Seven Remedies Revealed

May 22, 2012

A couple of weeks ago, my pastor asked if I would cover for him and teach the Sunday AM adult Bible class.  He was going to be gone for two weeks and needed the help.  Of course, I was glad to assist.  Now I just needed to decide what to teach ... but after just  few minutes of contemplation, I knew what the subject would be ... Revelation, chapters 2 & 3 ... the Seven Churches.  

It's obvious from what you see on this website that I love the Prophetic books of the Bible.  I've studied them for some 35 years now and still have the same fascination and fervor that I had when I first started. ......... But, needless to say, I would have to review these passages since I hadn't focused specifically on them for a couple of years ... In fact, its been awhile since I've had the opportunity to teach, so the anticipation was, and is, at a high level ...  so let the review begin ......

I don't know how some of you feel about this, but I believe that nothing is 'accidental' in God's kingdom ... nothing is done without a specific purpose, especially for those of us who are seeking His guidance in our daily walks ......... and neither was this opportunity of teaching an accident.  As I began my review of these specific churches Jesus had chosen to reveal His message through, it quickly became apparent that I was to learn, and then share why this all came to be.

To start, I believe that when Jesus selected these 7 specific churches ... because there were 100's to choose from ... His primary purpose was to reveal two things ... 1) Each would represent a particular time period (dispensation) in the church age (the church age being the time period between His crucifixion and His taking the church home - the rapture).   And 2) Each also would show strengths and weaknesses of every church in all the time periods.  ..... It is a subject that I could write about for pages and hours, but for the sake of this supposedly being a brief commentary, let me just show a very quick synopsis of each and then sum it up ..........  so let's get at it .............

 

*Ephesus (Rev. 2:1-7) - Jesus commended this church for standing against false teachings and its teachers.  It seemed to be a dynamic, dedicated, disciplined and discerning group of followers ... but, Jesus had one very important thing against them ... they had lost their first love (vs. 4) ... they had lost their fervor for Jesus Himself!  He goes on to tell them that this was not acceptable and that this needed to change ... or ...     Do we see this symptom in today's churches here in America? Absolutely yes ... and a lot of times it's because we are so absorbed with programs and all the peripheral things that we simply lose sight of the most important part ... Jesus!

*Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11) - This was a church that suffered greatly and was poor by worldly standards but very rich in spirit.  It was only one of two of these 7 churches that Jesus had NO condemnations for - the other being the 6th church .. Philadelphia.  ... Do we see many of those types of churches around today? ..  As for suffering, there are some churches in other parts of the world who would fit into this mould, but virtually not here in America ... at least not yet.

*Pergamum (Rev. 2:12-17) - This was a church in compromise.  Jesus did commend them for staying true to His name and for not renouncing their faith ... however, He had a few things against them (vs. 14) ... They had become compromisers ... some of their members were following 'weird teachings.'    In short, by the other members allowing this to happen, they then were guilty of 'tolerating evil.'  .... Worldly ways and standards had crept into their midst, and they didn't deal with it! .............  Now I could go on for hours about this symptom in our churches today, but for the sake of time, let's just mention a couple ... homosexuality & abortion ... both are considered 'evil' practices in the Holy Scriptures, but because of the cultural changes in our societies, we've decided to 'adjust' some of these scriptures so as to fit our 'modern way of life' ...  to become 'tolerant' of the new norm ...  but simply put, these 'adjustments' to our basic teachings of the Bible is compromise, period!  ....... The compromising christians in Pergamum heard the same command that is heard today:  "Repent, therefore."

*Thyatira (Rev. 2:18-29) - This was the pagan church - The great counterfeit - The church that tolerated apostacy.  ... Now, they started out OK, because Jesus said "I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance ..."  but then it went downhill from there ... Jesus told them that they "tolerate that woman Jezebel." ... Here, Jezebel represents, in short, a myriad of false teachings ......... and, of course, we see many forms of this 'modern-day Jezebel' taking place all around us.  Let's mention just a few:

   -Wealth Teaching - Those that tell you that you will see earthly wealth come your way if you, first, give to their ministry. I can give you 22 

     quick scriptures refuting this teaching.    

   -Dominion Teaching - Those that believe we can change the course of prophetic history through revival, thus ushering in the 1000 year   

     reign of Christ.  The problem?  This teaching eliminates approximately a third of the Bible!

   -Universalism - This teaching basically eliminates the existence of hell & evil ... and all the consequences of any form of sin.

   -Emergent Church - Once again, they pretty much allow all the 'new' ways of our society to co-exist. (sinful lifestyles, homosexuality, etc).

