Seven letters and time for personal reflection, part 4

(Rewritten notes from a message given on Aug. 30, 2009, at Corona International Christian Fellowship.)

Quick summary as to why we're doing this:

2 Timothy 3:1-5

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God — having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

In other words, there are people within the body of believers in Christ who are not believers, but pretenders – and they, in these last days will (and do) live and teach such a life. We need to be watchful of them and HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THEM.

2 Corinthians 13:5

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

So we’re going to enter a period of self-examination, both as a church and as the people who make up the church, with the help of the Lord Himself through His holy Word.

In my limited study of revivals in the church, great movements of God among and in His children happened in times of repentance, in times of acknowledging their failings and crying out to the Lord for forgiveness.

As someone once said, if you want to start a revival in your church, go to a quiet room, draw a circle on the floor, get on your knees inside it and pray to the Lord to search your heart.

Remember as you read the Scripture passages that these are the words of Jesus Christ, given to the apostle John to give to the seven churches in Asia Minor.

Revelation 4:14-22

14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 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.

21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Teaching Point No. 1
Letter to the church in Laodicea
Indifference to your faith and to Jesus is a dangerous thing.

In four of the past six letters to the churches where Jesus had a rebuke and an encouragement to repent, He also found some redeeming qualities within these four churches.

Ephesus (first love taken for granted)
They hated false teachers and they hated the practices of the Nicolaitans.

Pergamum (some allowed, and held to, the teaching of Balaam = immorality)
They stood firm for Jesus even as they were persecuted.

Thyatira (tolerated Jezebel, the false prophetess who taught immorality)
They were faithful, they served, they persevered and did more than they had done when they first came to know Christ.

Sardis (dead faith, going through the motions)
There was a group of people who stood firm in their faith in Jesus, and were examples to their fallen brothers and sisters.

But Laodicea seems to be in more trouble than the others. They were neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm, just like the Laodician’s water supply, historians say. So that idea of being lukewarm had to have struck a chord with them … And who likes to drink anything lukewarm? Who likes lukewarm tea or coffee? Who likes lukewarm soda? Who likes lukewarm Gatorade?

Jesus does not say anything really redeeming about how the Laodicean church carries itself. He wishes they were hot or cold and not stuck in neutral -- and worse yet, putting on appearances that all is well – because being neutral is not a good thing:

Revelation 3:17

“You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”

Here’s how it likely plays out in modern terms.


My question is, how can one have a genuine encounter with Jesus, God made flesh, have the Holy Spirit dwell in him or her, and be indifferent to the truth? How can one not be moved in one way or the other after such an encounter through His written Word or His written Word preached?

I mean, in every mention that I’ve read in the Bible of man coming into the presence of God, whether it be God incarnate as Jesus or God as He chose to reveal Himself as in the Old Testament, people had a reaction. The demons had a reaction. And correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t know if there is no record of anyone being indifferent to being in the Lord’s presence.

But in Laodicea – and today as well – people calling themselves believers live do so in name and appearance only – they sing the “happy songs” and say the right things, and maybe quote the Bible once in a while. Jesus says of them, “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”

In James 1, it says

James 1:22-24

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

I think that’s what Jesus meant by Laodiceans being blind and wretched … There is some serious denial going on here, just as there was with Ryan in the video.

Verse 16 is a problem for me. I’m bouncing around on exactly what Jesus means about spitting the lukewarm in faith out of His mouth. The NIV uses “spit” as a less offensive way of putting it … in fact, in the original Greek, the word used is emeō, which translates into “vomit” or “throw up” in our language – the very thing I feel like when I get lukewarm Gatorade on a very hot long run. It’s a very violent act for the body to rid itself of something unpleasant, offensive, distasteful or bad.

Does that mean Jesus is having nothing to do with them once He does vomit these indifferent people out?

Maybe it’s this, and please listen (read) carefully: I’m not suggesting at all that someone can “lose” his salvation, that God will take it away from him. What I am suggesting is that maybe he never had it in the first place, because he NEVER accepted God’s gift through the grace and mercy of Jesus’s cross.

And in their indifference to Jesus, maybe they never really accepted Him as Lord and Savior. Maybe they made the outward appearance of doing that, but they never really committed their lives to Him, to follow Him, to truly call Him Lord – which means “master” – and have Him direct their lives.

And while I fear for others who are in this boat, I fear for myself as well. And that causes me to check inward and ask, “Am I lukewarm? Even though outwardly I may look like I’m doing and saying the right things, am I indifferent to the truth and just sitting on the fence, thinking I’m OK, when no one is around to see … Am I deceiving myself?”

Do you ever ask yourself that?

I don’t doubt Jesus, I don’t doubt God’s Bible, I don’t doubt its truth, I don’t doubt God’s promises in His Word. What I do doubt is me and my faith. As it’s written in Mark 9:24. as the father of the sick boy cried out the Jesus to heal his son, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

And Jesus does offer that, because while He’s about to spit the lukewarm out, he says two important words …

“about to” …

That gives me hope, hope for me, hope for those who are stuck in neutral … because Jesus is reaching out:

Revelation 3:18-19

“I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.”

He gives us the truth we need to turn back to Him. He offers more that the short-term, feel-good answers the world offers us. He offers a way back by offering us Himself ... God in the flesh, offering Himself to us, even as lowly and wretched, pitiful, blind and naked as we are … Just like the blind that He healed, He wants to do the same for us so that we can truly see.

For reflection (just you, the Lord and His Word, one-on-one):
Are you lukewarm? Do you think you have all that you need and in front of people, you do what looks like Christianity, but in reality, when no one is looking but you and the Lord, are you really blind and naked? How do we fix this? How do we be earnest and repent?

