I - Divine Currency

"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire..."

- Jesus Christ (Revelation 3:18) 

How do you buy from God? Of course, you would probably ask, “Why should I buy something from God?” God Word counsels us to do so. In the passage above, Jesus is rebuking the Church for their apathy towards their own wretched condition. They were depending on material things for their wealth instead of relying solely on the Word of God. They had sunk into apostasy. The devil has learned well that popularity and wealth will undermine faith a whole lot quicker than persecution ever could!

“Friendship with the world is enmity with God! His ways and thoughts are not ours! What army in their right minds would march around a walled city for 7 days, 7 times on the seventh day, and then shout to capture it! If something is popular with the world, you can mark it down, it is not of God! Satan is glad we have so many different “religious” denominations, non-denominations and Bible versions because it confuses people. God is not the author of confusion, and I’ll give you one guess who is! Whenever and wherever Christ’s church has been persecuted it has flourished!”

- Virginia Bahs

Note in verse twenty that Christ is outside of the church trying to gain entrance. Jesus makes an appeal to the individual. “…if any man…” 

(Revelation 3:20)  "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."

The word “sup” refers to the evening family meal when all would be finished with their day’s work and gather to relax and fellowship together about the day’s events. (Gr. deipneoô: Pronounced; dipe-neh'-o.  Means: to dine, that is, take the principal (or evening) meal:—sup (X -per). It isn’t as much about the food as the fellowship, the food and the Door in this case being one and the same, the Word of God.

(John 1:1)  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

(John 10:9)  "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."

What exactly is pasture to a sheep? There is no sustenance for the human spirit and soul outside of Jesus, The Word, and The Door! He is saying, “Open My Word! Read! Let’s have fellowship! Supper’s ready!”

You would probably ask me, “What would I use for money? What do I have that God wants? What is gold tried in the fire?” Let me ask you, “What does the little boy who wants to buy something for Dad, do?” He asks Dad for the money. He has none of his own. We have nothing, and God must give to us so we may give back to Him. Do you think you can earn your own way to heaven with good deeds? Here’s what God thinks about your best efforts.

(Isaiah 64:6)  "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses [good deeds] are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."

For you to think that you could do something more than what Christ did on the cross is in insult to God. Christ did a perfect work. How can perfect be made better? Anyone who thinks they can do anything to merit God’s favor assumes that they can do more than Christ has already done. They are “vain in their imagination.” God wants your faith, His gift, returned with interest. He wants to refine it, and make it pure. Our wretchedness pollutes our faith, and it must be “tried in the fire.”

(Job 23:10)  "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."

(Hebrews 11:6)  "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

(1 Peter 4:12)  "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:"

(1 Peter 1:7)  "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:"

When we return pure faith to God we are restored to the fellowship lost in Eden. We walk and talk with The Creator once again. God desires this restoration, because He loves us. His love is so great He gave His very own life that we might once again live. What we buy from God has to be purchased using what He gives to us. The things of heaven must be purchased with the currency of Heaven, faith.

(Romans 4:5)  "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. (Ephesians 2:9) “Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Like the distraught father of the sick child we must cry out to the Everlasting Father.

  "...Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." (Mark 9:24)