By Pastor Greg...
An artist has a show at the local
gallery. One huge canvas is black with yellow blobs splattered all over
it; the next is a murky gray with streaky drips of purple. A viewer walks over
to the artist and says, "I don't understand your paintings." "I
paint what I feel inside me," explains the artist. The viewer leans in close to the artists and,
with as much sincerity as he can muster, he says, "Have you ever tried
Alka-Seltzer?"
Now, that’s a “creative” way to
evaluate art.
Did you know the Lord provides an
opportunity for Christians to evaluate their relationship with Him and with
other believers? It’s true. The Last Supper – the last Passover meal
Jesus would share with His Apostles – becomes for us an exercise in
self-examination. We spend some
face-to-face time with the Lord, evaluating the depth of our commitment to Him
and our love for one another. So, today,
right after our worship service, we will be celebrating “Love Feast.” It is the name we use to describe this unique service.
When Jesus evaluates your life, you
will hear Him speak gently; in tenderness, He points out the things in your
life which hinder your relationship with God.
He desires to see you walk blamelessly before God (compare Genesis
17:1). And this is sort of what Love
Feast accomplishes. It provides an
opportunity for an individual to spend some face-to-face time with Jesus,
allowing Him to speak to their heart.
Did you know Jesus desires the
same thing with a church? It’s
true. Jesus desires to have some face-to-face time with a local congregation as
well. Sometimes a church loses sight of love or grace.
Sometimes a church develops worldly practices. Sometimes a church compromises truth or becomes complacent. These attitudes creep in quietly and unnoticed,
so allowing Jesus to evaluate them helps that church refocus on their calling.
In Revelation chapters 2 and 3,
Jesus spends some face-to-face time with seven specific churches. These were
real churches filled with a variety of Christians. Some people were Jewish, some were not. Some had never worshiped any god until they
heard about Jesus. Some had worshiped
the many gods of Greece and Rome, yet found the One true God through the
message of Jesus. But, regardless of
their background, most of these people truly desired to be a church that honored
the Lord. It’s just that some of them
kind of lost their focus. So, Jesus
sends them a letter to help them get their eyes focused on what matters the
most; they become a moment of self-examination for the members of those
congregations.
Although these letters were
directed to a specific church that was under John’s supervision (he, being the
last of the Apostles), we can see in these seven, many characteristics of
today’s churches. Each letter contains a
unique description of Jesus, a commendation of the church, a rebuke for the
church (except for Smyrna and Philadelphia), instructions on how to correct
them, and a promise for those who persevere.
Church
|
Ephesus
Graceless
|
Smyrna
Steadfast
|
Pergamum
Truthless
|
Thyatira
Worldly
|
Sardis
Dead
|
Philadelphia
Humble
|
Laodicea
Indifferent
|
Jesus
|
Among
the Lampstands
|
First
and the last
|
Sharp
two-edged sword
|
Eyes
of fire; feet of bronze
|
Seven-fold
Spirit
|
Holy
& true; Giver of spiritual treasures
|
Sovereign;
One with absolute authority
|
Commendation
|
Hard
work;
Stands
firm on truth;
Endures
suffering.
|
Rich
in Christian values; Endures suffering;
|
Loyal
to God amid testing and persecution
|
Love;
Faith; Service; Endurance
|
Regarded
as being alive
|
Faithful
with the spiritual treasures they have been given; Perseverance
|
None
|
Rebuke
|
Lack
of love
|
None
|
Tolerant;
Compromising the Truth
|
Lack
of morality; Corrupted by the world;
|
Dead;
Ineffective works; Fruitless
|
None
|
Lukewarm;
Content; spiritually poor;
|
Correction
|
Repent;
Serve with Love and Grace.
|
(A promise) Stay courageous; Do not
fear;
|
Repent;
Reject false doctrine;
|
Faithful
are a godly testimony; Judgment for
those who have fallen away.
|
Wake
up; Strengthen what remains; Repent; Return to foundational beliefs
|
(A promise) Spare them the time of
testing
|
Search
for true wealth in the Spirit; Allow
Christ to cover their sin; Allow the Lord to open their eyes; Allow Jesus
into their life.
|
Promise
|
Eat
from the Tree of Life
|
Not
hurt by second death
|
Manna
(bread of heaven); A new name
|
Authority
over the nations; Rule with Jesus during the Millennium; The morning star
|
True
believers to be dressed in white; Name written in Book of Life;
|
Pillars
in God’s new Temple; Marked as God’s own possession; Citizens of Heaven;
Marked as the Bride of Christ
|
Sit
on the throne with Jesus
|
Today, there are churches just
like the one in Ephesus. They maintain a
pure doctrine and live a life set apart from the world. However, they lack Christ-like love and
compassion for those who do not think just like them.
In our world, we see churches who
endure trials and sufferings just like Smyrna.
They too serve faithfully and joyfully in spite of those
circumstances.
There are many churches like
Pergamum. They compromise their morals
and God’s Truth; they become tolerant of other religions
and embrace those who teach a false gospel.
Churches like Thyatira have
completely abandoned the Truth. These
churches resemble the world in word and in deed. They are led by teachers who guide the church
away from truth and into sin. They
seldom mention Jesus, He is not glorified, and God becomes whatever a person
wants Him to be. These congregations
function more like a “country club” than
a church. Today, those who hold firmly
to the Truth usually leave these kinds of churches, but in the first century,
this wasn’t always feasible.
Like the church in Sardis, many
churches today are quite active. They
have splendid buildings, but there is no evidence of eternal life. They grow in numbers, but no one is truly
born again.
A church today, like the one in Philadelphia,
serves the Lord in quiet humility. They
love the Lord, they love the Church, and they love those who do not know Jesus. They are the congregations who focus on what
they can do right where God has planted them.
They change communities one person at a time because Jesus has opened a
door of opportunity. They may not be the
largest church or the church with the best facilities, but lives are changed
because of these faithful Christians.
The church at Laodicea is typical
of a modern church quite unconscious of its spiritual needs and content with
beautiful buildings and all the material things money can buy. With Christ on
the outside, there can be no fellowship or genuine
wealth. With Christ on the inside, there is wonderful fellowship and sharing of
the marvelous grace of God. [1]
The reason I share this today is that, if we permit
Him, Jesus will use these seven letters to penetrate our own life as a
church. We too are in danger of losing
our first love, being afraid of suffering, compromising our beliefs, and
becoming much too worldly. We run the
risk of being successful in the world’s eyes, but being spiritually dead in the
eyes of the Lord. As Satan’s influence in this world continues
to grow, we may lose hope. And without
constant spiritual evaluation, we may be deceived about our own spiritual health.
So, read these two chapters of
Revelation, and then ask yourself what Jesus would say about our church. I would love to hear your evaluation. So, please complete the form in today’s
bulletin, then place it in the basket out in the lobby. And together, we can refocus on who Christ
has called us to be, and what He has called us to do.
It’s not too late to change who
you are, and it’s not too late for a church to change as well.
But remember, He is coming soon.
[1] Walvoord, J. F. (1985). Revelation. In J. F. Walvoord & R.
B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge
Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 942). Wheaton, IL:
Victor Books.
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