Application
Open the door of your heart to Jesus.

Revelation 3:20

“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.”

We often associate that verse with inviting people to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, and that’s a perfectly OK application … But its original context, it’s aimed at the church whose people have become indifferent to the Lord. It’s aimed at people who know the truth that Jesus is truly Lord, have heard the sermons, read the passages, sang the songs, gone to the Bible studies, have quoted the Scripture, but only deceive themselves about their devotion to Jesus.

But the Lord offers repeatedly an invitation to repent and return to Him:

Hebrews 4:7, Hebrews 3:15, Psalm 95-7-8 all say:

Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.

I don’t know about you, but when I see God repeat Himself in Scripture, I have to understand that it’s important for me to reflect on it and to check myself to see if I am truly applying that to my life. The tendency sometimes – in our overconfidence and even in our arrogance -- is to say that it doesn’t apply to ourselves – but really, I think the Lord is asking us – all of us – to examine ourselves as Paul urged the Corinthian church to do.

And you know what the coolest thing ever is, when we heed the Lord’s call and be earnest and repent?

Revelation 3:21

"To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne."

For those who overcome, we get to be in the throne room of the Father and the Son in heaven! And that lead to the second teaching point today.

Teaching Point No. 2
In the throne room of the Lord, a sneak preview for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Revelation 4

After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spiritsa of God. 6 Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come.”

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

11“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”

I’m not going to get too much into breaking down this passage exegetically … I’m not going to get into the symbolism of the four living creatures or who the 24 elders are. There are – and will be – other opportunities to get into the deep Biblical meaning of all that.

Instead, what I’d would l like to do is bask and rejoice in this passage. Because when those who are in Christ are in His presence in His throne room in heaven, we’re going to know what all that means and who they all are.

This looks similar to the vision Isaiah saw in the year King Uzziah died, when he beheld the living God whose robe filled the whole temple and he saw the angels who were calling to one another in a really loud voice,

“Holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,
The earth is filled with His glory”

And everything in the temple is shaking at the sound of their voices.

Isaiah realizes his unworthiness in the site of the Almighty Perfect Creator, yet angel takes a live coal from the altar, touches Isaiah’s lips with it and says, “See, this has touched your lips, your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

Then God calls Isaiah to duty – just as he calls us … and just as Isaiah said, “Here am I” in response to the Lord, so I am praying we are responding likewise as the Lord calls us to duty.

Fast forward and we get a glimpse of eternity through John’s eyes. For those in eternity who are in the presence of the Lord, the work He had called them to in this world is done – and there is the declaration of eternity of God when they say:

“Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come.”

And we get this scene of thunder and lighting coming from the throne on which someone sat … and that person, we come to learn, is the One … the One who always was, is and is to come … the Creator by whose will every thing was created … and the four strange looking living creatures and 24 elders with crowns dressed in white, and a sea of glass before the throne, and an emerald rainbow that CIRCLED the thrown, and seven lamps blazing …

Application
Know this is what awaits you if you are in Christ Jesus, if He is your Lord and Savior and you have overcome through Him. Know that, and let that help you put everything in this life in its proper perspective.

For reflection (just you, the Lord and His Word, one-on-one):
Imagine being in God's throne room, in the very presence of the One who made you, who created all there is. What would that be like? Does this exhilarate you, knowing that some day, just as the Lord promised that if you overcome in this life by putting all your faith in Him and walking in His ways, you will be in His glorious presence?

Think about that as you listen to this song:


For some of you, does it scare you, because you're not sure if you will be in the presence of God, basking in His radiant love? (If that's you , feel free to e-mail me at alan.llavore@gmail.com, and with God's Word, I'll try to help you sort it all out.)

A midweek addition ...



You Hold Me Now
© 2008 Matt Crocker and Reuben Morgan/Hillsong Publishing (adm in the U.S. and Canada by Integrity Worship Music)/ASCAP
Words & Music by Matt Crocker & Reuben Morgan // CCLI: 5372151

On that day when I see
All that You have for me
When I see You face to face
There surrounded by Your grace
All my fears swept away
In the light of Your embrace
Where Your love is all I need
And forever I am free

Where the streets are made of gold
In Your presence healed and whole
Let the songs of heaven
Rise to You alone

No weeping no hurt or pain
No suffering You hold me now
You hold me now
No darkness no sick or lame
No hiding You hold me now
You hold me now

In this life I will stand
Through my joy and my pain
Knowing there's a greater day
There's a hope that never fails
Where Your Name is lifted high
And forever praises rise
For the glory of Your Name
I'm believing for the day

Where the wars and violence cease
All creation lives in peace
Let the songs of heaven
Rise to You alone

For eternity
All my heart will give
All the glory to Your Name

Questions, comments, yes, even criticisms, leave 'em below ...

Midweek thoughts ...

Thought No. 1:

“Even worship, which takes place in a 'sanctuary,' a safe place, has a scary patina to it. Our services are crowded with cheerful tunes and inspiring sermons, with jokes from the platform and smiles everywhere—so much so that we forget sometimes that we are in the presence of God Almighty, our Maker and Judge and Redeemer. If we lose the sense that worship is a dangerous place, well, we're probably not in the presence of the biblical God.”

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/augustweb-only/132-41.0.html?start=1

Thought No. 2:





Revelation 3:14-22

"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 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. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

2 Corinthians 13:5

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

Thoughts, comments, other stuff ... leave your marks below ...

Seven letters and time for personal reflection, part 3

(Rewritten notes from a message given on Aug. 23, 2009, at Corona International Christian Fellowship.)

