The church of Sardis...

He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.  (Rev 3:5)

 Greetings. It has been a while since I wrote my latest post. Honestly, It feels good to write again and teach about the word of God. In this post, we are going to look at a few things that were an issue with the church of Sardis. These issues were so serious that God was threatening with removing their names from the book of life.                                                                           

 First, Sardis was once a church that was following the Lord and backslid. On the outside, the leadership was still talking about God and, probably, rejoicing and worshipping as normal.  God in his wisdom, saw right thru them and saw the condition of their hearts. The Message version gives us a view of what God saw- 

“I see right through your work. You have a reputation for vigor and zest, but you’re dead, stone-dead.  “Up on your feet! Take a deep breath! Maybe there’s life in you yet. But I wouldn’t know it by looking at your busywork; nothing of God’s work has been completed. Your condition is desperate. Think of the gift you once had in your hands, the Message you heard with your ears—grasp it again and turn back to God. (Rev 3:1-3) 

Second, the city of Sardis had great riches. It is believed that they had gold in their rivers. Riches and wealth are great tools to have and God wants us to enjoy his blessing, but they can be a snare to our souls when not used the right way. They can distract us from the ways of God and cause us to be lukewarm in our worship.

Third, it was a heavily fortified city built on a mountain. They had a strong military but they got puffed up in pride. They got so slothful that their guards slacked off. Even after suffering an attack by the Persians, they failed to heed the warning signs. They were, finally, conquered by the Greeks. Years later, They had a devastating earthquake that caused massive damage to that city. God fulfilled his promise of Judgement. (Rev 3:3)

Forth and final point, the Lord acknowledged the faithful ones in Sardis. Beloved, when you see your church fall short, do not immediately pack your bags and seek another church. The Lord might want you to stay there, pray and make a difference in the congregation. God recognized their loyalty and praised them for remaining steadfast. (Rev 3:4-5)

Summing it up, Let us learn from the church of Sardis and their shortcomings. When financial prosperity comes, let us use it wisely as a tool to glorify God. Again, it is not wrong to be rich but do not let it distract you from doing God's will. 

Guard your heart against pride. The city of Sardis had great pride in its military and its fortified city. Don't spend time in the past remembering God's glory and testimonies in your life. Strengthen your walk with God and avoid pride. 

The last point, be faithful to God. Whether it is in your church, job or marriage, seek the Lord before making a move. Who knows if God can turn your testings into your testimonies? God bless. 

Questions to Ponder--

1- Has your worship become routine? Have you slacked off in your worship and allowed distractions to sidetrack you?

2-Are you going back to memory lane and revisiting times when God was truly moving in your life and church? Are you dissatisfied with your church because you feel that something is missing?

3- Are you having trouble with your job, marriage, or even church? Have you given up and have a desire to move on? 

Prayer--Dear Lord, Help me to walk in your ways. Examine my heart, O Lord, and speak to me. Please forgive me, Holy Spirit, if I have grieved or quenched you in any way. Show me what things are distracting me from you. Show me areas of pride in my life so I can repent. Help me to be faithful in what you have entrusted me to do. Thank you, Lord, for speaking to me today. In Jesus' name. Amen.

The doctrine of the Nicolaitanes.

 

So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. (Rev 2:15)

                                Defining the word doctrine 

Greetings. In this Bible study, we will look into the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes. As you study Rev 2, you will find that God mentions the Nicolaitanes two times. When you see a word repeated in the Bible, pay attention. Doing so will help you find out what God is trying to tell you.

First, let’s define the word doctrine. Webster’s dictionary defines it as something that is taught. Teachings or instruction. The word of God places great importance on the doctrine of Christ. (Heb 6:1) What is God trying to tell us concerning doctrine? Correct doctrine is important and failure to adhere to it can have grave consequences

Let dig in further. The word Nicolaitanes comes from two Greek words. Nikos and Laos. Combining these words together means the conqueror of the people or laity. The Lord has placed Pastors as the authority of the local church. The Holy Spirit speaks to the Pastors first, and then to the church. Pastors are supposed to be hearing and guiding the church thru the Holy Spirit.

                                The root of false doctrine 

When the people override the Pastor’s authority, there is division. Respecting God’s spiritual authority in the church will bring you into a safe place. Everyone needs to know their place in the church so it can operate in peace and harmony. Miriam and Aaron got into trouble because they tried to override Moses's authority. (Numbers 12:1-9)

Most theologians believe that the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes came from Nicolas, one of the first deacons of the church. (Acts 6:1-5). The Apostle Paul had warned that out of the congregation would come division and strange doctrines. (Acts 20:30-31) This message would not be received in today’s modern user-friendly church. The church needs to receive correction and warnings so that they could be watchful and not allow the enemy place.

