Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For,
“In just a little while,
he who is coming will come
and will not delay.”
he who is coming will come
and will not delay.”
38 And,
“But my righteous one will live by faith.
And I take no pleasure
in the one who shrinks back.”
And I take no pleasure
in the one who shrinks back.”
39 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.
2000 years after this is written, we 21st century Christians have the same problems. Certainly in some areas of the world Christians are imprisoned, lose their possessions, are tortured and killed, but here in the West we can focus on another aspect of these verses - the gradual dissipation of spiritual passion or the loss of zeal. In this passage, the author discusses that this group of believers received the "Light" and they stood up for it even if it meant suffering - they did it joyfully because they were confident that this life was just a vapor compared to the eternity of their Heavenly home with Jesus. They knew that they had better and lasting possessions waiting for them in Heaven. They knew that His return was right around the corner. They were motivated by the desire to hear Him say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." The problem was, He didn't come quickly and mocking, and beating, and imprisonment, and being considered as an outcast, and being poor got old. As George Bailey says to Clarence the angel when Clarence says he doesn't have money because they don't use it in Heaven, George says "Well, its pretty important down here". It's tough to keep the fire going when you get beat down on a daily basis.
Fast forward 2000 years and the youth group just returned from their summer retreat all fired up to follow Christ. Six weeks from now that zeal will be gone. The medical mission to Brazil just returned with over 150 saved but 6 weeks from now it will be ancient history. How can we keep the passion going? How do we keep the fire aflame? I see 4 hints in this passage.
First, the word "Light". The Psalmist says, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." God's word is a light that points us to The Light. If we aren't daily in the Word we will start thinking like the World because we are immersed in it. Ephesians 5:26 tells us that the Word can wash our minds, so we need to constantly be in it to keep the fire burning.
Secondly, the words "side by side". I feel refreshed when I have fellowship with other believers. They think like me and "get" me and I'm encouraged that I am on the right track and my zeal is restored. It is essential to pray side by side with someone also. Schedule a time to pray with someone on a regular basis and make it a priority that doesn't get bumped.
Third, the word "publicly". These believers weren't secretive. They were sharing their faith, in pairs, which greatly increases your zeal. It's funny that one of the signs of lack of passion, not witnessing, is remedied by witnessing. I guess the same could be said of reading the Bible and fellowship, too. I guess that's why the church in Revelation that lost it's first love passion was told to repent and return to doing what you used to do and the passion will come back.
Lastly, identify what "possessions" are possessing you and sell them. Nothing sucks passion from a relationship like spending time with a possession. A friend of mine would go to work every morning and his young son would run to the door give him a hug and tell him how much he loved his Dad. Soon the dad gave in to the persistence of his son and bought him a computer. Now when the dad leaves he hears from a distant room, "Bye, Dad. I love you." The son is busy with his computer.
Or do you even want your zeal back?
2000 years after this is written, we 21st century Christians have the same problems. Certainly in some areas of the world Christians are imprisoned, lose their possessions, are tortured and killed, but here in the West we can focus on another aspect of these verses - the gradual dissipation of spiritual passion or the loss of zeal. In this passage, the author discusses that this group of believers received the "Light" and they stood up for it even if it meant suffering - they did it joyfully because they were confident that this life was just a vapor compared to the eternity of their Heavenly home with Jesus. They knew that they had better and lasting possessions waiting for them in Heaven. They knew that His return was right around the corner. They were motivated by the desire to hear Him say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." The problem was, He didn't come quickly and mocking, and beating, and imprisonment, and being considered as an outcast, and being poor got old. As George Bailey says to Clarence the angel when Clarence says he doesn't have money because they don't use it in Heaven, George says "Well, its pretty important down here". It's tough to keep the fire going when you get beat down on a daily basis.
Fast forward 2000 years and the youth group just returned from their summer retreat all fired up to follow Christ. Six weeks from now that zeal will be gone. The medical mission to Brazil just returned with over 150 saved but 6 weeks from now it will be ancient history. How can we keep the passion going? How do we keep the fire aflame? I see 4 hints in this passage.
First, the word "Light". The Psalmist says, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." God's word is a light that points us to The Light. If we aren't daily in the Word we will start thinking like the World because we are immersed in it. Ephesians 5:26 tells us that the Word can wash our minds, so we need to constantly be in it to keep the fire burning.
Secondly, the words "side by side". I feel refreshed when I have fellowship with other believers. They think like me and "get" me and I'm encouraged that I am on the right track and my zeal is restored. It is essential to pray side by side with someone also. Schedule a time to pray with someone on a regular basis and make it a priority that doesn't get bumped.
Third, the word "publicly". These believers weren't secretive. They were sharing their faith, in pairs, which greatly increases your zeal. It's funny that one of the signs of lack of passion, not witnessing, is remedied by witnessing. I guess the same could be said of reading the Bible and fellowship, too. I guess that's why the church in Revelation that lost it's first love passion was told to repent and return to doing what you used to do and the passion will come back.
Lastly, identify what "possessions" are possessing you and sell them. Nothing sucks passion from a relationship like spending time with a possession. A friend of mine would go to work every morning and his young son would run to the door give him a hug and tell him how much he loved his Dad. Soon the dad gave in to the persistence of his son and bought him a computer. Now when the dad leaves he hears from a distant room, "Bye, Dad. I love you." The son is busy with his computer.
Or do you even want your zeal back?
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