Next week (reading ahead is encouraged!):
Revelation 3:14-22, maybe into Revelation 4

2 Timothy 3:1-5

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God — having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

In other words, there are people within the body of believers in Christ who are not believers, but pretenders – and they, in these last days will (and do) live and teach such a life. We need to be watchful of them and HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THEM.

2 Corinthians 13:5

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

So we’re going to enter a period of self-examination, both as a church and as the people who make up the church, with the help of the Lord Himself through His holy Word.

In my limited study of revivals in the church, great movements of God among and in His children happened in times of repentance, in times of acknowledging their failings and crying out to the Lord for forgiveness.

As someone once said, if you want to start a revival in your church, go to a quiet room, draw a circle on the floor, get on your knees inside it and pray to the Lord to search your heart.

Continuing from last week’s reflection (just you, the Lord and His Word, one-on-one):

Two keywords:

Repent
Turn away from the things you are doing that are wrong, and turn back to your first love.

Overcome
That in Jesus, when we repent and turn back to him, we will have peace even in a troubled, fallen world. But if we are in Him, we have overcome all that with Him.

John 16:33

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

In today's study, Jesus teaches us more about repenting and overcoming …

Revelation 3:1-13

To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

7To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars — I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Teaching Point No. 1
Letter to the church of Sardis, Revelation 3:1-6

Wake up!
We might be going through the motions in “serving” the Lord, and it looks really good. But we may not be really serving the Lord.

This almost is an echo of the letter to the church in Ephesus, where Jesus said they did great deeds, rejected false teachers, but Jesus was not their motivation for the things they did.

In this letter, the Lord says that they look alive, but they in fact are dead. “I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.” Their deeds are just lacking anything worthwhile in the site of God. They need to come to the realization of their real status – not in their own eyes, but in the eyes of the Lord. Theologian G. Campbell Morgan called it “reputation without reality.”

Warren Wiersbe says the message to Sardis is a warning to all “great churches” that are living on past glory. Or, on a personal examination level, maybe it’s also a warning for individual members of a church who tend to live on past glory while everyone else is moving on. Dr. Vance Havner has frequently reminded us that spiritual ministries often go through four stages: a man, a movement, a machine, and then a monument. Sardis was at the “monument” stage, but there was still hope!

Maybe we’re like that. Maybe we do things just because we’ve always done them, thinking, “That’s ministry. That’s what serving the church and God is because that’s the way we’ve always done it.” Or maybe we say, “Hey, let’s start this new program or do this event. It’ll be great, and it’ll bring in people” only to see the only people it serves is – us.

And we fool ourselves into believing that what we’re doing is real ministry when it’s not. It’s incomplete, it’s probably self-serving, it’s probably busy-work, things that keep us active, it’s probably a lot of things, but for sure it’s not of real substance nor is it Spirit-led effective because we’re in a spiritual rut … because the Lord is not in it at all.

And if we don’t wake up … well, the Lord warned the Ephesians that He would come and remove their lampstand, their witness, if they did not repent (Rev. 2:5). He warned the church at Pergamos that He would come and make war with the sword of the Spirit (Rev. 2:16). If the believers at Sardis did not follow His orders, He would come as a thief, when they least expected Him; and this would mean judgment (3:3).

So how do we break out of this spiritual rut and avoid judgment?

Application
Be watchful, and be honest about what we are doing – is it lacking, is the Lord directing it. Go back to God’s Word and repent of those things we’re doing wrong and seek His direction.

Wiersbe says this: Christ warns the saints to: (1) be watchful, be alert (wake up!); (2) strengthen the few things you do have (verse 2); (3) remember the Word you have received and heard; (4) hold fast and be ready when I come.

And to that I would add (5) obey God’s Word and (6) look to those who are truly walking with the Lord (verses 4-5).

What happens when we do “repent and obey?” In verses 4 and 5, the Lord says that those who repent and overcome and join with those who are truly walking in the Lord will “be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and the angels.”

For reflection (just you, the Lord and His Word, one-on-one):
Are you so active in ministry that you’re just doing things to do them, or because you need think being constantly busy is real ministry, or are you trying to duplicate past ministry experiences?

Teaching Point No. 2
Letter to the church in Philadelphia, Revelation 3:7-13

When it seems bleakest, when it seems as if the battle is being won by the enemy, when you feel as if you have no more strength to take another step, look to Jesus and endure patiently as you serve and obey and follow His calling.
Of the seven letters, only this and the letter to the church in Smyrna have not rebuke from Jesus. The Lord sees their humbleness, their weakness, their knowledge that they are so small and wonder how they could be used by God in such overwhelming opposition to the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ.

And if there is a model I pray we would follow, whose attributes we strive toward with the help of the Lord to apply here, it is those for which the Lord commends the church in Philadelphia.

We pretty much know the word Philadelphia means “brotherly love.” And certainly the church must have lived that – as they loved the Lord with all their heart, mind, soul and strength, the loved each other, too … and not only that, they loved the lost, the outcasts, the sick, the broken, the hurting, the unlovable – the very people with whom Jesus spent much time.

Jesus, who holds the key of David, the royal line of Israel, has the power to open and shut doors … and what He opens, no one can shut, and what He has shut, no one can open.

We most often think of such doors as personal opportunity – a job or a relationship, for example. But while that may be true, that’s also kind of “me centered;” the bigger picture is that these are doors represent areas where the Lord wants us to serve as a church and as individuals who make up the church.

Quick thing about Philadelphia in its day … it was a city on a major route from Rome to the east, and was known as a gateway to the east. It was also called “little Athens” because of the many temples located there. And … it was a place prone to earthquakes.

Where we live, the Greater Los Angeles area, aren’t we a gateway to not just the east – the port of San Pedro is an entry point for a lot of goods that make their way east from here – but also to the rest of the world? Don’t we have a lot of temples – some religious, others secular, but temples nonetheless – just like Philadelphia? And aren’t we prone to earthquakes? Just something to consider there.