   -The New & Better You - In short, these are 'motivational speakers' performing under the guise of being pastors of our churches. They 

     basically say that if you think positive & give generously, you will have a great life, here & now.  Unfortunately, the realities of life don't 

     seem to fit into their teachings.

   -Seeker Friendly - Speaks for itself, doesn't it?  Just don't mention anything negative or that there aren't any consequences for anything ... and this will fill the pews with people who won't have to feel any guilt or disruption to their current worldly lifestyles ...

      

Enough of this! ... You get the idea ...........

*Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6) - This is the "Dead" church.  ... Sardis may have been the first church in history to have been filled with 'nominal' christians.  The church appeared to be alive, but was dead.  ... Any of these around our communities today?  I can think of one story that sums up this 'condition' quite well .......... 'The Dead Church Sermon' ...............  "A certain minister had a reputation for being eccentric.  One Sunday morning, he told his congregation that he believed his church was dead. ............ You can imagine the murmurings from the pews when he said, ... 'come back tonight.  I'm going to preach the funeral service of the church.' ....... The members were shocked! .............The  attendance for the evening service was larger than it had been in years ......  In the front of the pews was a casket and as the people sat in stunned silence, the pastor delivered the message.  After the last 'amen' the pastor said,  "Some of you may not agree with me that this church is dead.  So that you may be convinced, I am going to ask you to view the remains.  I want you to file by the casket, one by one, and see who is dead."  ...... In preparation for this unorthodox presentation, the minister had placed a mirror in the bottom of the casket.  ... It is obvious who everyone saw when he came to view the deceased." ................. Enough said .................... (The Dead Church Sermon was 'borrowed'  from David Jeremiah's book -  Escape the Coming Night.

*Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13) - The Missionary Church - The Church faithful to Christ ........... Here is the second church that Jesus had ONLY commendations for ... and as little as there was of this behavior back then, it is even more rare in today's churches.  Granted, there are a few today that really focus on getting the message of Jesus out to the rest of the world, but they are few and far between ..

*Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22) - The Apostate Church ... Apostasy simply means 'the abandonment of something once believed in' ....  All we have to do here is go back and look at the ills of all the other churches, and then add a few more, we find this 'last days' church.  ... I truly believe that no other church sums up the condition of the American church any better that this one.  ... Christ said in verses 15-17,  "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." .......   Wow!   I don't know about you, but that is a really scary summation for anyone in any church at any time!

OK, now to the point ... why did I go through this brief summation of these seven churches? ... Simply to warn all of us who are not walking in His light .... to warn those of us who have lost sight of our first love, Jesus Christ ..... to 'spiritually shake' those who have become 'lukewarm' ... to say to all of you that time is short and we MUST NOT take our Lord for granted!   Jesus laid out a clear 'floor plan' for us to follow - let us not take it for granted!

The following prayer is one that really sums up the condition of our society.  It was given by Minister Joe Wright at the Kansas State Senate in February of 2007.  It reads as follows:

"Heavenly Father, We come before you today ... To ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. ... We know your Word says,  "Woe to those who call evil good" but that is exactly what we have done. ... We have lost our spiritual equilibrium .. and reversed our values ...

.. We have exploited the poor .. and called it the lottery.

.. We have rewarded laziness .. and called it welfare.

.. We have killed the unborn .. and called it choice.

.. We have shot abortionists .. and called it justifiable.

.. We have neglected to discipline our children .. and called it 'building self esteem.'

.. We have abused power .. and called it politics.

.. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions .. and called it ambition.

.. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography .. and called it Freedom of Speech and Expression.

.. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers .. and called it enlightenment.

Search us, oh God ... and know our hearts today.  .. Cleanse us from every sin and set us free ...  Amen."

The response was immediate ... A number of legislators walked out during the prayer .. in protest.

Amos 8: 11-12 says, " 'The days are coming', declares the Sovereign Lord, 'when I will send a famine through the land --- not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. 12) Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from the north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.'"

The vast majority of churchgoers today soundly reject all prophetic warnings of a coming storm ....... indeed, the American church is the most blatant "feel-good" church in all of history.

What kind of condition will Jesus' people be in?  Will they have a vibrant faith? ... will they be looking for Him and yearning for His coming? ...or will they be preoccupied with the things of this world? .......... When Christ comes, will He find His church in the grip of false prophets and teachers who preach a message of false peace ... success ... riches ... good times? .......   I pray that we do not lose sight of our first love ... that being our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Until next time,

Red