Faithful Until Death

"...hold tightly to what you have until I come." Revelation 2:25b

Reading the first three chapters of the book of Revelation, repeatedly there is encouragement to remain faithful, hold on and be victorious until the end. the call to persevere and not abandon our faith is clear. It seems to stir in us the urgency to strengthen our resolve and not stray from the truth. Revelation 2:10 says, "If you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life." Faithful until death.

Our track record for such commitment is not stellar. At the first sign of hardship, we abandon things pretty quickly. Will we stand for Christ in the face of opposition and persecution? If encouraged to renounce our faith or face death, would we recant our belief?

My mind goes to both past and modern-day martyrs. Polycarp, one of the most famous Christian martyrs, found his home in Smyrna, the very church receiving one of these admonitions. When given the choice to reject Christ and save his life or be bound and burned at the stake, Polycarp replied, "Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury. How then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?"

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, whose involvement in the resistance of Hitler, along with his strong Christian convictions, was executed by the Nazis in 1945.

Many have no doubt seen the film "End of the Spear", depicting the life of missionary Nate Saint who was killed in 1956 while trying to minister to the Waodani people.

Text books are filled with examples of others whose faith and courage never wavered in darkest of times, paying the ultimate price for their uncompromising commitment. Their lives stand as a testimony to us today, and cause us to search our hearts, praying for the same resolve in the face of similar circumstances.

Too often we would rather blend in with the culture and not be noticed, never risking the possibility of being approached about our faith or being on the receiving end of animosity because of our faith. With nothing different evidenced in our lives, we are never challenged by unbelievers. Like the church in Laodicea described in Revelation 3, we are lukewarm, going through the motions without deep conviction. We need to rekindle our lost love. We will only remain faithful and hold tightly until our final breath when we remember what Christ has done for us. Our calling is the same today as it was for the church in Smyrna. We are to hold fast until the end, no matter what the cost.

Remaining steadfast in faith when forced to choose between our life or our belief in Christ, is a choice we pray the Holy Spirit would empower us to respond to with strong, unwavering confidence in that moment. As a final act of love and devotion to the Lord, each Christ-follower longs to face such a situation with enduring resolve and proclaim with assurance that I am His and He is mine. It is possible those final words would be the last declaration we might ever speak. Not denying or betraying our love for Jesus can place us in precarious situations, but Christ's desire is for us to "hold tightly to what we have until He comes."

The only reason we each have breath today is because of Jesus. Because thousands of years ago there was a manger miracle. On this eve of the day we celebrate His birth, may our minds fill with anticipation of His arrival. If we know Him as Lord and Saviour of our lives, ask Him to "strengthen what remains", our faith that often falters, and remember that "all who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before My Father and His angels that they are mine." (Revelation 3:2a, 5)