Last night one of my good friends at our Christian fellowship spoke on 2nd Corinthians 7. The passage and his message reinforced so clearly the imagery in Revelation 11 that I had to share.
My friend’s two main points on the passage were as follows:
A) We need to intentionally look into a mirror.
B) We need to intentionally be a mirror.
Paul held up a mirror to the Corinthians. They were upset. They grieved. But their grief led them to repentance.
Now jump to Revelation 11. The two witnesses.
A) “Clothed in sackcloth” (11:3) Living a life of constant and consistent repentance. Looking into a mirror.
B) “Because these two tormented those who dwell on the earth” (11:10) Confronting idols and lies with the truth of the good news. Being a mirror.
And through both passages, as witnesses, we are not called to be “a judgmental witness”, but “a broken spirit.” (D on the E, page 210)
As my friend said last night, “A rebuke without love is simply out of place. It’s judgment.”
Remember! Repent! Re-do!
I've definitely found myself on BOTH sides of that coin in the past week or so, and Adam's message was the perfect reminder of how good that is, even when it's hard.
ReplyDeleteI think the main phrase that's on my heart in all that is: above reproach. Like the witnesses called to wear sackcloth, our credibility comes from lives above reproach - as we look into the mirror and as we hold one up for others. You can fake a sermon, a week, maybe even a summer - but you can't fake a life.