Let’s look at the life of Nicolas and how this false doctrine came into being–

• First, Nicolas might have been a charismatic person, finding fault with everything and everyone. Maybe, he wanted to go on his own (without being ordained) and have his own church.
• Another possibility is mixture. The mixture in the church could have played a role because some people in the church of Ephesus had books of curious arts (Witchcraft and sorcery–Acts 19:19).
• Finally,  it stands to reason since they were in a sexually liberal city, they had lowered their standards                  

                                                 Watch and pray 

It is not clear what happened, but false doctrine rose up to try to destroy the Ephesian church. God complimented them for their stand against those false teachings. What is the central message for us in this day and age? Watch! Brethren, now more than ever, we need to watch for false doctrine.

Some churches are lowering their standards. Holiness is a foreign word in some churches and grace is being perverted. It’s time to pray, stand firm in the Lord, and be vigilant. Let’s learn from this example and reject any false teachings in our lives. Pray and support your Pastor. Allow God to use him to bring about correction and order. Doing so will keep you on the right path and in a place of safety. God bless.

Have you left your first love?

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.(Rev 2:4)

In our past studies, we took a hard look at the church of Ephesus. This was a church that was founded by the Apostle Paul. It was a church that had tremendous growth. They won so many souls that they, practically, emptied the temple of Diana. The idol Diana brought great gain to the silversmiths, and this massive conversion to Christ affected their business. They, in return, stirred the mob against Paul and the church.

In spite of all this opposition, God protected Paul. The church overcame this obstacle and increased in size. God gave them uncommon favor with those in high places and they influenced that city for the Lord. We could conclude a happy ending to this story, right? Not quite, the Lord had a final say—They left their first love! How did they get so distracted and how does this apply to us?

Defining first love

First, let us address the topic of first love. There have been many interpretations about defining first love, but let’s look at Matt 22:37-38 —
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.

So, based on this verse above, we find that loving God is the first thing we should do. We could conclude by this that the Lord Jesus is our first love. He is before your wife/husband, family, job, etc. When you love someone, you do the things that please them. They have top priority,

Perhaps, the church was doing things in a routine way. When you get to see many miracles, signs, and wonders, it can get to be a routine. Another thought to this is their work in the ministry. Working for the Lord in ministry is good, but it can have its drawbacks.

Church Pastors can get caught up in helping the poor and other community ministry outreaches that it robs their time with God. After a while, they spend less time in prayer and Bible study. The results? Their sermons are improvised and not anointed. Finally, maybe many rich and influential members were pressuring its leaders to adopt worldly ways of doing things that were not right with God. A spirit of compromise could have been a major factor causing them to lose their first love.

It is an unknown issue what happened in that church. The main issue is that there was a falling away from God. They had grown cold towards God and lost their first love, but not all is lost. God had some answers to this problem.

Consequences and benefits

To further enhance this study, we will use the Amplified version. The Amplified version of the Bible gives us clarity on God’s ultimatum (Consequences and benefits). Let’s look at the following verses below–

So remember the heights from which you have fallen, and repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will] and do the works you did at first [when you first knew Me]; otherwise, I will visit you and remove your lampstand (the church, its impact) from its place—unless you repent. Yet you have this [to your credit], that you hate the works and corrupt teachings of the [a]Nicolaitans [that mislead and delude the people], which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who [b]overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], I will grant [the privilege] to eat [the fruit] from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.’(Rev 2:5-7)

God is threatening to remove their candle. What does this mean? This means that they will lose their influence with those in high places. They will not longer be making an impact on society. On the bright side, God has an answer to their problem. The answer is that if they get this matter corrected, they will eat the fruit of the tree of life. God is opening up heaven on earth again if they repent.
Proverbs 15:4 says that a wholesome tongue is a tree of life. This talks of dominion and authority. Your tongue can bring life and death. God has given us authority to tread on serpents, scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. (Luke 10:19)

As we study this subject further, God is addressing their authority. Their authority was at stake in this matter. They were at risk of forfeiting their authority because of their sin. The good news was that God was willing to take them to even deeper dimensions and blessings. The only thing that was required was repentance and correcting the problem of falling away.

