The message of Jesus Christ to the seven Churches cannot be
over emphasized, because it is still very relevant till date. Apostle John,
during his exile on the Islands of Patmos (A.D 90 - 95), had a revelation of
Jesus Christ asking him to send messages to the seven churches which were
located in Asia. The content of this message is another indicator that God
wants 100% obedience and nothing else (Mathew 5:48). There are a lot of lessons
to be learnt from these messages sent to the churches in Asia, and it is
important that we understudy them as we strive to perfection.
1.THE
CHURCH IN EPHESUS (REV 2:1-7)
QUALITIES:
Ø
They were hardworking.
Ø
They had perseverance.
Ø
They had intolerance for wicked men.
Ø
They had the knowledge of testing and appraising
messengers of Christ to ascertain their genuineness.
Ø
They were resilient believers.
Ø
They hated the works of the Nicolaitans.
FAILURE:
Ø
They abandoned their First Love.
BRIEF EXPLANATION:
The Church in Ephesus had some outstanding qualities like
patience, hard work, hatred for evil, resilience, knowledge to discern fake
prophets, but they had just one fault. This Church allowed activities to
overshadow their love for Christ. Their love and zeal for Christ as at the time
they encountered Jesus Christ, could no longer be found because it went cold
over time. The Church in Ephesus had a credit to themselves, because they hated
the works of the Nicolaitans which Jesus Christ also hated.
LESSON:
Activity is not Christianity. Many believers today are
consistent in "Church going",
and they can be found in almost every program organized by Churches, but they
have no relationship with God their maker. Jesus Christ is calling such
believers to repentance because 99% obedience is disobedience. We are commanded to
love Jesus Christ with all our heart,soul and mind (Mathew 22:37).
2. THE
CHURCH IN SMYRNA (REV 2: 8-11)
QUALITIES:
Ø
They were hardworking.
Ø
They encountered great trials.
Ø
They were physically poor but rich in Christ
Jesus.
Ø
They were abused and mocked.
FAILURE:
Ø
No fault.
BRIEF EXPLANATION:
The Church in Smyrna was made up of hardworking believers,
who suffered tribulations for the name of Jesus Christ. They were mocked and
abused by those who were clothed in the garment of religion, self righteousness, and temples of Satan. The believers in this Church might have
been looked down upon as wretched Christians by people of the world, but in
actual spiritual sense, they were very rich. The Heavenly Forbes Magazine does
not classify wealth based on physical acquisitions, but treasures laid up in
Heaven (Mathew 6:20). Christians should seek to store up treasures in Heaven
and not acquisition of vain glory. The physical nature of a Christian is not a
true measure of his wealth and definitely not the status of his relationship
with God.
LESSON:
Jesus Christ admonishes us to be faithful till the end
irrespective of challenges and situations that befalls us. The devil who is the
hater of our soul, stirs up various challenges in our lives which serves as stumbling blocks, with the sole aim of distracting
us and severing our relationship with
God. In all these God admonishes us to be faithful even unto death.
3. THE
CHURCH IN PERGAMUM (REV 2:12 - 17)
QUALITIES:
Ø
They lived in an evil land, where Satan was
enthroned.
Ø
They held fast to the name of the Lord.
Ø
They did not renounce their faith, even in the
face of trouble and death.
FAILURE:
Ø
Division
Ø
Doctrine.
BRIEF EXPLANATION:
The church in Pergamum was located in a land where the devil
was enthroned. In such a land, we expect to see an increase in the activity of
Satan and many abominable practices, but despite all these, the Church held
fast to their faith.
LESSON:
Believers in the Church of Pergamum where divided and did
not speak with one voice as a result of doctrine. In their midst, they had
people who held unto the teachings of Balaam, and also those who held unto the
teachings of the Nicolaitans. This is one of the major problems of Christianity
today, because we as the Body of Christ have allowed doctrines to separate us.
In many churches today, ancient traditions and religious dogma have been made a
substitute for the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible which is the word of God is our
standard as believers, and anything outside it should not be accepted. Our Lord
Jesus Christ is calling such Churches today to repentance, and admonishing us
to dwell strictly on His word.
4. THE
CHURCH IN THYATIRA (REV 2:18 -29)
QUALITIES:
Ø
Love.
Ø
Faith.
Ø
Service.
Ø
Perseverance.
Ø
Hardworking.
FAILURE
Ø
They tolerated a false prophet and her
teachings.
Ø
Many were seduced into sin (sexual vices, and
eating foods sacrificed to idols).
BRIEF EXPLANATION:
The Church in Thyatira exhibited some wonderful traits like
love, faith, service, perseverance and they were hardworking.
