Letters from Revelation 2 & 3

Jesus encourages the church in Ephesus for being loyal to the truth about Him. He also admonishes them for forsaking their first love. Like the Ephesians many Christians today have lost sight of what it looks like to be in love with God. When we find ourselves in this position we must remember what it was like to receive God's forgiveness, choose to change our direction, and move towards doing things we once did to cultivate a spiritual passion.

Jesus writes to the church in Smyrna that they are going to undergo suffering due to slander, poverty, and affliction. The ultimate cause of this suffering is Satan. Jesus tells them to not give into their fear - that they can be faithful when they go through suffering because: he has experienced suffering too, he knows what is going to happen to them, and he is able to give them what is truly valuable. We too can look to Jesus' call to faithfulness and pursue what's valuable.

Jesus encourages the church in Pergamum for not wavering on speaking the truth about Him. However, they were compromising in Jesus' moral leadership in their life. Many members were falling into sexual immorality and others were omitting the loving discipline that was needed to see restoration. We as a church, must be different in this area. The first place to start is by repenting and turning to Jesus' moral leadership in our life.

In Jesus' letter to the church in Sardis, he rebukes them for being spiritually asleep. They have relied on their reputation and stopped seeking to spread the message of Christ to people in need. Like this church, becoming spiritually complacent in our own life can be dangerous towards our effectiveness for Christ and personal growth. Luckily, Jesus gives a treatment plan for this struggle. He calls the church to wake up, repent, and embrace a life of faith expressing itself through love.

Jesus reveals in his words that he is the only way to God. The church in Philadelphia understood this truth. They were faithful to His Word and shared the gospel to the people in their city. We too can look to the opportunities that God gives us to share the gospel in our city. We can share with boldness and without fear, knowing that God gives us everything that matters.

In Jesus' letter to the church in Laodicea, he rebukes them for their wrong attitude towards wealth. He makes it clear that materialism can have no place in the church. Instead, Christians need to offer a contrast to what the world has to say about wealth. Followers of Jesus should be pursuing and enjoying his life-giving riches. Video testimony by Gary Ware.