Chapter 3 finishes with the Church of Laodicea. This church is called 'Lukewarm. The last thing we want to be is lukewarm Christians. Jesus commands us to go and make disciples of all men, but if we are lukewarm that is not going to happen. It's like being in no man's land. We need to make sure that we are firing on all cylinders. Jesus didn't go to the cross for us to be complacent in our faith. We are not meant to just go to church on Sunday and nothing else. We are the family of God, a chosen people, blood bought sons and daughters of the living God.
We have so much to be thankful for, we are saved by grace. We should want to shout from the rooftops that Jesus is Lord. We don't want to get into the trap that the church of Laodicea got into. They were complacent and so not living the fullness that they were called into.
I want to live in the fullness of Christ. That means that I have to make sure that I am firing on all the spiritual Cylinders that are on offer. Let's make sure today that we are fully charged and that we totally rely on God. Say no to complacency and hello to the fullness of Christ.
Revelation chapter 3 begins with the Church of Philadelphia. This church kept going through everything, they are week but yet they keep going.
We need to be like this, no matter what happens, we have to hold on to Jesus. If you are going through the valley - hold on to Jesus, if you are struggling with trials and temptations - hold on to Jesus.
We have the truth of life itself, we are free through the blood of Jesus. We must hold on, we must keep going, we cannot let Him down. Jesus never said things would be easy, He never promised that life would be a bed of roses. However, He did promise us that we would have life in all its fullness; that He would never leave us.
If you are going through stuff at the moment, then stick to Jesus, He will never leave you down. Remember that He always keeps His promises. Keep your faith in Jesus, He is the only hope that we have.
Today's scripture is Revelation 3, and the church in Sardis. John starts off rebuking the church from the off, unlike the previous churches where he encourages them first and then tells them off.
John is concerned about their lack of get up and go. They have received the gospel, however they are not acting upon it. They are complacent. They are Spiritually dead. Everything around them seems to be ticking the boxes, but that is about it.
I believe this is something that the church today needs to look out for. We are so busy playing church that we forget the point of being church is to glorify God. We are meant to be bringing people into the Kingdom, but if we are just comfy Christians then we are not productive Christians. If we are so busy having meetings about stuff or organising the next social event, whilst having our usual Sunday service, then how is that reaching the lost? How is that showing others Jesus?
We need to make sure that we are not complacent in our faith, but active in our faith. We need to work out our faith and walk in the Spirit.
I know we can all feel a little complacent at times, but we need to rise ourselves up and ask God to renew our strength and reinvigorate our passion for His Kingdom. Let's make a difference in someone else's life today, let's make sure that we are not just pew warmers, but are Kingdom builders.
Today's church in Revelation is the church at Thyatira. Each time John starts with words of encouragement, however he always tells them what they need to do to change. Today's church is no different. Thyatira, is told that they are doing well for the most part although they are being led by others. They are not always being led by God, they are easily influenced.
We can be like that today. It is so easy to get into bad habits, or even just be led by others into situations that are not appropriate and holy.
The best advice I could give in this kind of situation is advice that has been given to me many times - look to Jesus, read His word, pray in all situations and most of all trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
We need to make sure that what we do is pleasing to God. Why would we want to get ourselves into situations that are not in line with the will of God? We are called to be a Holy priesthood; in the world not of the world. The only way that we can make a difference in the communities that we live in is to be different. We need to trust in God and listen to what He is saying to us. And then act on it. Don't be influenced by others, don't follow the crowd, just follow Jesus.
Chapter 2 of Revelation continues with today's church, which is the church of Pergamum. This church once again is praised by John, however he is also quick to tell them that they have compromised some things along the way.
In today's society it is so easy to get into this position. We live in an era of political correctness, which is a posh way of saying we compromise a lot! Jesus never ever compromised. He was always true to Himself.
I appreciate that we need to live in harmony with one another, however that should not stop us from living the life that Jesus has called us into. We are called to preach the gospel, the full gospel, not a namby pamby gospel. We have a Saviour that died for the WHOLE world. Therefore we need to let them know that Jesus is ALIVE!
We must make sure if we hear something that is not biblical, we stand up and be counted. So often we as Christians don't have a voice, and the reason for that is because we stay quiet. We are not called to be mice, we are called to fight for the Kingdom. Jesus didn't die for us to roll over and say nothing, He died for us to have life in all its fullness. Let's remember that. We are sons and daughters of the Living God, we don't need to compromise, we don't need to stay quiet - we need to be all that He has called us to be and be Kingdom builders on earth!
In chapter 2 of Revelation John writes to the church in Ephesus. He is encouraging them in the way they persevere. They keep going and work hard. However, he rebukes the fact that they have forgotten their first love.
When I became a Christian first, I just wanted to tell everyone about Jesus. I couldn't help but try in every opportunity to share the gospel. I guess as the years have passed, I'm not as full on as I used to be. I think that is very sad. I love it when I see a new Christian so excited about the word of God and sharing their faith. It's brilliant! So why is it that when we've been Christians for a while, we loose that passion?
I don't want to loose that passion, I want to be more excited now about my Salvation than ever! Come on church! Let's get excited about what Jesus did for us! Let's take every opportunity to glorify His name! Let's make sure that we don't loose sight of our first love like the Ephesians did - look to Jesus, He is the Saviour of the world. There is no other name by which we can be saved! Jesus is Lord - lets get excited!
I normally only write once about a chapter each day, but on reflection I don't think this is going to be the case with Revelation. The second half of Chapter 1 ends with, “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."
John is being told to write down what he is being shown by God. This might seem like an everyday occurrence but John is not given an everyday thing to write down. He is given words for the church which are not always easy to hear, not to mention in the later chapters which show what is to come - also not a pretty picture.
The brilliant thing about John in this book is his obedience. He has been told to tell the world something that is not easy listening but he does it anyway. We can all learn something from John. We need to be obedient, we need to speak out the truth even if the truth is not flavour with others. We need to make sure that when Jesus tells us to do something - we do it.
I always find myself arguing with God. I then after a bit of convincing manage to do as I'm told. If only I did what I was told in the first place it would make things much easier. I am much better than I used to be, I don't argue as much, but occasionally I will still put something off because its hard.
John 10:27 says, My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me, If I know the voice of God then there should be no arguing I should just get on with it. We all need to be a little more like John and be obedient to God. Let's not worry what others think, just follow the one who knows.
