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Saved without a pastor?

 Submitted: 10/2/2005
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Question: I believe we could use teaching and support from our pastors, but I always wondered about John in the book of Revelation. He was exiled from all the body on an island to himself, but he grew even closer to the Lord. How could this be?
Answer: We agree that to grow, people need to be active participants in a local body. When John was exiled on the isle of Patmos, we need to remember certain things:

1. He was not there by his own choice. He was incarcerated by the Romans. God certainly provides sufficient grace when we are forced into unusual circumstances.

2. John was an old man who had been walking with God for a long time. In his youth he had the experience of knowning Jesus in the flesh. In other words, he was not a novice. He was mature and able to stand on his own two feet. This does not mean he no longer needed the body, only that he was able to survive for a while without it.

3. We do not know that John was alone. There may well have been many other believers on the island with him. It is important that we resist making assumptions which can lead to inaccurate conclusions.


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