To the Church in Ephesus
2:1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.
2 “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’
To the Church in Smyrna
8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.
9 “‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’
To the Church in Pergamum
12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
13 “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war 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 the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’
To the Church in Thyatira
18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
19 “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come. 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ (ESV)
Lots of red words from our Lord Jesus Christ – we had better know what this means! Rev 2:4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
Don’t miss this command: keep our joy for the Lord who saves and don’t fall into the rut of religion doing the things God commands and missing the relationship with Him who is worthy of all praise! It’s by Him and for Him that He made us to worship – let’s keep close to the source of all joy and love!
Bobby has preached on this so many times..and very well if you may ask! Awesome comment. :D
Thanks Bethany! Here is a link to the First Love sermon from Revelation 2:4-5!
http://www.compasschurch.org/hs/sermons/first-love/audio
YES!
ELLO… I read
I like verse 9,“‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.”
I like this verse because it is very straight forward about any church that isn’t the one of GOD. If a church doesn’t follow GOD’s preaching it is a church from the devil. I need to remember this when I talk to the mormons and other people who think they are doing the right thing because if I don’t preach to them and if they don’t get what I am saying they will spread their lies to everyone in their path. I need to make sure that I am preaching to those who claim to be following GOD but who are actually following the devil.
CYA
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
In the writing to each of the churches, there is first encouragement for what they are doing well, followed by the things they need to change. These two verse come when Ephesus is being addressed. They have received encouragement for their patient endurance and not growing weary and their hate of evil and testing of those who claim to be apostles but don’t live like it. And after this, Ephesus has abandoned their first love. When someone gets saved, they are typically extremely bold telling everyone they see about their salvation and they are loving Jesus Christ so much for saving them from the punishment all men rightfully deserve for sin. Yet as many things play roles as distractions, and time goes by, some begin to lost their fire. They aren’t as lit up for Christ as they once were around the time they got saved.
I need to not drop in my love for Christ, but instead, take the level of my first love for Christ and heighten it more and more, taking it to the next level continually as I grow up and mature in the faith. I need to keep my eyes focused on God that the things of this world won’t distract me. As we did this weekend when Pastor Bobby spoke, I need to be taking time to really reflect on all that Christ has done for me, as he died for me, how gruesome and horrific of a death he endured, in addition to the beating and being spit on and yelled at. And even all of this together, couldn’t compare to what he suffered spiritually. Instead of slacking off away from my first love, I need to be growing in loving God more and more! As I have been loved by him so can I love, so there is no limit! I need to be all out in seeking to love God more and more, never letting the fire start to burn out, but instead continually dump lighter fluid to make it burn stronger and stronger!
wow- well said steffen!
thanks michelle :)
While I was reading this chapter, all of it just reminded me of God’s power and how majestic He is. After reading through Genesis, there were some that always did what the Lord said because they feared God more than man…He is the creator of allllll things. The midwives that were called by pharaoh to kill all the new born male babies, were blessed because they feared God more than man…God has emphasis on this! He shows me that it is SO important to fear the Lord! Man may kill the body but he cannot kill the soul! (Mat. 10:28). God can destroy both body and soul in Hell…Now that is a scary thought! It makes me think about how IIII need to think more on the lines of fearing God instead of maaaan…I had something else in mind too but I forgot….dang, it was good stuff..all well! It will come back to me! :D MARANATHA! Jesus Christ, come soon!
20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
The church in Thyatira was noted as having excellent endurance, love, faith, and works. But one thing they did that angered Jesus was that they tolerated false teachings and sin, specifically from the woman Jezebel. Jezebel was leading people astray and causing some people in the church to practice idolatry and immorality, and instead of fighting the false doctrine and sin, the people let it go. This really struck me hard, because I need to take sin more seriously in my life. While I don’t know of any false prophet who is causing me to stray from the Word of God, I do have things in my life that tempt me and things that can become idols. Sometimes I give into this sin, but don’t eliminate the source, just like the church at Thyatira didn’t eliminate the woman Jezebel and stand against her acts of morality. I am praying that in my life I can be described as one who loves, has faith, has works, and has great endurance, but also that doesn’t tolerate idols, false teaching, or sin in my life!
