Churches that Overcome
At the age of seven, he had to go to work to help support his family. At nine, his mother died. At twenty-two, he lost his job as a store clerk. At twenty-three, he went into debt and became a partner in a small store. At twenty-six, his partner died leaving him in a huge debt. By the age of thirty-five, he had been defeated twice when running for a seat in Congress. At the age of thirty-seven, he won the election. At thirty-nine, he lost his reelection bid. At forty- one, his four-year-old son died. At forty-two, he was rejected for a land officer role. At forty-five, he ran for the Senate and lost. At forty-seven, he was defeated for the nomination for Vice President. At forty-nine, he ran for Senate again and lost again. At the age of fifty-one, he was elected President of the United States. During his second term of office, he was assassinated. But his name lives on among the greats in U.S. history--Abraham Lincoln. Heaven Bound Living,
To overcome; to win, to conquer, prevail, and get the victory.
Be overcome; to lose, make worse, to be lower, to be inferior.
We see in the Book of Revelation that with each letter there is a promise to the churches that overcomes or is victorious.
The Bible has a lot to say about being an overcomer. The term overcomer is especially prominent in the book of Revelation, where Jesus encourages His people to remain steadfast through trials (Revelation 2:26; 3:21; 21:7). First John 5:4–5 says, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
An overcomer is defined as “someone who prevails.” If we are going rise above the hardships we face, endure until the end, and finish the course, we must overcome the challenges we find on our Christian walk. We will face times of turmoil and tragedy, but it is our reaction to those hard times that determines everything.
So what are some characteristics of an overcomer church?
Be a church of worshipers.
Have a relationship with God and a revelation of who He is for the church.
Respect and love God’s word.
Churches that live a prioritized life.
Overcomers are churches that successfully resist the power and temptation of the world’s system. An overcomer is not sinless but holds fast to faith in Christ until the end. He does not turn away when times get difficult or becomes an apostate. Overcoming requires complete dependence upon God for direction, purpose, fulfillment, and strength to follow His plan for our lives (Proverbs 3:5–6; 2 Corinthians 12:9).
The Greek word most often translated as “overcomer” stems from the word Nike which, according to Strong’s Concordance, means “to carry off the victory. The verb implies a battle.”
John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Romans 8:37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
The Bible teaches Christians to recognize that the world is a battleground, not a playground. God does not leave us defenseless. Ephesians 6:11–17 describes the armor of the Lord available to all believers. Scattered throughout this narrative is the admonition to “stand firm.” Sometimes all it takes to overcome temptation is to stand firm and refuse to be dragged into it. James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” An overcomer is one who resists sin no matter what lures Satan uses.
Satan uses every tactic at his disposal to try to defeat and overpower churches all across the globe.
The apostle Paul wrote about overcoming in Romans 8:35–39. He summarizes the power believers have through the Holy Spirit to overcome any attacks of the enemy. Verse 37 says, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
Overcoming is often equated with enduring. Jesus encouraged those who followed Him to “endure to the end” (Matthew 24:13). A true disciple of Christ is one who endures through trials by the power of the Holy Spirit. An overcomer clings to Christ, no matter how high the cost of discipleship. Hebrews 3:14 says, “We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.”
In the book of Revelation, Jesus promised great rewards to churches who overcome. Overcomers are promised that they will eat from the Tree of Life (2:7), be unharmed by the second death (2:11), eat from hidden manna and be given a new name (2:17), have authority over the nations (2:26), be clothed in white garments (3:5), be made a permanent pillar in the house of God (3:12), and sit with Jesus on His throne (3:21). Jesus warned that holding fast to Him would not be easy, but it would be well worth it. In Mark 13:13 He says, “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (ESV). We have the guarantee of Jesus that, if we are His, we will be able to endure to the end and His rewards will make it all worthwhile.
The verb occurs frequently and the Book of Revelation, the main theme of which is the church, through Christ, overcoming all evil.
In each of these 7 letters, you will see a repeating occurrence of certain words or phrases. One such phrase is “I will give, come, make, write, confess, Grant” and in 3:5 “I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life”
Jesus has the authority.
Christ has overcome, the one who believes in Him also has overcome. Because of that, every believer and church that is built up in Christ can expect to receive the promises in Revelation made to them who overcomes.
Believers in Jesus can be encouraged that they have overcome through Jesus. John writes to first-century believers that they have overcome because greater is He that is in them than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). This overcoming is something God provides for us when we believe in Jesus; it is not something we earn by our own efforts. Because of that, our confidence is in Him and not in ourselves. Salvation is a gift from God, by His grace through faith and not as a result of our own works (Ephesians 2:8–9). Because believers have overcome through Jesus, they can have confidence and joy at knowing that He will come again one day to provide the overcomers with what He has promised.
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