So the Philadelphia church lived and served in an area of opportunity to share the Gospel – just like us. And Jesus opened many doors of opportunity for them to do so.

The idea of a doors as an opportunity to serve the Lord to share His Gospel comes from these passages:

(After Paul and Barnabas returned from their first mission trip recorded in Acts 13 and 14)
Acts 14:27
On arriving there [Antioch in Syria], they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

(Paul talks about upcoming ministries to which the Lord is calling him)
1 Corinthians 16:9 (starting in verse 8)
But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.

(Paul talks about his ministry from the Lord)
2 Corinthians 2:12
Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me …

(Paul seeks prayer from the Colossian church regarding his calling; and each of our prayers for one another as well)
Colossians 4:3
And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.

And when you read about the ministry of Paul in Acts and in his letters, you come to know that he was not selective with whom he shared the Gospel. He didn’t go and do market research to find where the likeliest believers lived and plant a church there.

In Acts 20:21, he says that he has “declared to both Jews and Gentiles (meaning EVERYONE) that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.”

In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

19Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

As those 10 ideas last week and this week to share the Gospel show us, we shouldn’t be picky, either …

In commending the Philadelphia church, the Lord notes verse 8 that it has “little strength.” Yet, despite that, and despite being in an area where the church was being attacked, looked down upon, outnumbered, Jesus said, “yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”

And here are the great reward for following and obeying and standing firm in the truth despite all the opposition and despite their own weakness:

In verse 9, Jesus say that those who oppose His people, He will personally vanquish them and make them fall at our feet at MAKE THEM ACKNOWLEDGE THAT JESUS LOVES US …

in verse 10, Jesus tells them:
10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

Interesting thing came up while we were patiently enduring for what seemed like hours late last night to catch the shuttle bus from the Anaheim Convention Center to the parking lot at Angels Stadium …

Is the rapture mentioned in Revelation? The answer, not specifically, but there is evidence sprinkled throughout … and this, verse 10 is the strongest among them that Jesus will not have His believers going through the great tribulation written about in Revelation. And if you are familiar with those passages, THAT is a huge blessing, and a HUGE reason to faithfully follow the Lord and patently endure whatever the world throws at us as we live and share the Gospel.

And not only that, believers – I pray that is all of us here, too – who patiently endure are honored by the Lord as pillars in His temple, and God will not leave them, and the name of God and Jesus “new name” will be written upon them as well.

Application
So in the face of all this opposition to share the Gospel, and to overcome our own weakness, Jesus says we should hold on to what we have – His Word – and go through those doors (maybe tear down a wall or two) to share His good news, not just in word, but by the very way we live our lives that reflects His great love.

Simple in word, but not in deed.

And that being the case, in remembering our weakness, we need to remember that God who called us will not abandon in the middle of the thing He has asked us to do to glorify Him.

Remember this verse, and remember it in the proper context. That as we are called to do His work, in the face of physical, emotional, spiritual, mental weakness:

Philippians 4:12-13

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

For reflection (just you, the Lord and His Word, one-on-one):
What doors is the Lord opening for you to serve and share His Gospel? Are you going through them, or are you paralyzed because of your own weaknesses?

Below, for the believers in Christ, something that reminds me both of what we do in this life, and what we'll do in the next ...

Thoughts, comments, additional insights, questions??? Feel free to leave them in the comments section below, after the video of Hillsong United's "The Stand."

Seven letters and time for personal reflection, part 2

(Rewritten notes from a message given on Aug. 16, 2009, at Corona International Christian Fellowship.)

The remaining schedule (reading ahead is encouraged!):

Aug. 16: Revelation 2:12-29
Aug. 23: Revelation 3:1-13
Aug. 30: Revelation 3:14-22, maybe into Revelation 4

Our mindset as we study these two chapters in Revelation

2 Timothy 3:1-5

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God — having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

In other words, there are people within the body of believers in Christ who are not believers, but pretenders – and they, in these last days will (and do) live and teach such a life. We need to be watchful of them and HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THEM.

2 Corinthians 13:5

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

So we’re going to enter a period of self-examination, both as a church and as the people who make up the church, with the help of the Lord Himself through His holy Word.

Warren Weirsbe says this:

Only the Head of the church, Jesus Christ, can accurately inspect each church and know its true condition, because He sees the internals, not only the externals. In these special messages to the seven churches in Asia Minor, the Lord gave each assembly an “X ray” of its condition. But He intended for all the churches to read these messages and benefit from them.

But the Lord was also speaking to individuals, and this is where you and I come in. “He that hath an ear, let him hear.” Churches are made up of individuals, and it is individuals who determine the spiritual life of the assembly. So, while reading these messages, we must apply them personally as we examine our own hearts.

Finally, we must keep in mind that John was a pastor at heart, seeking to encourage these churches during a difficult time of persecution. Before Christ judges the world, He must judge His own people (1 Peter 4:17: “For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”).

A purified church need never fear the attacks of Satan or men.

Jesus said this:

Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

Recap of last week (Aug. 9):

Teaching point No. 1
Revelation 2:1-12, the letter to the church in Ephesus

It’s possible to do great things – have great programs, over the odds in meeting the needs of people around you, standing up for the truth by rejecting falsehoods – without Jesus. It’s possible to love ministry, the activity and results of ministry, and not love Jesus.

Application, from Revelation 2:6, Jesus says:

Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

For reflection (just you, the Lord and His Word, one-on-one):
Have I departed, left, taken for granted, my first love while being active in the works and activities related to the church?

