Well, in my earler posting, I wrote about what Apostle John was commissioned in his vision to write to the churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum and Thyatira, which were in Turkey at that time. In this posting, we are going to learn what Christ asked John to write to the churches in Sardis, Philadelphia and Laudicea. Though all these churches were in existence at that time, what is said to them is applicable to the body of churches even in this twenty-first century. How? Because we do display some of strength and weakness these churches had both as the body of the churches as well as individually. That's why it's crucial we need to give great attention to what the Spirit of God is saying to these churches that we too could repent and retreat to our first love of loving the Lord with our soul, heart and mind and become the true followers of Christ Jesus.
To the Church in Sardis, Christ introduces Himself as the One who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. Even though the church is seemed to be alive and reputed in people's eyes, Christ seems to find them fully dead spiritually. His call to them, " Wake Up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die. Remember, what you've received and heard. Obey it and repent!" That's a strong command.
Warnig: If they don't wake up, they'll face God's judgement earlier than they expected. They were told that He'll come as a thief in an unexpected time.
Rewards Promised: To those who had remained alive and faithful( a few among them,) they'll be worthy to walk with the Lord dressed in white.(white reflects righteous and untarnished.) And their names will never be blotted out from the Book of life. The Lord will acknowledge them before His Father and His angels.
Question? How do I see myself spiritually- super spiritual and judgemental, lukewarm or dead?
How do others view me outwardly? Active and serving widely in ministies or passive and serving quietly whenever needed.
How does God see me inwardly? Dead/ alive?
Whose view should matter the most to me? God's, mine or others?
Can I count myself among the few whose name will never be blotted out of the Book of life?
If not, what should I do to be alive and be worthy to be dressed in white and walk with the Lord? Confess, repent ,rejoice and be faithful to the Lord. Simple, but important steps to take. If the journey becomes tough and challenging, you can always rely on the Lord's strength to keep you alive and keep you moving forward.
To the Church of Philadelphia, Christ introduces Himself as the One who is holy and true and who holds the key of David.
Although the Lord sees the church having little strength, He commends them for being obedient to His word , not denying His name and for their endurance during hard times. They were asked to hold onto their faith so that no one could take away their crowns.
Rewards Promised: They will be kept away from the hour of oncoming trial that's going to come. upon the whole earth. To those who overcomes, he'll be made a pillar in the temple of God and the Lord will write on him the name of God, the name of the city of God-the new Jerusalem and also His new name.
Question: Would I be found faithful and obedient to the Lord as this church?
Have I ever denied the Lord to avoid skeptism, scrutiny or humiliation?
Have I ever grieved the Lord knowingly by my choices and actions?
If so, how do I rectify my faults? Simple- Go before the One who is of unconditional love and uncountable forgiving capability. Bathe His feet with your tears and surrender your weakness and wrongs and ask His guidance and strength for your journey ahead.
To the Church of Laodicea, Christ introduces Himself as Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation.
The Lord finds them lukewarm in their devotion. He could have preferred them to be either hot or cold and not to be in between. Such lukewarm condition of the church makes it so distasteful to the Lord that He says that He wants to spit it out of His mouth. Being boastful of its wealth, the church has become overblown in its thinking and complacent in its attitude towards God. However, In God's eyes, they look wretched, poor, blind and naked. What a sad situation to be in, inspite of their wealtlh and status in the world.
Yet, God refuses to give up on them. He wants to refine and heal them and make them walk righteously dressed in white with Him. His voice is heard as echoeing as below:
" Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me." Rev 3:20
Rewards Promised: To him who overcomes, the Lord will give the right to sit with Him on His throne just as He overcame and sat down with His Father on His throne. What a glorious sitting that could be and what an amazing blessing in store for us, if we are to overcome and stand firm till our last breath!
Question: How does my spiritual barometer read?-Cold, hot or luke warm? If my passion for Christ has dwindled with time, I need to wake up and rekindle it with spending more time in His presence and less time in being busy with things that are eternally not worthy.
Instead of being a Christian for namesake and attending church for ritual sake, I need to be a true witness for Christ spreading His love and grace wherever I am. To attain such a faith walk, I need to seek God's guidance and strength on a daily basis. Instead of being happy and satisfied with having a ticket to heaven, we need to first learn to live the life on earth with gratitude and God's prospective without giving into complains and grumblings.
Christ has promised us peace and joy amidst any calamity in life and such an abundant life can be attained only when we have an intimate relationship with the Lord. I pray that you and I develop such a devotion and obedience towards the Lord that we get to sit beside Him on the throne one day in heaven as He had promised in this chapter.
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