They had a choice to make. The first one was to continue in their sin and forfeit their authority. The other alternative was to repent and correct the problem. God, always, gives us a choice. There is a saying that with great power comes great responsibility.

Personal application

As we ponder on this example, we need to ask ourselves–Have I lost my first love with Jesus? Here are some points to consider..

• Have I had so many answers to prayers that I become complacent and robotic in my service to the Lord?
• Have I allowed distractions to take away my time from the Lord?
• Have I been so involved in ministries and good works that I placed the Lord in second place?

Let us not cut the flow of blessings from God in our lives. God is a jealous God and he demands our time with him. Doing so will allow us to continue to eat from the tree of life and be an overcomer.

Reprint courtesy of the Christian corner community church. 

 

A look at the church of Ephesus--Part 2

 In our last Bible study, we had seen how God used the Apostle Paul to raise up a church in Ephesus. Ephesus was a city where the false God Diana was worshiped. That cult had a large following and its temple seated anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 people. It took Paul three years to establish the church and as a result of his efforts, there was revival.

How revival started in Ephesus.

Before we address how revival started in the city of Ephesus, we will see a series of events that occurred prior to that event. Let’s look at some points—

1. Paul spent some time ministering to twelve men. He made sure they were equipped and ready for the challenge. ( Acts 19:1-7)
2. Paul preached the gospel in the synagogues. He was not afraid to stand up to his beliefs. Unfortunately, many rejected his witness. (Acts 19:8-9)
3. Another door of opportunity opened up for Paul. Tyrannus had a place for Paul to teach the gospel unto others. This, in turn, allowed his students to preach the word and reach many in his surroundings.
4. God confirmed his miracles with signs and wonders (Acts 19:12)
5. An unsaved group of men tried to take upon themselves the casting of demons. The results were disastrous. (Acts 19:14-16)
6. This incident caused the church to examine themselves by the Holy Spirit. The church had allowed the mixture to creep in. They repented and burned all the books that had to do with curious arts such as Magic, Sorcery, and the Occult. (Acts 19:19)
7. The result was the growth of the word of God and souls coming to the kingdom

The backlash

As a result of these events, souls started to get saved and the temple was getting empty. Idolatry was big business and the silversmith industry was getting clobbered. No longer were the idols of Diana being sold. Demetrius led a mob with false accusations to kill Paul and stop this revival, but it backfired. (Acts 19:24-41)

Entering into God’s rest

The church of Ephesus, eventually, prevailed. They went on to exercise great influence on their city. They passed the test and God gave them rest to do his work in that area. Many believers have the mistaken idea that they need to suffer constant attacks from the enemy. It gives them a sense of comfort and assurance of their salvation. Yes, Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy but he can depart from you for a season.

Let’s look at the following points. First, the devil departed from Jesus for a season. (Luke 4:13). Would we conclude that there was something wrong with Jesus because the devil departed from him? No, Jesus passed his testings in the wilderness! The second point to consider is Acts 9:31. The churches had rest for a season. Passing your testings in life will cause Satan to depart from you for a season.

That is why it is so important to pray for those over us. God wants us to lead a quiet and peaceable life. (I Tim 2:1-3). Friends, there are times of rest that God gives us for our benefit. When we pray for those above us, it can influence our leader’s heart and give the church favor.

The third point is pleasing God. You can have a church in the midst of people who hate you. When you start looking to please God and be obedient to his calling, your enemies will be at peace with you. The fear of God will be prevalent and uncommon favor will follow.(Prov 16:7) 

One final point is understanding the word from a military point of view. The word of God calls us soldiers. (2 Tim 2:3) I was in the military myself and understood the importance of rest. Soldiers need time to rest. A much-needed rest will help them to enjoy the fruits of their labors. It will refresh them for the next battle to come.

End result

The end result of God’s rest is victory. The church of Ephesus was so influential that many ministries wanted to get it's stamp of approval. A stamp of approval would mean that they would expand to other areas, but it was not that easy.  The leadership at Ephesus had the gift of discernment. They knew whether the Apostles were sent or not. (Rev 2:1-3)

Another notable achievement with this church was following correct doctrine. The correct doctrine was very important. Discerning the false doctrines of its day–the Nicolaitanes caused the Lord to be pleased with their work. (Rev 2:6) All these achievements would make for a happy ending, but the Lord is not through. He noticed that they had fallen from their first love. In our next study, we will see how the Lord deals with this shortcoming.

Reprint courtesy of the Christian Corner community church.  

 

 

A look at the church of Ephesus...