LESSON:
The Church in Thyatira was tolerating a false prophet and
her teachings, and this lead many believers astray into committing evil against God. We as believers
should not seek after men and women of God without first testing the spirit in
which they operate. In this generation, we now have miracle seekers, who would run after anything
performing miracles even though it was an animal. The mystery is this, God
performs genuine miracles which leads to genuine deliverance and transformation,
while the devil also performs miracles too which are fake, and he uses it as a
price to obtain the souls of men for hell.
The last days will be characterized by an outbreak of false prophets,
and if believers are not careful, even the elect will be deceived (Mathew
24:24). I encourage every Christian to read and understand the word of God,
because it is our only standard and defense against false prophets and their
teachings. The problem with many believers today, is that they don't read enough
to defeat the devil, while others don't even read at all. They are more
interested in reading romantic books, watching telemundos and engaging in
activities that will not benefit their souls. Knowledge is power, and that was
why Jesus Christ replied the Pharisees ".....have ye not read", when they tried to tempt Him.
5. THE CHURCH IN SARDIS (REV 3: 1-6)
QUALITIES:
Ø
They had a name (reputation)
Ø
They were spiritually blind.
Ø
They had a few faithful servants.
Ø
Dead works.
LESSON:
They are many Churches today like the Church in Sardis who
live by their reputation (The name of the
Church), but indeed their works are dead before the Lord. The name of Jesus
Christ should be exalted above every other name (Philippians 2:9), because He
is the owner of the Church and not man. Many believers today ascribe the glory
meant for God to their Churches and pastors, by the way they talk and act. God
will not give His Glory to another (Isaiah 42:8), and we as believers should
learn to return every Glory back to God. The Church in Sardis had a quality which is prevalent in many Churches
today. They were spiritually blind, and things were going wrong under their
very nose without their knowledge. Jesus said to them "....Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is
about to die...". The Church of God is a place of power and vision,
but many Churches today are like the Church in Sardis, who have engaged
themselves in spiritual slumber and totally oblivious about things of the
spirit. In these Churches, witches, wizards, marine personalities etc, operate freely without any form of hindrance,
and no one to detect their activities. This disease of spiritual blindness is so bad, that we now have thrones
of witchcraft established in many
churches, with witches shouting " Praise the Lord!!!" and believers in response shouting "
Hallelujah !!!" ,The Bible in the book of Proverbs 29:18 says " Where there is no vision, the people
perish....". We as believers and as a Church should pray for raw power
from God and spiritual insight into the deep and secret things, because the
spiritual controls the physical.
6.THE CHURCH IN PHILADELPHIA (REV 3:7- 13)
QUALITIES:
Ø
Little power
Ø
Faithfulness
Ø
Patience.
BRIEF EXPLANATION:
The Church in Philadelphia, were people of little strength,
but were faithful in keeping God's words. Our Lord Jesus Christ made a promise
of an open door to them which no man could close, and also promised to humble
their adversaries. He also promised to
keep them away from the hour of testing because they kept His word. The
promises of God are made manifest when we keep His words.
7. THE
CHURCH IN LAODICEA (REV 3:14 -22)
QUALITIES:
Ø
Lukewarm
Ø
Physically rich
Ø
Spiritual poverty
Ø
No dependence on God
Ø
Spiritual blindness.
Ø
spiritual nakedness
Ø
They locked Jesus Christ out.
BRIEF EXPLANATION:
The Church in Laodicea were physically rich but were living
in spiritual poverty. They were neither hot or cold. They felt that they had
all they needed and hence there was no reason to rely on God for anything.
Their enthusiasm and love for God went down to the lowest level, and were
neither here nor there. It was so bad, that they locked our Lord Jesus Christ outside,
and He kept knocking for them to open the door for Him.
LESSON:
In the heavenly race, you are either for God or you are
against Him, for there are no "
Supporters Club". Unlike the Church in Laodicea, we as believers should
look unto the hills from whence cometh our help, because our help cometh from
Jesus Christ (Psalm 121). The blessings of the Lord maketh rich and he added no
sorrow (Proverb 10:22),but we should be careful not to allow what we have
achieved to come between us and our Maker.
However, like a thief cometh in the night ( 1Thessalonians
5:2), so will the Bridegroom ( Jesus Christ) come for the Bride (The Church).
THE QUESTION NOW IS, WHEN THE BRIDEGROOM COMES, WILL YOU BE READY?
REPENT FOR HIS SECOND COMING IS AT HAND, FOR THE NEXT SECOND MIGHT BE TOO
LATE. GOD BLESS YOU.
#TheChurch
#TheMessenger
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