Teaching Point No. 2
Letter to the church in Syrmna

When we follow Jesus with everything we’ve got, when Jesus is our EVERYTHING, there are times we’re going to feel beat up, get beat up, disrespected, insulted, ignored and feel like the whole world is against us.

Application, Revelation 2:10b, Jesus says:
Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

For reflection (just you, the Lord and His Word, one-on-one):
Have I ever been persecuted for His sake? If not, why not?

Aug. 16 study

Revelation 2:12-29

12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.

14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. 15 Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.

18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.

20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): 25 Only hold on to what you have until I come.

26 To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—

27 ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter;
he will dash them to pieces like pottery’—

just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Teaching Point No. 1
Letter to the church in Pergamum

While many in the church will follow Jesus wholeheartedly as evil and immorality surround them and attack them, they need to also be watchful of compromises in morals or teaching, and be against deviating from the purity of Biblical truth required of Christians.

The city of Pergamum, or Pergamos, was a wealthy city, but also wicked. People in its pagan cults worshiped Athena, Asclepius, Dionysus, and Zeus. They lived where Satan has his throne. This may refer to the great temple of Asclepius,a pagan god of healing represented in the form of a serpent. Further recognition of Satan is indicated at the close of the verse. Pergamum was where Satan lives. The saints there were commended for being true, even when Antipas (which means “against all”) was martyred. Nothing is known of this incident. But, some Bible scholars say that it is possible Antipas stood for Christ against all opposition, and was martyred because of it. But we don’t know for sure.

Jesus does commend them for their steadfastness to their faith in Him in spite of all these obstacles. And think of it in our day. Isn’t there a lot of opposition to the things of Jesus and all that He stands for? Don’t we face that in some shape or form? Aren’t there some in the church who are being martyred for the sake of His name?
YET, Jesus holds this against them. They:

1) tolerated immorality among them. Jesus refers to Balaam (more on him in Numbers 22-25, 31), and that, like the Israelites in the desert. Balaam couldn’t curse the Isrealites as Balak, the king of the Moabites wanted him to, but he did somehow influence Balak to send women to the Israelite men. That corrupted them, both physically, but also spiritually, because these women led the Israelite men into idolatry. In Pergamum, the church apparently was doing nothing about it. It’s sort of like the situation with the church in Corinth. Remember in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he sharply rebukes them for allowing sexual immorality to take place among them? It was blantant, and no one said anything to the one who was sinning – they acted either as if they didn’t know, or as if it was OK.

NOTE on the meat sacrificed to idols: in Acts, the church leaders say Gentiles don’t have to be circumsized, but said they should not eat meat sacrificed to idols. In 1 Corinthians, Paul says that believers can eat meat sacrificed to idols because it’s not as if an idol is real. But he urges mature believers not to do so if it will make a new believer sin. And now, Jesus condemns some in the Pergamum church for doing so. Contradiction??? No … the historical context wasn’t so much the meat itself, but where people when to get this meat … usually at the temples of false gods … and in those days, those temples also had temple prostitutes. And that presented a huge temptation for the believers to fall into immorality and get drawn into idol worship (see Solomon). Can you say Balaam and Balak all over again?

2) followed the teachings of the Nicolatians (meaning “to conquer the people”). Bible scholars say this teaching called for “cleregy” and “laity” ranking in the church, where the clergy class ruled over the church, which is nowhere taught in the Bible. Remember that the church in Ephesus did not tolerate false teaching, yet the church in Pergamum somehow allowed it to happen. The sin here is to not hate what God Himself hates.

Just an observation: Don’t we see tolerance of immorality and false doctrine today? And I’m not just talking about church as a body, but also church as individuals. Just reading articles about the debate of allowing gays and lesbians into ministry, for example, it seems that some in the church are compromising Biblical principle in favor world’s idea of what is moral. The idea is to make church more “acceptable” to society, rather than the church be the moral compass for society. And, as individuals, we may know of a brother or sister who is making moral compromises with the world and instead of lovingly pulling him or her away from that, we just stand by and watch.

So Jesus says this has to be fixed. In verse 16, the Lord says: “Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”

And they have to fix it by repenting – turning away – from allowing these things to happen.
Jesus uses this characteristic of Himself in verse 12 also: The One “who has the sharp, double-edged sword” (also mentioned in 1:16; 2:16; 19:15, 21). The sword is a symbolic representation of the Word of God’s twofold ability to separate believers from the world and to condemn the world for its sin. It was the sword of salvation as well as the sword of death.

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

So Jesus, the Logos, the Living Word, the Living Truth, rebukes those sinning in Pergamum, urging them to repent or face judgment. And those who do, those who overcome, there is this in verse 17:

1) hidden manna – which may refer to Christ as the Bread from heaven, the unseen source of the believer’s nourishment and strength.

John 6:48-51

I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

Whereas Israel received physical food, manna, the church receives spiritual food, and food that gives man eternal life.

2) There is also this “white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.” There are several ideas Bible scholars have on what this means. Because of that, because Jesus said “known only to him who receives it,” and because I don’t want to confuse you, I’m going to be a wimp and say the Lord makes all things new (Revelation 21:5), and also refer to this verse:

Deuteronomy 29:29

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

Application:
Know the Word. Know the Word to know when YOU are slipping and sinning. Know the Word to know when your brothers and sisters are slipping and sinning. Know the Word to know how to correct yourself and those who are slipping and sinning, and get back on the straight and narrow path of the Lord.

For reflection (just you, the Lord and His Word, one-on-one):

Has there ever been a time when YOU did something wrong or you saw something wrong and ignored it when you knew full well that God, through His Word, asked you to act on it?

Think of James 5:19-20

My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Teaching Point No. 2
Letter to the church in Thyatira

In the face of a false teacher in your midst, stand firm on the truth of God.