In our last study, we saw the introduction of the seven candlesticks and stars. The Lord Jesus had appeared unto John in the midst of the candlesticks. He noticed that the Lord had the seven stars in his right hand. This imagery is interesting and symbolic as we will see below–

1. The Holy Spirit defined the stars as angels. The  Greek word for Angels is Aggelos, which means human messengers. These were the Pastors of the churches located in Turkey.
2. The candlesticks were defined as the churches.  There were seven churches mentioned —-

•  Ephesus–The Loveless church
• Smyrna–The Suffering church
• Pergamos–The Worldly church
• Thyatira–The adulterous church
•  Sardis–The dead church.
• Philadelphia–The faithful church
• Laodicea–The Lukewarm church.

The church of Ephesus

For the sake of our studies, we will take a look at the church of Ephesus. It is interesting what we will find described below–

Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; (Rev 2:1)

Let’s begin by taking a look at our Lord Jesus. Jesus came to earth to die for our sins. He rose up on the third day and is sitting on the right hand of the Father. Sitting is symbolic of rest. He completed his work on earth  There are times in which he has stood up for important events.

One good example was with Stephen. As he was getting ready to be martyred by the mob, he had a vision. Jesus stood up to honor Stephen. (Acts 7:55) In Rev 1:13, we see Jesus standing again in the midst of the candlesticks.

As we turn our attention to Rev 2:1, we see him walking. Jesus wanted to see the whole picture concerning what was happening in the churches. Walking among the churches gave him a better view of existing issues within that area. Let’s look at the following verses below —

I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. (Rev 2:2-3)

Notice how the Lord begins his conversation. I know thy works! The Holy Spirit is a gentleman. He starts off commending them for their good works. They labored (Worked hard in the ministry), exercised patience, and hated evil.

A blow against idolatry

It would do the body good to hate evil and love righteousness. It will bring a spirit of joy which, in turn, will give us strength. It gave the church of Ephesus the strength to do God’s work. (Heb 1:9) Joy is a powerful force.

One point to consider is the name of Ephesus. The word Ephesus means desirable. God desired to reach the city of  Ephesus. It was a stronghold for the godess Diana. Its temple housed a great multitude of people. It is believed that it seated about 20,000 to 30,000 people.

Idolatry was big business in that area. It brought great gain in the financial realm. Silversmiths were making good money craving the idol of Diana for the people. The Apostle Paul was sent by God to do his work in that area for about three years. God used him to bring about a mighty revival in that area.

The turning of the people from Diana to God affected the idol trade. Greedy and evil people stirred the mob against Paul, putting his life in peril. (Acts 19) God’s word prevailed, and the church developed tremendous revelation knowledge to win that whole city for the Lord. In our next study, we will see how important it is for believers to enter into God’s rest. We will, also, see some wonderful revelation knowledge that was brought to that church.

Prayer–Dear Lord, help me to apply this lesson to my life. Help me to love righteousness and hate iniquity. Restore the joy of my salvation. Use me to impact my family, community, and society–In Jesus's name. Amen.

Reprint courtesy of the Christian corner community church. 

 

Highlights of Revelation 1

 

Note-Welcome to our study of highlights of Revelation 1. We, highly, suggest that you pay attention to these highlighted words. As you click on these words, it will give you more material to help you in this study.

Chapter one of Revelation is filled with many wonderful insights. We can spend a month on just chapter 1 and not finish it. In this study, we are going to see the use of symbolism and its analogies. This is a timeless message for the church and its leaders. Let’s begin by looking at Rev 1:12-20—
12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

Six major points

As we study the verses above, we see six major points that stand out in these verses—

• John heard the voice of the Lord and saw seven golden candlesticks. (Rev 1:12) This symbolic meaning is defined as the seven churches. (Rev 1:20) Notice the word candlesticks. The Greek word for candlestick is Luchnia, which means a lamp.
  A lamp had Olive oil running through it with a wick for light. The light is the witness of the Holy Spirit. A true church of the Lord should be a light to the community, family, and nation.
• The Lord Jesus was dwelling in the middle of the Church. (Rev 1:13-15) He was and is observing everything the church does.
• The lamps were made of gold. Gold was a precious commodity even in those times. The church is precious to the Lord Jesus.
• The number seven. Seven is the number of completion. He sees the church complete in him. (In spite of having to bring about correction) The word says that we are complete in him. (Col 2:10)
• His feet of brass. (Rev 1:15) Brass speaks of Judgement. Many have misunderstood the meaning of grace. God’s grace will allow us a season to repent. Failure to do so will result in judgment.
• He had seven stars in his right hand (Rev 1:16) and out of his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword. The stars represent the angels of the church. Angels in the Greek text are defined as messengers. They are not literal angelic beings because they were being corrected. We, all, know that heavenly angelic beings are perfect and sinless. This is speaking of the Pastors of the churches.

