In Good Company
Today’s Verse:
I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. ~Revelation 1:9
Have you ever told anyone who had experienced a tough situation, “You’re in good company”? This means you are doing the same thing the other person has done or is doing. It is an encouraging reminder to the other person that he is not alone in his trouble or ordeal. John used the phrase “companion in tribulation” to encourage suffering believers that they were in good company. If you are going through a season of difficulty, you are in good company.
We see the participant.
“I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation.…” The word “companion” means a participant with. When we go through a time of suffering or grief, we tend to think that we are the only one going through such an experience. However, someone before us or someone contemporaneous with us is going through a similar difficulty. John was encouraging his fellow believers that whatever they were going through, he was as well. He identified himself as “your brother.” He was suffering, as they were, as a brother in Christ and servant of the Lord. There is comfort in knowing that we are in good company when trouble comes.
We see the persecuted.
“In the isle that is called Patmos.” John had been placed on the prison island of Patmos. He was placed there as a criminal simply because he was a Christian and preached the gospel. He was ostracized from society. He was sent to Patmos to suffer loneliness, deprivation, ridicule, and rejection. The government of his day hated the name of Jesus Christ and all that called themselves Christians. Jesus said in Matthew 5:10, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Paul put it this way: "persecuted, but not forsaken."
We see the pressure.
“Your... companion in tribulation.” John identified with the pressures of being an all-out and on-fire Christian. He had close friends who were in prison, were awaiting death, or were hiding from their persecutors. He was an exile on Patmos, hated and vilified because he was an apostle and living day by day just to get by. He told his fellow believers that whatever they were going through, so was he. He was a much older man than the people he wrote to, but he shared with them in their loneliness, sufferings, and pressure. Whatever pressures you are going through, remember that you are not alone!
We see the purpose.
John endured his hardships for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. His pressures and troubles brought him closer to our Lord. His motivation while in the fire was that the gospel could advance and more people could get saved. He was hated because of the message he preached. Together with believers who were suffering, they were in a similar strait so that the gospel could be preached and spread. He wasn’t afraid, and he wasn’t thinking about quitting. He thought about how he and his friends could work together in advancing the gospel. He had a driving purpose that kept his fire going.
Have a blessed God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Mark 14