Thyatira was a small church in smaller city than Ephesus, Smyrna and Pergamum. In Acts 16:14-15, we learn that Lydia, a businesswoman and trader of purple cloth from Thyatira, came to know the Lord in Philippi when Paul was there. So it’s a reasonable guess that Lydia shared the Gospel in her hometown. And while Jesus did credit it for the things they did, their love and faith and perseverance, the opened the door for a false teacher, ironically also a woman to come in and start leading people away from the truth of God.

Jesus’ major condemnation concerned that woman Jezebel, who claimed to be a prophetess and taught believers to take part in the sexual immorality that accompanied pagan religion and to eat food sacrificed to idols. The sin is similar to the one happening in Pergamum – and accepted as normal in Thyatira. Yet what was acceptable to that local society was abhorred by Christ. Their departure from morality had gone on for some time (v. 21, Jesus said he had time to repent, and the Lord is patient).

The prophetess name “Jezebel” suggests that she was corrupting the Thyatira church much like Ahab’s wife Jezebel corrupted Israel (1 Kings 16:31-33). Jezebel of the OT became so powerful that the prophet Elijah ran into the wilderness when he heard that she wanted to kill him – and this after he witnessed the Lord Himself wipe out 450 prophets of the false god Baal.

Christ – whose self-description was the “Son of God” whose eyes were like blazing fire and whose feet were like burnished bronze, signifying his deity – promised sudden and immediate judgment, called her sin adultery and promised that all who followed her would suffer intensely. He also promised, “I will strike her children dead,” meaning that suffering would extend also to her followers. The judgment would be so dramatic that all the churches would know that Christ is the One who searches hearts and minds.

Yet, for those who remained faithful to Him, Jesus encouraged them this way: Stay the course, which leads to the application

Application
Stand firm in Him who saved You.

Jesus said in verses 24-25:

Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): Only hold on to what you have until I come.

It’s easy to not stand firm, especially when there is such an bad influence near you, and that bad influence says, “Be like everyone else.”

But we were called to be different from everyone else. We were called to be NOT of the world, even though we are in the world.

In Jesus prayer the night before He went to the cross, He said to the Father:

John 17:15
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.

If Jesus, God in the flesh, God whose promises never fail, prayed that for you and me, rest assured that we will overcome. And to those who overcome

and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—
‘He will rule them with an iron scepter;
he will dash them to pieces like pottery’—
just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give him the morning star.

We will rule with Jesus in the millennium – the 1,000-year reign – after His return, as it says later in Revelation.
And the morning star that is given? The Bible doesn’t explain what it is in this context, but Bible scholars say that just as the morning star appears in the darkness just before dawn, this could symbolize the Rapture, when Jesus comes for His church just before the darkness of the seven-year tribulation.

For reflection (just you, the Lord and His Word, one-on-one):
Two keywords today:

Repent
Turn away from the things you are doing that are wrong, and turn back to your first love.

Overcome
That in Jesus, when we repent and turn back to him, we will have peace even in a troubled, fallen world. But if we are in Him, we have overcome all that with Him.

John 16:33

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Questions? Insights? Have you been like a Berean and done the noble thing by check what's here against Scripture? Leave your comments below, after the video of Hillsong United's "Till I See You," a great reminder of what awaits him who overcomes ...

Seven letters and time for personal reflection, part 1

(Rewritten notes from a message given on Aug. 9, 2009, at Corona International Christian Fellowship.)

The schedule for the series:

Aug. 9: Revelation 2:1-11
Aug. 16: Revelation 2:12-29
Aug. 23: Revelation 3:1-13
Aug. 30: Revelation 3:14-22, maybe into Revelation 4

Our mindset as we study these chapters in Revelation

2 Timothy 3:1-5

1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

In other words, there are people within the body of believers in Christ who are not believers, but pretenders – and they, in these last days will (and do) live and teach such a life. We need to be watchful of them and have nothing to do with them.

Also ...

2 Corinthians 13:5

5Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

So we’re going to enter a period of self-examination, both as a church and as the people who make up the church, with the help of the Lord Himself through His holy Word.

Warren Weirsbe says this:

Only the Head of the church, Jesus Christ, can accurately inspect each church and know its true condition, because He sees the internals, not only the externals. In these special messages to the seven churches in Asia Minor, the Lord gave each assembly an “X ray” of its condition. But He intended for all the churches to read these messages and benefit from them. (Note the plural “churches” in Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22.)

But the Lord was also speaking to individuals, and this is where you and I come in. “He that hath an ear, let him hear.” Churches are made up of individuals, and it is individuals who determine the spiritual life of the assembly. So, while reading these messages, we must apply them personally as we examine our own hearts.

Finally, we must keep in mind that John was a pastor at heart, seeking to encourage these churches during a difficult time of persecution. Before Christ judges the world, He must judge His own people (1 Peter 4:17: “For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”). A purified church need never fear the attacks of Satan or men.

Jesus said this:

Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
Revelation 1:3

The text starting in Revelation 1:19 to 2:11

19"Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20The 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.

1"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

6But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

8"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

10Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

11He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.

Teaching Point No. 1 (letter to the church in Ephesus)

It’s possible to do great things – have great programs, over the odds in meeting the needs of people around you, standing up for the truth by rejecting falsehoods – without Jesus. It’s possible to love ministry, the activity and results of ministry, and not love Jesus.

2I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. …

6But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

This was both a commendation (an apporval) and an admonition by Jesus of the church in Ephesus. The church at Ephesus had works, labor, and patience – but no love for Christ.

The commendation is easy to spot: The church had wonderful ministries, and more over, they had a great Christian apologetics program where they defended the faith and had no tolerance at all for errant and false teaching of God’s Word.