“…eliminate the source…”
Dude. What an awesome, powerful insight regarding temptation and sin. We hafta HAVE TO weed it OUT of our lives. Thank you for posting this, Cam.
Reading through this chapter I happened to notice for the first time what is said before the churches are all talked about. In verses 1, 8, 12, and 18 they all talk about the Lord and how majestic He is!
‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.’
‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.’
‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.’
‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.’
All of those descriptions were talked about in the last chapter, but its important to remember these! The Lord is not a little lamb that people draw Him as; He is a mighty lion, with His robe dipped in blood and we need to fear Him above all! Anything that stands in the way of us wholeheartedly following Him is blocking what He has commanded us!!!
11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’
The second part of this verse is awesome! Everything we do here on earth will receive the best rewards in heaven. The world is very critical and will look down upon us as we spread the Gospel, but that is expected. We need to ignore all those rude comments and focus on our eternal prize. When judgment comes and God oversees who has done what to glorify him; i definitely know i want to have known that i have done everything i could to praise Him. In our “second death,” we won’t experience God’s eternal wrath if we live for Jesus!
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
Throughout this chapter God is telling the seven churches what they are doing right, and praising them for it, and then telling them what they are doing wrong and what they need to change. This verse in particular follows his praise of the church in Ephesus. When I read through verse 4, something clicks in my head. Back in December, I think, Pastor Bobby talked about how when we first become christians we are “on fire” but after a while, our fire slowly burns out, and we aren’t as excited for our salvation and for Jesus Christ. This ‘situation’ can be related to dozens of things, but there’s one in particular that I think of immediately.
One thing that I’m always told by people who are newly married is this: don’t just get married and then forget the romance because you are married. Go on dates, spend time doing what you did when you were still dating. Watch movies together, go to the beach etc. Although that doesn’t really seem like it applies to our relationship with God, it really does. Once we become Christians, we kindof just let the ‘romance’ die away. When I first became a Christian, I couldn’t stop reading the Bible and telling people around me about my new life in the Lord. I can’t remember the last time I went out evangelizing. I have let the ‘romance’ in my relationship with God die out.
Verse 4 talks about how God is disappointed in us because we abandoned our first love. My goals this coming year, and for the rest of my life, are to make sure that I don’t let my fire burn out, start evangelizing, and constantly feed the fire with fuel from the Word of God.
Great comment Megan! That’s exactly what Jesus tells them to do later when he says repent and do the works you did at first. Brand new Christians are known for always wanting to read the Bible and tell others how Jesus has saved them! Let’s make sure we are doing these two things today!
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
I am so excited that we are reading Revelation! These two verses really touched me, I need to work on being more on fire for the Lord and and not let myself get lazy and turn against God. During our times of struggles God is testing us and he never gives us something we can’t handle. Once we are at our high place and everything seems to be going right we should still look back at our lows and see how far we have come and keep up the work you did to bring you to that high place like praising God, and glorifying Him. If we don’t do these things thats when we get to the low places in our lives, because we decide to do the things that we think is best for us and not what God knows is best for us.
Making concession for any sin, while claiming Jesus Christ’s Name, is sinful and hated by Jesus, and we ought to check ourselves. I remember when Pastor Bobby preached on Love Triangles the weekend that New Moon came out. I was sitting by someone who was audibly and adimantly defending her desire and freedom to entertain the temptations (that ultimately give birth to sin), that come along with walking the line. Lot and his wife walked the line, by choosing to live right on the outskirts of a sinful city. They made concession that since they were not IN the city, and simply on the outskirts, they were doing just fine in their walk. But when we set ourselves in the lap of temptation, we are ignorantly acting in pride. And pride always comes before the fall. Lot’s wife ended up looking back on her old life, and she turned into a pillar of salt for it.
What a powerful call to check my OWN heart, and see what areas I’M making concession for, allowing temptation to be conceived, thereby being pregnant with sin that is growing in its incubation. I need to make sure that I am exercising ABSTINENCE from sin.
