A Revelation Invitation

I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. (Revelation 1:9)

I have observed a camaraderie among war veterans that goes much deeper than that of people on the company softball team or in the local quilt guild. They have a shared experience having served together under a constant threat of injury and death. They entered settings where the enemy did all they could to kill them. Through the ordeal of war they formed a strong bond. When they return home, they understand each other in a way that their family and civilian friends cannot. They look out for each other knowing they will have an empathetic ear when they need to talk. Their ranks no longer matter. Politics is secondary. Their brotherhood is of first importance. They lost friends, sacrificed limbs and endured trauma and their brothers in arms get it. I sense something similar in John’s words above.

John calls the churches brothers and partners. That relationship is based on a shared experience brought on them by their witness to Jesus Christ. Everyone experiences hard times, but their tribulations were brought on by their service in the kingdom of God, on account of the word of God, by their testimony of Jesus. And John and his “brothers in arms” have endured those tribulations patiently and have endured them together. There is a bond between them to which John appeals encouraging them to persevere.

As the author of Revelation, John reminds these churches of this brotherhood and partnership so that they will trust the prophetic vision given him by God. They knew John. He had endured what they either had endured or were about to experience. He needed this vision as much as they did. He was not some lofty leader calling those under him to sacrifice. His witness, his testimony, had already cost him.

His relationship with them is not as a church leader but as an equal, as a partner and as a brother. While it is true that as a church leader his testimony carried authority, he called their attention to his shared experience with the beleaguered believers in the region rather than on the office he held. He had suffered as they had suffered—as witnesses to the lordship of Jesus Christ.
As such he is a great example for church leaders of all generations and for all places. In much the way that John had been banished to Patmos for preaching the word of God, the believers were facing opposition as well. That was one more reason why they could trust him and the message he had delivered.

Lord Jesus, you are the great, original witness to your Father’s lordship over creation. Grant me the courage to stand as witness to your death, burial and resurrection which confirms your lordship over all creation. Thank you for John’s witness and the powerful, amazing vision you showed him which he in turn has showed to me. Amen.