One of the unexpected effects of preaching the Revelation of Jesus is a growing sense of weariness with the world. I mean this in the best sense possible. My heart is becoming increasingly tired with the lies and deception of this age.
This is not because of some far-off fantasy of a fantastical future, rather a growing awareness of the massive pressure to compromise. Worse, the very thing I am weary of is what entices me the most.
The repeated warnings to stand firm against this invisible onslaught hit hard. How committed to Christ am I in reality? I can imagine myself being Luther-esque in some Diet of Worms, but how will I restrain my passions in my diet of stuff? Or at least my desire for stuff.
This is where I have grown to love the process of “preaching books” (as my Romanian brethren put it). The more one moves ahead in the Revelation, the more its central messages gain momentum in the life. If I had only taken one or two sections of the whole I would in no way have seen all the intricate connections and developments of thought.
Thinking of preaching the Revelation yourself? By all means do so! But be prepared to be broken and re-made with new affections and values.
