No whatevs--krateo!

"krateo"--Greek word meaning "have power, be powerful, get possession of, take hold of, keep carefully and faithfully, hold in check"

"whatevs"--American slang meaning "indifference." 

So...the apostle John. Called by Jesus from his fishing nets, he immediately set off on a complete life change. Walked with Jesus three years. Watched Him make the blind see, the lame walk, the dead live. There on the mountain when Jesus transfigured into glory. At the foot of the cross when He died. In the tomb right after He rose. In the upper room when He was suddenly there. On the shore when Jesus told Peter that if He wanted John to live until He came again, that was up to Him. He is known as "the disciple Jesus loved".

John went on to become pastor of the church in Ephesus. Wrote the gospel that bears his name as well as 1, 2 and 3 John. Imprisoned and tortured, he was once boiled in a large vat of boiling oil under the command of the Roman emperor....and didn't die. He was eventually exiled to Patmos, a lonely island in the Mediterranean. It was on this island that he received "the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants--things which must shortly take place." The book of Revelation is an adventure story like none other, complete with bizarre creatures, cataclysmic disasters, and the triumphant end to all things here only to have them continue forever in heaven...or in hell. John was the only apostle not martyred for his faith.

John could teach us some stuff.

"I, John, with you all the way in the trial and the Kingdom and the passion of patience in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of God's Word, the witness of Jesus. It was Sunday and I was in the Spirit, praying." Revelation 1:9-10, The Message

See, John held on despite all kinds of troubles because he knew Who mattered. Yes, he was exiled...hard things happen when you are a follower of Jesus. It was scary. It was painful. But he kept on. He was doing what he always did on Sunday..praying, deep in conversation with his Lord. He was a "krateo" guy.

We are a "whatevs" people these days. When things get hard, scary, or painful, we stop. Shrug our shoulders. Give up. Tell ourselves and each other that it's no big deal anyway. If we don't achieve something the first time, we don't care to keep after it. So what.

But to be "whatevs" is dangerous, because it is completely opposite of what Jesus called us to be. To the "whatevs" in Laodicea, one of the churches he had John write to in Revelation, He said:

"I know you inside and out, and find little to My liking. You're not cold, you're not hot--far better to be either cold or hot! You're stale. You're stagnant. You make Me want to vomit. You brag, "I'm rich, I've got it made. I need nothing from anyone"...Up on your feet, then! About face! Run after God!...Conquerors will sit alongside Me...Are your ears awake? Listen." Revelation 3: 15-17, 19, 21-22, The Message. 

"Be zealous and repent" is the way the New King James version puts verse 19.

Jesus, who dictated this book to John, uses the word "krateo" 8 times in describing what we as His followers are supposed to do down here. He uses a similar word, "teleo" (which means "attend to carefully, take care of, guard") 10 times. He's clear: to be found standing with Him when everything here is done, we have to hang on tight like it matters. Because it does. "Whatevs" is not a characteristic of those who make it to the end. "Whatevs" people are not conquerors who will sit alongside Him. "Krateos" and "teleos" will.

I'm gonna krateo. I won't do it perfectly. I'll whatevs sometimes. I'll be fearful. I'll give up, for a minute. But I'll get up the next day and krateo again. Can we do it together? Cause I need help.

The cool thing is that the Bible is written for our instruction. Through it, He urges us to turn around, then cheers when we do. He WANTS us to win. He WANTS us beside Him. He died so that we could be! He loves us like crazy and wants us all there when it's all over here. He's on our side :-) and He wants us to win.

It's easy to "whatevs". It's hard to "krateo". But it's worth it. Oh, so worth it. Let's do it.