"Found and Lost"

Bibles And Beach Towels!

There's a place, called "New Life Camp" in Raleigh, North Carolina, that I started going to on Saturday mornings during the summer of 2009. The reason I go isn't really to relax and enjoy the nature although I do enjoy being out there away from the routine fast pace and exhaust fumes. I go to help clean up after the campers have gone home. It is a humble task but I volunteered to do whatever they needed me for and this was something that has to be done every week before the new campers come in on Sunday. I have taken Cassidy along and she enjoys riding along on the golf cart as we make our way around the cabins and trails. She's a really good helper as well when it comes to spraying out the trashcans with the hot water that she sprays from the water hose behind the cafeteria. I have a feeling she is learning allot more than just clean up while we spend a couple of hours working together on Saturdays. It's a great way to get talk with your children and not have other interruptions, other than those crazy squirrels jumping out from behind the trees!

Every Saturday the camp director, Bobby Johnson, puts all of the Lost and Found items from the week in the middle of the outdoor basketball court that is in the middle of all of the buildings. He spreads the things left behind by campers all over the asphalt so that they can be easily found when the parents realize that something is missing and comes back looking. Something that really struck me as being odd was that there was ten to fifteen Bibles every single week laying in the middle of the basketball court. There were also ten to fifteen beach towels laying there spread out on the court every single week. I couldn't figure it out! Why would so many people leave their Bibles and their Beach Towels? We'll come back to this question but I want to look at a type of covering in the Bible that we were reminded not to forget as well!

Revelation 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Rev 3:4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
Rev 3:5 He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Rev 3:6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

In verse three the people in Sardis are being reminded that they had received and heard and hold fast and repent. This is interesting because they are in the order that we also take when receiving the truth for the first time. We take what we are taught and open our ears to it. Then in the Greek translation, we guard against losing it by keeping our minds eye on it and it causes us to repent or in the Greek, "to think differently". Then they are warned that they will be surprised by His coming if they aren't watching for Him.

In the next verse we see that there are only a few in Sardis that have not defiled their garments. The word "garment" refers to a robe or cloak and it evidently was clean because they have not soiled it as the rest of the people had in Sardis. When the Bible speaks of a robe of white, it is referring to the cleansed person who has been forgiven and is as pure as the new born child; the child of God. I looked up the word for "walk" because I wanted to see what it meant in this text and here's what I found.

The word is peripateō
It is pronounced per-ee-pat-eh'-o
From G4012 and G3961; to tread all around, that is, walk at large (especially as proof of ability); figuratively to live, deport oneself, follow (as a companion or votary): - go, be occupied with, walk (about).

That's pretty neat, huh? He says that the ones who have not defiled their garment will "walk all around, tread, follow, go, be occupied with Him in white because they are worthy, or deserving in the Greek translation.

Wouldn't that be awesome to get to do this with our heavenly Father?

Then in verse five it says that the man that overcomes or gets the victory in this world; that same man will be clothed in white raiment. I thought about this and how it might look kind of like Mr. Clean walking around with God or maybe kind of western like the outfits that the good guy would wear in the old western movies. I wonder how as kids, we always knew that the good guy was wearing white anyways?

Let's look at the Greek definition for "clothed" and see just what it meant!

The word for "clothed" is periballō
It is pronounced per-ee-bal'-lo
From G4012 and G906; to throw all around, that is, invest (with a palisade or with clothing): - array, cast about, clothe (-d me), put on.

Hmm? That didn't sound like either of my previous descriptions, did it? It sounds allot more like a sheet or maybe a big beach towel! Yeah! Something that you can throw all the way around you so that there is no possible way to see the imperfections of our defiled flesh. We have been covered by the same white beach towel that had been forgotten in the city of Sardis. It said that there were only a few that had not defiled their garments!

They had forgotten to keep their hold onto what they had heard and repent (to think differently). Their garments were clean but they had become soiled and stained by continuing in the ways of their past. They had forgotten the purity of their white towel that had covered them when thay had first heard and believed; the Word of God and the cloak that wrapped them in purity in the eyes of our Lord and Savior.

This reminder was for them to return to the One Savior who would cover them in white and not blot out their name in the book of life, but instead He would acknowledge his name (his character) before His Father and before His angels (messengers).

In a way they were doing the same thing that some of these campers are still doing today! They were forgetting the nice clean covering that was provided by their father and they had forgotten to hold onto the knowledge of the Word of God that had brought them to a change of mind and character!

Are we guilty of using the covering that has been given to us as a security blanket, throwing it on as we grab out Bibles on the way out the door to church? Do we often lay them down and forget to hold onto them through out the week, when we should be watching and ready for the return of our Lord? Have we forgotten to keep hold of the truths that had once changed the way we thought and the way we acted?

If you have an ear, listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to the Christian community!

Rev 3:6 He that hathG2192 an ear,G3775 let him hearG191 whatG5101 theG3588 SpiritG4151 saithG3004 unto theG3588 churches.G1577

Look at the definition of "churches" from the Strong's Hebrew and Greek dictionary.

G1577
The Greek word is ekklēsia
It is pronounced ek-klay-see'-ah
From a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564; a calling out, that is, (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both): - assembly, church.

You see, all who believe are included in this passage.

Why do the kids forget their Bibles and Beach towels? I still haven't quite figured that one out yet!

Maybe they finished with them and forgot to hold fast to them until the day when their father or mother arrived to take them home! We better be sure we don't make the same mistake when our heavenly Father comes to take us home!

Remember this one thing today. Be ready; hold onto the knowledge of Jesus as your Savior; watch with anticipation for His return and when he does return, Jesus will acknowledge your name before His Father and the angels in Heaven when He returns. Selah.