(A quick note on the Nicolatians:
The word Nicolaitan means “to conquer the people” in Greek. Some Bible students believe this was a sect who “lorded it over” the church and robbed the people of their liberty in Christ. They initiated what we know today as “clergy” and “laity,” a false division that is taught nowhere in the New Testament. All God’s people are “kings and priests” and have equal access to the Father through the blood of Christ.)

There are many churches like this in our day. The have great child care, wonderful programs to help you understand your faith and the Bible, they are known in the community for being an asset, they have excellent music ministries.

Oh, and let’s not forget the parts that make up the church – people like you and me.

For an illustration of how this works with an individual, remember the passage out of Luke 10:38-42, where Jesus visits the home of Martha and Mary? Like Martha, we can be so busy working for Christ that we have no time to love Him. Christ is more concerned about what we do with Him than for Him. Labor is no substitute for love.

To the public, the Ephesian church was successful; to Christ, it had fallen.

Today, for some churches who do great things are are recognized for their efforts, they are missing the key reason for their very existence: the love of Jesus Christ.

The church in Ephesus did not “lose” their love for Jesus, the forsook it … in the original Greek of this passage, the word Jesus used was that they departed from Him, they left him … in the language of today, they took Him for granted.

Let’s contrast the Ephesian church with the one in Thessalonica. This is what it is supposed to look like when Jesus is first:

1 Thessalonians 1:3

We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

In other words, Jesus was their motivation, their everything, and from their love and devotion sprang up good works and the strength to labor meaningfully for the Lord.

So how is this to be fixed? How do we restore our first love?

Application:

5Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

“First love” can be restored if we follow the three instructions Christ gave.

1. First, we must remember (literally “keep on remembering”) what we have lost and cultivate a desire to regain that close communion once again.
2. Then we must repent – change our minds – and confess our sins to the Lord (1 John 1:9).
3. Third, we must repeat the firstworks, which suggests restoring the original fellowship that was broken by our sin and neglect.

For the believer, this means prayer, Bible reading and meditation, obedient service, and worship.

Pray that you will get back to the place where you can truly say, with awe, and wonder and reverence: “I love the King and the King loves me.”

Here’s the warning if we don’t act to restore our first love: the Lord will take away our lampstand.

Warren Wiersbe explains it this way: If we collectively as the church – and we as the individuals who make up the church – do not get its heart back in the right condition, the lampstand will be removed. The local church is to shine as a light in the world. Without true love for Christ, its light will go out.

For reflection (just you, the Lord and His Word, one-on-one):

Have I departed, left, taken for granted, my first love while being active in the works and activities related to the church?

Teaching Point No. 2 (letter to the church in Syrmna)

When we follow Jesus with everything we’ve got, when Jesus is our EVERYTHING, there are times we’re going to feel beat up, get beat up, disrespected, insulted, ignored and feel like the whole world is against us.

Revelation 8b-11:

8bThese are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9I know your afflictions and your poverty –yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

10Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

11He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.

Smyrna was the persecuted church, so Jesus reminds them of His own suffering, death, and resurrection. And as Jesus was faithful to the Father’s will by being obedient to death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2), so, too, is He encouraging the Syrmna church: “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

We learned this in the young adult Bible study on Friday.

John 21:18-19

“I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"

What we learned is that following Jesus has a price on this side of heaven. For a lot of us, it may not be to the point of physical death, but if we are standing up for the truth that is Jesus, it’s going to cost us something. As we learned some weeks ago when we studied how Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael stood up for God, we’re not going to be popular.

Jesus offers no criticism of this church. The saints were faithful in spite of suffering, in spite of not being “popular” or in the good favor of their community. They thought they were poor, but were rich – in contrast to Laodicea (we’ll learn more about them in a couple weeks), which thought it was rich and was poor (Revelation 3:17).

But here’s Jesus promise to a church, to His followers, when we suffer hard times for His sake: .. you will suffer persecution for ten days.”

Don’t get too analytical about the number 10 … take this away instead: As your persecution started, so there will be an END to that persecution.

Furthermore, Jesus says, He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.’’

Warren Wiersbe says, “The enemy may kill the body, but the saint need never fear the second death, which is hell. Those who are born twice will die only once. Those born only once will die twice."

In other words, for those of us who put our full faith and trust and love in Jesus, no matter how bad it may get here on earth, it’s only a flash in the pan, if that, when compared to being in eternity with the Lord.

Application, Revelation 2:10b, Jesus says:

Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Be faithful. Trust in Him always, and especially in those times when the persecution – the put-downs, the slander, the disrespect, the criticism and insults of even family and friends – for His namesake look like it won’t end.
Persevere, because He is waiting for you in Heaven with the eternal crown of life.

For reflection (just you, the Lord and His Word, one-on-one):

Have I ever been persecuted for His sake? If not, why not?

Post-sermon add
See this item on two women in Iran being persecuted for their love for Jesus: http://www.elam.com/articles/Urgent-Prayer

Thoughts, comments, additional insights, questions??? Feel free to leave them in the comments section below, after the video of Jars of Clay's "Love Song for a Savior".




I get e-mail (added Aug. 11, 2009):

TODAY'S VERSE from HEARTLIGHT

August 11, 2009

VERSE:
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
-- Romans 8:11

THOUGHT:
Romans 8 reminds us again and again of the blessings of the Holy Spirit's living in us, God's children. The Spirit in us is our guarantee that we will be raised from the dead! Because the Spirit that gave Jesus life and raised him from the dead is in us, we can have confidence in our resurrection. Mortality will not claim us -- our bodies may die, but the real and living part of us will go to be with Jesus (see Philippians 1:19-23). The Holy Spirit's life-giving power is stronger than death. We will live! Even though our bodies may die, the Spirit of God animates, inspires, and empowers us to victory.

