before coming to Christ. And now there's kind of like this weird little division. Um, I know that sometimes I don't get invited to things that everyone else is doing because just my presence convicts. Yeah, you know, like there's sometimes these bonfires in the summer and everybody's drinking. Well, they don't invite me because I'm not drinking, it's not my thing to begin with, but you know, I'm not interested in getting sloshed and talking behind somebody's back and gossiping and doing is it's just so I'm grateful that in a way they don't invite me because I don't have to try to find an excuse. But it still is like, oh, it's just so, but it's so minimal. Like, you know, I was sharing with you earlier that there's websites that you can go to.

SPEAKER_00 18:55

That that was I didn't, I wasn't aware of that, and I would like to say I'll keep tuning in and pray for them because that was crazy stuff just for one week.

SPEAKER_01 19:05

Yeah, like if you don't if yeah, if you're a praying individual and you want to be praying for the things of this world, the website, and I just happened upon it, but it's called worthynews.com, and it literally spells out the latest in persecutions happening around the world. Like the church is being persecuted. We just in this country are fortunate enough that we don't see it to this extent yet. It's not to say it won't happen, right? But at this moment, we're so lucky that we live where we live here in the US because these things are happening elsewhere in the world. People are having to choose death rather than deny Christ. And you know, that's that's a scary thing, and it's something we're not used to having to do. But this is what where John was at. I mean, historically, we probably should talk a little bit about the background so we can understand. You know, he's writing in 95 to 96 AD, somewhere in there. And so this is the second century church. Now, when the church first started, um, they were looked at as part of the Jewish faith. So back in 95, 96 AD, we're now in the second century of the church age, whereas the first century was the apostles spreading the word. They weren't looked at as Christians, they were looked at as Jews, and so they were spreading the word as Jewish men about this person who had died on the cross, and there's, you know, actual historical writings that talk about the Christos and the way, and so they were labeled as these weirdos, but they were still considered part of the Jewish faith because they were Jews. But as the church grew and more and more Gentiles were coming into the church, the church started taking on a new form. And historically, they were no longer considered an old religion. The Romans like almost grandfathered in the Jews. So once Christianity spread to be big enough, they considered. It's a new entity. And so these Christians, when it caught on and became this new movement, they were under a different set of rules than the Jewish population. And so here we are in the second century, Rome's in power, and there was Roman Caesar worship. And they were called to have to come and worship Caesar as a god. And the Christians wouldn't do it. So the Christians were being persecuted for refusing to participate in the Roman laws. They weren't grandfathered like the Jewish people were. And so they became an illegal religion. And they a lot of them were executed. And they had to choose, am I going to deny Christian faith and live? You know, what they had to do was go in and burn a pinch of incense and bow to Caesar. And they wouldn't do it. And so they were really getting persecuted. And so John, um he was living in Ephesus. He was kind of flying under the radar, um, and living amongst, you know, the city of the Ephesians. And um the Roman emperor at the time was Domitian, and he was a tough ruler, and he pronounced himself as God, he required the worship. And so when he discovered that John was still alive, he had him arrested and wanted to meet him. And then there's some rumor, and we'll talk about this again later, but there was some rumor that they tried to boil him in oil, and God had still more to do with him. You know, he needed him to write this book, and he didn't die. So they banished him to Patmos. And so here he is on this island, and he's been through quite a bit in terms of being arrested and then being shipped off to this island of Patmos. And, you know, he's living in a cave, basically. It wasn't like it was, you know, housing for him. And um, so he was persecuted. And what he's saying is, I understand, I know and I understand what you're going through because I'm still alive. And and they tried to kill me, but I'm still alive and I'm on the island of Patmos. But I get that you have tribulation, and so what he's going to write as we continue on is the encouragement to stay the course, stay firm.

SPEAKER_00 24:49

I don't know, this by 90-year-old or or not. I don't know. I I um I actually went to Patmos and we went to the cave. You can go there. I was on a cruise for my 50th birthday, and they took us over in this little boat, and we were a group of people that were of all denominations. We read the entire book of Revelation, like on the small boat as we went out there, and it is fascinating. Like they have a it's a cave, um, but they have an indentation, like it's like this is where he's probably slept, and they, you know, make it like that's where he laid his head. But I'm like, it's rock, so I don't think his head made that indentation, or I don't know, maybe, but yeah, it does. It makes you wonder do you have the type of faith that can stand firm in that kind of persecution, you know?