10cBe faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
As I read Revelation 2 I could not help but wonder what Christ’s letter to Compass Bible Church would look like… The churches of Ephesus, Pergamum, and Thyatira are given both commendation and rebuke by Christ. The church of Smyrna is not given a rebuke, only a commendation for being spiritually rich and enduring persecution. I pray that Christ’s letter to CBC would look like the letter to Smyrna! The Smyrnaites are promised the crown of life and that they will not be hurt by the second death…yes, please! I pray that we would all take the way we live our lives seriously. Christ is watching and one day we will all be rewarded according to what we did to obey Him on earth. This morning I was encouraged to persevere through suffering and trials because living a life that glorifies God is so worth it!
Awesome comment! I didnt even think of it that way. Its awesome to see it in a different perspective (:
5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place, unless you repent.
Jesus is talking to the church in Ephesus saying that they need to change their ways or he is going to remove their lamp stand from its place.That is sad that the church has not been willing to do the will of God. Christ has to punish them!!! In this verse I can see that Christ takes the church seriously. I pray I can take my relationship with Christ seriously!!!!
MARANATHA
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
Pastor Bobby has talked about this in many of his sermons and how many have lost their first love. I need to be on FIRE fro Christ 24/7 365 days a year(or 366 if its leap)! Jesus died and if it weren’t for Him we all would be condemned to hell and would not have a chance to spend eternity in heaven. But He did die and we can be in eaven through repentence and faith! :]
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
This was at the end of each letter to each church so far. And you want to know something funny, we all have ears that God made and put on us(some may have a strange ear but they still have one). Some may not hear too well or not at all but we still need to listen to what God is saying through His Word. So when I read(vision) the Word, I am listening to what happened and what God is saying and I need to do as He says. He has a purpose, now lets do it. :]
***GOD HAS A PURPOSE AND A PLAN!!!***
19 “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
I find it interesting to see how in some ways Jesus is giving an atta boy to the church of Thytaria, but then he hits them with a strong warning. These were people that were in it and doing good works. They had evidence in their lives of a strong faith. Much like people at compass or true north. So where did they go wrong? They hadn’t gone off the deep end or embraced a life style of sin, but they were tolerating it. V 20 says “But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel” Man this really stood out to me. What does it mean to be tolerant of something? This is one of the definitions I came across…”allow the presence of or allow (an activity) without opposing or prohibiting” This church new this lady was in sin but they just allowed her to keep doing her thing and no one was stopping it. This really got me thinking what is it in my life that I tolerate? That I know is sin and is wrong but yet I allow it to continue to have a presence in my life. If we haven’t learned through 1 2 3 John and now Revelation GOD HATES SIN. It doesn’t matter if its a small sin or a big sin. If its a sin you are commiting or a sin you are “hanigng” around. It is all sin and he hates it all. When we tolerate sin in our life we are just as guilty as the one who is practicing it. Because by tolerating it we are putting our stamp of approval on it and saying “well its not that bad”.
What is the sin you are tolerating? Is it the movies or TV shows you watch, the books you read, the music you listen to, the friends you hang out with, the OMG’s that come flying out of your mouth or your friends mouths, the disrespect to parents and then trying to reason why you responded that way, The list can go on forever.
One thing I know I tolerate to much is entertainment. Hollywood is always trying to throw sexual imorality in our faces in the movies and the Tv shows we watch. Every time you choose to watch the show or movie that you know is not honoring God you are tolerating sin. Anytime you are making the excuse “Oh its not that bad” you are tolerating sin. We may not have a Jezebel in our church but we have many Jezebels in the entertainment we watch or the books and magazines we read.
As christians we need to Stop tolerating the sins of the world and stand up for righteousness. That may mean throwing away a lot of movies you own or deleting $100 worth of music on you ipods, or loosing some friends, but would you want Jesus to have something against you when he returns? We are called to live holy lives separate from this world. If there are sins you are tolerating today put them to death so that when people see your good deeds they will praise God in heaven.
