He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’
Vicki and I visited Carl yesterday at the Rehabilitation Hospital and they have him doing physical therapy. Which is basically doing the same thing over and over again, concentrating on the same part of the body, building up weak muscles, creating muscle memory, and freeing up the body to be at its maximum potential. In Pergamum, Antipas was able to conquer by being a faithful martyr for Jesus Christ. How did he do it? I have a guess.
Just as physical therapy uses repetition and concentration to strengthen that part of our body that has become weak and frail, we can use repeated prayer and concentrated Bible reading to strengthen our feeble resolve and give it “muscle memory”. Maybe Antipas did that in Pergamum. We can do that wherever we are. We live in a world that increasingly resembles the seat of Satan where he dwells. We see massive altars, stadiums built to sports stars and theatres built to movie stars but strong faith dwells in the one who is unseen but will soon reveal himself. Jesus Christ.We have the same opportunity to do what Antipas did, to hold fast to the name of Jesus to the point of death. May we be found faithful and our names written in stone.
O heavenly Father, you are the source of our strength and endurance. We conquer only through Christ. Help us to hold fast to Christ and never loosen our grip. In Jesus’ name. Amen.