SPEAKER_01 25:43

Right? And what might that look like, you know, again for us, we we be we become the brunt of the joke, possibly. We lose friends that think you know, we've become weird or whatever, but we gain this whole family that we have this instantaneous. I mean, I have friends that are much older than me because of the Lord. Like I probably would never meet them in any other way, other than we have this commonality of Jesus Christ, like our Bible study, because I look around the room and it's like, I don't know that I would be friends with most of the people in there.

SPEAKER_00 26:20

We don't have other um commonalities, and so, but yet I love them. You know, every time I've done that, studied with a group of people, that's happened to me, where I've just they have become my people that I can't imagine doing life without. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:38

And I think it's important to know, like 2 Timothy 3 12 says, indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. The world is not gonna love that we convict them. Well, that's just the reality. So I think it's an encouragement, and I'm glad we spent a little bit of time talking about this subject, even though it seems like such a straightforward verse. You know, it's important to realize, you know, geez.

SPEAKER_00 27:09

Yeah, think a little bit deeper.

SPEAKER_01 27:11

And and yeah, it's okay to to be persecuted a little bit, it's it's commonplace in our walk, but how lucky are we that we gain this whole family? Um and that we'll have this eternity. And I think it's important for encouragement reasons because geez, it some days do feel hard. And it's like, Lord, why aren't you rescuing me out of this? I don't want to go through this, and to really know that God is training us in all ways, in all things, that when something doesn't go smoothly, the question isn't where are you, God? Because he promises he walks with us always. The question is, what is it you want me to learn in this season? It's a different way of thinking about things. And if I'm being honest, I don't always jump to that train of thought. I'm like, where are you? Help.

SPEAKER_00 28:14

So he promises um, you know, to work all things together for good. And I that for some reason that one stuck on my mind.

SPEAKER_01 28:22

I do, I do like, you know, thinking it gets worked out for good because it happens within the day, right? The question is, how patient can we be if it takes years? You know, and I just like to be honest. Like, I, you know, I've been walking this walk, but I still don't like that reality. You know, we all like to be comfy, cozy, cushy.

SPEAKER_00 28:46

Would you like to wrap this up? Is there a way we can encapsulate the ending of this for our listeners?

SPEAKER_01 28:53

Well, yeah, I just think that, you know, the things that we talked about, the trade-off, like, you know, you accept Christ and you become part of the family, and it's part of the family immediately here on earth. Yeah, and then it's part of the big family and celebration for eternity after this life, right? And um, as we continue on, we're gonna see the various types of persecutions that the church was going through, and those various types of persecutions apply all throughout history. So, again, there's an immediate piece to learn that was part of the church in that day, but then there's the stepping back and looking at it in relationship to our walk, our lives, what does that look like for us today? And it's both at the same time. And so we're looking at just the salutation from John, but we're gonna get into the details of Christ, who how Christ describes himself, what does he have to say to these churches? And when I say churches, I mean churches even today.

SPEAKER_00 30:09

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 30:10

Because each thing he says, it can apply to our current day churches.

SPEAKER_00 30:16

So, dear sweet Lord Jesus, wow, we do ask for your protection. And um, we know that you've told us we'll go through persecution, whether it's being the brunt of a joke or rejection or some of these scarier things. Um, so we ask you to be with us, uh, to carry us through whatever it is that you know you have for each of us, um, to put the words in our mouths when we suffer persecution, the words that the people around us need to hear, um, to give us your courage and your grace. Uh, and you know each one listening personally. You know why each one is here, the answers that they seek. So we call on you, because I love that scripture where you promise us to answer us and show us great and unsearchable things that we do not know. So I ask you to do that for each one of us in Jesus' name. Thank you, everyone, for joining us. Again, feel free to send us your questions so we can address them in wonder together.