Thoughts to ponder.

Where were these churches located? They were located in modern-day Turkey. Turkey had experienced a revival on a great scale that impacted its society, along with persecutions. The Lord Jesus had a prophetic word for them thru the Apostle John. John was in charge of the 7 churches located in Turkey.

Today, ruins remain as a testament to those churches. Turkey went through a series of changes. It is believed that radical Islamic invaders took over the churches, converted them into mosques, and forced Christians to convert to Islam. There are some pockets of churches and believers that still remain to this day. More to come.

Want to further your studies? Click on this link…https://bit.ly/3yMXSBp

Reprint courtesy of the Christian corner community church. 

Cave survival 101

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. (1 John 5:4)

 Life inside the cave

Are you in a cave? Believe it or not, you can benefit from your cave experience. Let’s look at the  Apostle John’s life. Living in a society that was hostile to the Lord, he went through great persecutions. Emperor Domitian demanded the people to worship him. Many Christians refused, preferring to worship the Lord instead. Since John had a leadership position in the church, the Emperor wanted to make an example of him. 

Tradition says that they took him to the Roman Coliseum, where they poured hot boiling oil on the Apostle John. Domitian, himself, was there wanting to make an example of him. Upon seeing that God preserved John, it caused many in the multitude to turn to Christ.

This event was too much for the Emperor to bear. He sent John to the isle of Patmos, where he would face an uncertain fate, but God had other plans. His protection was upon John and he found refuge in a cave.

It was in that cave that God met with him. He entered into a new dimension with revelation insights. A new level in which his message would resonate for generations to come. God gave him a series of messages for the 7 churches as well as insights for future events. For the sake of our study, we are going to define John’s cave as the cave of Banishment.

The Apostle John passed the test of his cave. Eventually, he was set free to preach the word again. (Rev 10:11) John was restored and got back everything that Satan had stolen from him. He lived a long life and died a natural death.

The Prophet Elijah

Elijah was a man with human frailties, just like all of us, but he prayed and received supernatural answers. He actually shut the heavens over the land so there would be no rain for three and a half years! (James 5:17–TPT)

When we think of the prophet Elijah, we think of power. Let’s look at some of his miracles…

• Prophesied a drought over Israel (I Kings 17:1,7)
• Elijah revives the widow’s son ( I Kings 17:17-24)
• Elijah confronts the false prophets, puts them to shame, and prays fire from heaven. (I Kings 18:20-40)

These and more miracles were accomplished by the hand of the Prophet Elijah. The miracle of Mount Carmel was unique. It was there that God manifested himself by fire. The false prophets were put to shame and killed by Elijah. Like Emperor Domitian, Jezebel hardened her heart.  She put a death sentence on Elijah!

Elijah, upon hearing about this, ran away. This mighty man of God was afraid and hid in a cave. His human nature took over causing him to be depressed. We will call this the cave of depression. It was at this time that God spoke to Elijah. He confronted him and gave some instructions to follow.

Among those instructions, there would be a change of command in his life. Elisha was going to over Elijah’s ministry. God had other plans for Elijah. He was going to take him up to heaven with a chariot of fire. Glory! What a beautiful illustration of the rapture of the church. He went from the cave of depression into glory!

The cave of victory

When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple:  He went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.  And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. (Matt 27:57-60)

Finally, we see another cave. This cave was Jesus’ burial site. It was sealed with a stone. Soldiers were guarding the body of Jesus. (Matt 27:63-65) It was a crucial and challenging time for his disciples. The work of the Lord seemed to suffer a setback, but God had other plans. Resurrection day came and Jesus rose from the dead. Glory!

In life, we will face testings and challenges. There will be caves in which we may have to dwell in. (Spiritually or naturally) The good news is that God wants you to pass the test. He wants you to rise above the circumstances and walk in victory. If you are in a cave, it is time to learn from your experience and come out. You are more than a conqueror!

Prayer-Dear Lord, Forgive me for complaining about my situation. Help me to learn and understand concerning my cave experiences in life. You have a plan for me. Use me for your glory. Help me to impact others in the years to come.  In Jesus’ name–Amen!

Reprint courtesy of the Christian corner community church.