1 Peter 2:12 says Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
If there are sins you tolerating today put them to death so that when people see your good deeds they will praise God in heaven.
Pretty convicting stuff–thanks, Alicia!
7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
First of all, I love how Christ keeps repeating (because its important to remember) that if I have an ear, I need to pay attention to the instructions he is giving because they are meant for me also. Then he ends each letter with a promise. He says that those who are able to (through Christ) conquer, he will give eternal life. This reminds me why I am trying to be, and why the Spirit is forcing me to be different from those living for this world. I am living in daily repentance for Christ, because He is holy, good, and faithful. Like some already noted, Christ is described as a powerful and scary person, with a double-edged sword! He is paying attention to what I am doing for Him, and he will reward justly. I need to be working even harder on serving Christ in my everyday life because Christ is SERIOUS when he tells us that we should be serving him.
29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
After each commendation/condemnation of a church, Jesus says the same thing…”He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” He doesn’t say, “This message is JUST for this church.” He asks anyone with an ear to listen to what He is saying to the churchES. As we read all of the church messages I want to be a person with an ear. I want to be sure not to make the same mistakes as some of these churches. I don’t want to leave my first love, I don’t want to tolerate sin or follow false doctrine. I want to have a repentant heart and be receptive to the words of Christ.
21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.
This verse illustrates God’s patience with sinners. He gives them time to repent before His just wrath punishes their wrong doings. When I take the gospel personally, it is amazing that God patiently endured all the provacation of my many sins before he granted me the ability to repent. 1 Peter 3:9 say, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentence.”
One of my favorite things about God is His patience….I deserve nothing but Hell. God rocks by being patient with me…again and again …and again…
This is INTENSEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!wwwwwooooooahhhhhh…….this has to be one of most intense passages of the Bible.
To the Church in Smyrna
8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.
9 “‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’
Thinking about verse 9…
Satan is going to throw Christians in jail in the end times, Satan is going to kill Christians in the end times also. It’s going to be horrible. The Church of Smyrna, Jesus says is going to have to go through it 10 days of this suffering. WOULD I BE READY TO DO THIS? I think I would…I’m thinking, you know as Christians we should be willing to do this! If we have counted the cost of following Christ, if we have given up anything. We will do this!
23 …And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.
This verse reminds me of the first street cred sermon that talked about hypocrisy. I want people to know that I’m Christian by my works and the way I treat others. When people talk about me, I want them to say how nice I am or how selfless and that I am obviously a woman of God. The only one that can create that reputation for myself is, well, me.
The part about the church in Thyatira reminds me that I need to get rid of whatever is leading me away from Christ. Someone commented earlier and said “eliminate the source” which really puts in perspective.
I pray that for the rest of the week, I will eliminate the sources that are leading me astray and that I will start establishing my street cred.
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
Ahhh okay so that is like a super scary thought. After awhile of being a Christian, it’s like you don’t have the same excitement or love for Christ because you aren’t on fire anymore! We need to continuously pump ourselves up for Christ’s sake! I mean that’s what Revival is for as well as just going to church every week and being in God’s Word! The scary part about this is that if we don’t put our love for God first, then we could be removed from the Book of Life. The first commandment is to have no other gods/idols before God and so many people today are still letting that happen, whether it’s school, sports, relationships, cars, etc. We can’t let our love for those things overshadow our love for Christ. He isn’t in the background. He should ALWAYS be put first!!
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
Wow, another fascinating chapter to read:) Verse four popped out at me because I need to make sure I never lose my first love. God should always come first and I should never love anything else more than Him. Who else died for me? Jesus deserves all my love. Jesus also warns this church that he has the power to take away their lampstand. Metaphorically, I need to make sure this never happens to me. I should always be a burning light for God and never let anything extinguish my passion for Him. I need to practice more good works and not fall astray.
23 …And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.
This is a good verse that reminds me that although good works doesnt fully bring repentance, it is a neccestiy. And obviously, God wants to see good works.
“3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.”
