Listen Up!

The Word is first...

Revelation 2:29 (NIV)

²⁹ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984

For many years though I heard the good news of Jesus Christ, it could penetrate neither mind nor heart. Though I could hear the words of men, I could not listen nor could I understand because I had no ears for the Spirit. Thankfully, there came a day when the stone was rolled away, the shekels removed from my eyes and the veil removed from my heart and I could at last hear the voice of the Spirit calling me through God's Scripture. In that moment, God gave me ears with which to hear the Spirit.

Repeatedly, Christ exhorts those around him with the phrase encapsulated in today's passage. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." This is true for the time he walked the Earth and after his ascension. During the time that Christ walked the Earth, he embodied the Spirit and his message was for the church universal. Thus when he would share a parable followed by "let he who has ears, hear!" it was implied "let he who has ears, hear what the Spirit says to the church." Christ's words were for all mankind and were an invitation to intimate relationship with Him.

In the passage today, his words are for the believers and they are an admonition to return to true communion with Him. Though a slightly different intended audience, the underlying message reamins exactly the same. Namely, repent and return to fellowship lest you perish.

For those with an ear, by that I mean believers who have the hearing accorded by the indwelling Holy Spirit, we are to LISTEN UP, pay attention, give heed and respond to the exhortations of Christ who calls us. We are to examine ourselves with respect to the conditions Christ presented to 'the churches' in Revelation to see that we are indeed 'in the faith' and to react accordingly by adjusting our behavior or beliefs.

To me, in my mind's eye, I see the coming Christ as a dream, the manifest Christ as a lamb and the risen Christ as a lion. The promise of his coming gave hope. The sacrifice of the lamb gave redemption. The lion commands and consumes. Thusly, when I read this passage as spoken by the risen Christ, I hear the roar of the lion and I tremble. This is not just a good idea or a suggestion, it is a stern command.

Love,
Carl