The Weighty Truth

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media]

“You've overcome too much to just die of lung cancer.” I couldn't meet the eyes of my good friend, who had spoken these words after I had admitted to caving into smoking. Again. She had caught me completely off guard, using the words that were on everyone's minds, but few dared to utter. Die. Cancer. It stung, but deep down I knew the discomfort was right and just, and I knew what I had to do to change things.

I wish constantly that I could be as courageous as this friend of mine, but I take comfort in the fact that I am not alone in my struggle to be truthful towards others. It's not necessarily that we lie and say something dishonest; on the contrary, usually what causes the most damage is what we fail to say. We sugarcoat; we dismiss; we excuse. Anything to avoid our responsibility to the truth. This is not what God wants for us.

In his letter to Thyatira, God addresses the city's evasiveness of correcting injustice. Like other letters compiled in the book of Revelation, the letter is tailored specifically to the church in question. Historically, Thyatira's main purpose was to forge bronze armor for the Roman army. In Rev. 2:18, God compares himself to fire and to bronze to provide an analogy applicable to the recipients:

Photo credit to Jakub Skafiraik

“These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.”

It is here we are reminded that our loving and gracious God is also the Lord of truth and justice. The truth is unshakable and unmovable, like bronze. Its fire might burn, but it also refines. God urges us not to try to change His truth, but instead, to allow it to change us.

Like my friend who called me out when I reeked of cigarettes, God is unafraid to call us out on our sinfulness. He is also unafraid to call us out on not calling each other out. Revelation 2:20 describes Thyatira's toleration of a false prophet, a prophet dangerous enough to be referenced to Jezebel, the wicked queen from the Old Testament. Jezebel had introduced Baal worship to Israel, polluting its people with untruthful beliefs. The false prophet of Thyatira likewise led the people astray as they participated in adultery and other sacrilegious immoralities. The guild of bronze workers, which had been meant to serve as a type of union, was transformed into a cult. Just as the injustices we continue to see plague our world anger us, they also anger God. In Revelation 2:21-23, God states that wickedness requires correction and repentance:

“I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.”

Admittedly, this passage is troubling to read. We prefer to cling to the rainbows and sunshine Jesus who radiates love and compassion and dismiss the God who seeks justice. We forget that God's enforcement of the truth stems from His love for us. 1 Corinthians 13:6 reminds us that “love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” God indeed calls us to love one another, but this does not equivocate to condoning evil.

Although the citizens of Thyatira were aware of their wrongdoings, they did not hold one another accountable, allowing each other to delve deeper into sin. As a Christian community, we are responsible not only for our own morality, but for each other's. The purpose of fellowship is not merely to encourage one another, but to encourage one another to go in the right direction. As I write this, I feel hypocritical, as I am guilty of sacrificing truth at the expense of my love for others. Fear of destroying a friendship, of hurting someone's feelings, or of coming off as condescending or judgmental, often prevent us from stepping in when a fellow sister or brother has wandered down a dangerous path. This is not to say that grace and toleration are not important; they are a crucial component to embodying the love of Christ. But grace and toleration only make up for one half of what it means to love someone. Love absent of truth is of no help to anyone. Love absent of truth allows your co-worker to sink deeper into a porn addiction. It allows your roommate with an eating disorder to avoid seeking help, or permits your son or daughter to repeatedly fall into unhealthy relationships.

Photo credit to Jenelle Ball

Receiving the truth can be painful, and perhaps telling it even more so. I have no doubt that it hurt my friend a great deal to look me in the eyes and tell me that what I was doing could eventually kill me. The truth is heavy: it forces us to pause and evaluate, to correct and repent. My friend embodied the love of Christ not by sparing me of the truth, but by commingling the truth with grace. She reminded me that I had overcome worse and that God had been helped me to prevail in the past. She reminded me that she believed in me. The truth is a powerful, weighty force, but I know that she didn't speak those words to drag me down. She used the truth to pull me forward.  

[Abby Hocking is a senior at Calvin College, where she studies psychology and writing. She is employed at Pine Rest Christian Mental Services and plans to become a therapist. Abby is a proud literature nerd, running addict, and puppy enthusiast. She thanks God daily for her wonderful family, her loving friends, and for Twenty One Pilots.]