This week Pastor Josh looks at Jesus’ message to the church in Thyatira in Revelation 2:18-29. We explore what to hold onto when our career threatens our faith in Jesus.
- The city of Thyatira was known for its craftsmanship, and each craft revolved around a guild.
- The guilds would hold festivals at the temple of Apollos, but the Christians refused to participate. This often meant Christians were kicked out of the guilds, losing their careers for their faith.
- Although most of us won’t yet lose our career because of our faith, we still need to be prepared to choose.
- To do this, we should embrace basic principles about the Christian view of work: (1) it matters to God, (2) it’s not our identity, and (3) God provides, not just our jobs.
COMMUNITY GROUP QUESTIONS:
- We are over halfway in our time exploring Jesus’s message to the seven churches in Asia Minor. So far, is there a message that has stood out the most to you? Out of what we’ve explored so far, what’s been most convicting or encouraging?
- The church in Thyatira was threatened because they lost their jobs due to their faith. Although this is not something Christians in Seattle are yet having to work through, it’s still a possibility we should be ready for. If you were to be honest, what would be the most difficult piece of leaving your career behind in order to stay faithful to Jesus?
- One way to prepare ourselves for that possible decision point is to remember that our work is not the truest thing about us; it is not our identity. In what ways do you tend to make work or career your identity? How have you seen that identity creation through career is disappointing in the end?
- What we see in Jesus’s promise to the church in Thyatira is that he is supreme over all of our industries and career. He has authority over every sector of our society, and because of that we can trust him enough to actually follow him when it hurts. What other aspects of who Jesus is helps you to trust him the difficulty of staying faithful to him?