It’s so common to see people get saved and then immediately want to do as much as they can to serve God.
Unfortunately, in many cases this longing to please God fades away over time.
But this passage makes it very clear that this should not be happening! Our desire to please God should never fade away. Instead, it shoud be in a constant state of growth–constantly drawing us closer to God.
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
I loved this verse and reading about what other people had to say about it. When I read it I was totally reminded of Bobby’s messages about this. It is so easy for every christian to remember when they first were saved and how on fire they were, but now that fire has died down. I need to check my life and make sure that I am even more excited about Christ and willing to do what He wants for my life.
At the start of each chapter Jesus said “I know …(some good you do)”…. then says “BUT i have this against you”. And i love that. Because so often i find myself hearing the affirmation for the good, and forget to listen to the BUT. We all have room for improvement when it comes to being righteous, and it is made pretty clear how God feels about ignoring his authority. Gods wrath is pretty frightening, and in the passage its made clear just how powerful he is, removing lampstands of those who don’t repent (scary…?), and killing the children of adulteresses. But in the same way He shows his power in His grace and gives those who do follow Him little worldly blessings and presents in heaven. Im pretty sure what Gods trying to get at here is simply to keep ourselves in check.
I know a lot of people commented on this verse already, but it really stuck out to me as i read this chapter:
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
Although my parents can be considered my first worldly love, Jesus Christ is my main love- He is my life now. So i wickapedia’d the word ‘love’ and here is what i found: Love is any of a number of emotions related to a sense of strong affection[1] and attachment. The word love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure (“I loved that meal”) to intense interpersonal attraction (“I love my wife”). This diversity of uses and meanings, combined with the complexity of the feelings involved, makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, even compared to other emotional states.
Love has such a diverse meaning when talking about different topics and things. But when i really think of the word ‘love’ and how i feel about it, i think of a love that is unchanging, a love that is sacrificial, love that is like humility and others centered, love that is completely unconditional- true love. God is love. I dont want to abandon my love for God. His love for me is unconditional. And being an imperfect human, my love isnt. But i want so badly for it to be! I dont want to look back over my life and think “well i loved God more when this happened…” NO! My love for the Lord should be the closest thing to unconditional as i can even comprehend. God is so awesome and i am so undeserving of His love for me…i think it would be pretty un legit if i temporarily loved the God who sent His son down for me to DIE A PAINFUL DEATH FULL OF GODS ULTIMATE WRATH all for me and you. i laugh at myself when i think of how stupid i am to even put a limit on my love for the Lord- not that i have, but just the thought of it is rediculous! I want to have an ultimate love for Him always! Not a love like the love of this world, but a love like Gods! I pray that ill do that forever!
Maranatha!
I read…
In this chapter, Jesus gives a letter to the angel of each church He is writing to. In these letters He tells them their strengths and weaknesses. One thing we have to ask ourselves is, What would God say to our church? One thing I noticed that turns some people off to our church is that some of us are too judgmental to non-Christians. I sometimes fall into this same category where I am not loving to a non-Christian because I think I am better than them. This should not be my attitude towards them since they are still dead in their sins and cannot stop. I pray that God would soften my heart towards them while still keeping my hardcore-ness for the Gospel.
10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
This is such a strong verse. A lot of times i grow worried about worthless things like what ill get on a test, or what run ill have to do in track. Those are all pointless. As christians it is a sin to worry, because its kind of a diss to God saying, “Im worried, but wont put my trust in you.” Its a problem i think we all struggle with, some more than others. I know that by the time i get down to the track and hear we have a 5 to 8 mile run, all i do is complain, and get worried. Its so incredibly stupid of me to do that because now im affecting others and not being a good example of a christian. As a christian girl i need to have a gentle and calm spirit, and trust in the Lord that He will help me threw it. This verse also reminded me of trials. Most of the time when trials come, i usually either freak out, or tell kelsey about it before God! Its a struggle im facing and its up to me to pray to God for help. Besides, no one else can truly help me except God. He is always there to catch us when we trip!!! :D
nice comment I like the trusting God action!! Need to rely on Him way more in every area of my life. I often forget how worthy Jesus is, but His word always reminds me.