PRAYER:
Holy Father, thank you so much for the gift of the Holy Spirit. To know that the power of the same Spirit who helped create the universe and who raised Jesus from the dead also lives in me takes my breath away with wonder and awe. You have chosen to live inside me, to bless me, mold me, develop me, and conform me to the goal of Jesus. Thank you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20090811

Unity through Collaboration

(Rewritten notes from a message given on Aug. 2, 2009, at Corona International Christian Fellowship. This Bible study came out of our youth and young adult ministries' participation in Regeneration 2009 Collaborate at San Jose State University, July 17-19. The text is John 17: 21, 23, and Philippians 2:1-11)

We Christians like to talk about unity, about unity with the church and unity with Jesus, our Lord and Savior. But I think we fall short in not pointing out that to achieve unity, it takes collaboration, a desire not only to work together to grow in Christ, but to roll up our sleeves and get about our Father's business. Being like Jesus, after all, is God's will for His children.

Teaching point No. 1
Unity is how God operates and how He expects us to glorify Him as we declare that Jesus is Lord.

John 17:21, 23 (verses 20-24 for full context)

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world."

Unity is a central attribute in the Triune God. Without getting too deep in the theology of the Trinity, know that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit each have their roles, and that they are unified through collaboration between those roles in achieving God’s will.

Application:
Know that Jesus prayed for our unity, praying to the Father in a collaborative effort, that as He and the Father are one, so we would be one with Jesus. That’s the ultimate in unity, that is God’s will for us.

For how this happens in life, let's look at what Paul wrote to the church in Philippi:

Philippians 2:1-11

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Teaching point No. 2
Unity means to be united in the love of Christ and the love for Christ.

Philippians 2:1-2

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

Notice that it doesn’t say anything about voting for the same candidate, or that we should all have the same political views. Notice it doesn’t say anything about dressing in the same clothing. Notice that it doesn’t say anything about singing certain kinds of worship songs.

Notice that it does say:

• united in with Christ and His love
• fellowship with the Holy Spirit
• tenderness
• compassion
• like-minded in that same love
• one in spirit and purpose

The early church lived it out this way:

Acts 4:32-35

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

Pastor David Jeremiah, in a study on KWAVE this week, said that some people look at that passage and see it as a Biblical justification for communism. But nothing could be further from the truth: communism, as it was practiced, said you had to give your possessions and wealth to the state for the greater good -- it was ordered, it was the law. This passage in Acts says nothing about having to do that … the believers, the early church, being of one heart and mind, voluntarily gave their wealth in a collaborative effort to help each other.

Application:
Know we are united, know why we must collaborate, and that’s in Christ’s love. Know it, preach it to ourselves, remember it as the main thing that drives our day, that helps us set our priorities, that helps us in our mission to fulfill the Great Commission of going out to make disciples, teaching them of all that Jesus is teaching us, and baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Teaching point No. 3
We achieve unity through collaboration, putting the interests of others ahead of our own.

Philippians 2:3-4

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Refer back to Acts 4:32-35:

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

In the early church, the believers saw the bigger picture, and that was the spreading of the Gospel and supporting that effort with their own resources. As they collaborated with the apostles in working toward this goal, putting the needs of the greater church before their own, all their needs were met. And if people’s needs are met, working towards the greater goal becomes much easier.

So we as individuals have to move away from putting ourselves and our self-serving desires first, and put God and His church (the body of believers united in Christ’s love) first. And we all together do that by collaborating with each other (through accountability groups, Bible study, Sunday worship, fellowship), boosting each other, and on occasion, correcting each other. It’s an attitude of servanthood.

Application:
Move away from our own self interest and start looking out for the interests of our brothers and sisters in a collaborative effort to 1) live the Gospel message and 2) share the Gospel message.

Teaching point No. 4
It all goes back to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

Philippians 2:5-11

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

• He showed us humbleness, putting the needs of others before His own glory
• He had the attitude of a servant, to meet others’ needs
• He was obedient to the Father’s will

Application:
If we lose our focus on how to achieve unity through collaboration, we need to look at how Jesus modeled it. Remember that, meditate on it, then pray for the Holy Spirit’s strength to pick our cross daily to be more like Him, to be united in His attitude, a servant’s attitude, a humble attitude in a collaborative effort with our brothers and sisters to live a life that brings our Lord the glory rightfully His.

Or put it this way:

One of my Facebook friends, a man who ministers to the poor in Kenya, posted this on Sunday morning as I was wrapping up the outline for this study:

“Our goal must be to build up unity and fellowship of the body of Christ. To achieve that goal, we must always consider others better than ourselves. Our role is to be that of a servant.”
-- James Morara Onchangu

This wasn't part of the message on Sunday, but I think it most appropriate to add. The song is "One Thing" by Charlie Hall, and sung by someone who, as I understand from her YouTube profile, helps lead the worship music at her church. The lyrics are below the video ...



One Thing
Charlie Hall
Copyright 1999 worshiptogether.com songs, sixsteps Music, CCLI Song No. 3132063

Single-minded, whole-hearted
One thing I ask
Single-minded, whole-hearted
One thing I ask

That I may gaze upon Your beauty, oh Lord
That I may seek Your holy face
That I may know You in an intimate way
And follow after You all of my days
Follow after You all of my days

All of life comes down
To just one thing
And that's to know You, oh Jesus
And make You known
All of life comes down
To just one thing
And that's to know You, oh Jesus
And make You known

Questions? Comments? Insights? Leave 'em in the comments section below ...

Blessings,
Alan