10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
This verse stuck out to me because it shows that God puts us through many tough trials. He put the church to the toughest test with Satan so that He could see if they remain faithful, even though they were going to suffer greatly. In the end, if the church remained faithful then God rewarded them with everlasting life in heaven. He does this to us every day; our faith is constantly being tested and sometimes it’s hard to pass trials. With his strength, trust, and love, we should be able to conquer these tribulations all for the glory of God.
3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
This seems to throw a curveball right in the path of this church. Jesus congratulates them for enduring for Christ and not growing weary of Him. BUT, He says that they have lost the love for Jesus that they once had. Therefore, they still need repentance (v.5). What? I thought that just doing what God asks is loving Him! Not according to Jesus, because someone that doesn’t love Him can still preach His word, but they still need repentance. I pray that I NEVER lose that love of Jesus and that no matter how hard things may get, I will both endure for Him and continue to love Him for how great and awesome He is!
26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father.
This verse encourages me to finish the race strong. God wants us to do good works so that it will glorify him. The verse shows me that if I keep doing that then I can rule with a rod of iron. That makes me want to strive to serve God with all that I have.
3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
To me this shows someones fire going out. Those first months that you become a Christian you are on fire and are just on fire for Christ but if you think of now do you still have that same fire. I admit that when i first became a Chrsitian I was so on fire and i will admit that i am dying out. We all need to hold strong and just love the Lord and remember what he has done for us and be as on fire as you were when you first started to know Christ. I have been getting better but I need to stay on fire and not make excuses and be red to represent the Lord.
I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
I’ve seen in my own life & others’ how easy it is to fall into the routine of “churchianity.” Even under persecution, this church had lost its first love, & what’s worse…Christ calls them to REPENT! I have to constantly check my motives to be sure I’m acting out of love for Christ, not my “Christian” reputation. I hate hypocrisy…especially in myself!
I found it interesting how Christ starts out his messages to the churches with “notes of encouragement” on their positive behaviors and then goes into their faults. It reminded me of how I treat my own sin at times. I look at my life and develop sort of a pride in self righteousness and don’t dwell enough on how I’m sinning against God. I need to do the exact opposite and humble myself like Christ!! :D
25 Only hold fast what you have until I come.
Love the red words :) We all need to “hold fast” to our faith. The Bible says the anti-Christ will be extremely charismatic, and in our day and age, it’s easy to give into charismatic, intriguing people, it’s just how it works. We need to be above it and hold on till Jesus comes again :)
23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.
As in all things, God will reward us for our works depending on what we deserve for our hard work. We must keep our eyes fixed on God and not on things of the flesh. We must continually obey his commands even when it seems difficult or unfair like respecting our teachers whom we may find unfair. To disobey God’s law is one of the worst sins if not the worst.
11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’
Christ conquered death and because I believe in Him and I follow Him and I put my faith in Him, I will conquer the second death. It really isn’t me though, it is God who saved me. I feel so joyful that he did this; God is awesome! God, let me remember what you did on the cross at all times so I won’t sin. Amen.
5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent
I know at times it can be rough for me to to stay as on fire as I was when I first became a christian but at times, I just lose focus on what I really need. If I become lazy and not do (as put in this verse) the works I did at first, I will be in sin and I need to remember that (and that I need to repent of my laziness). But I also need to remember what God saved me from which makes me want to do works for Him. I pray that I would remember this daily and try all through out the day do works to bring God glory, for He saved me.
20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.
intense set of verses, but put in a similar sense I’d have to say that God hates it when we dont say anything around people saying and/or doing inaproppriate things. I thought the “apologetics” event last wednesday was really cool and so I remember the time when John was talking about cults :)
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
This is a great verse. Here we see that CHRIST admonishes a church because they have abandoned their first love, CHRIST, and that if they did not repent, they would be demolished. I need to make sure that CHRIST comes first in my life.
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
I remember how on fire i was when i first became a christian, and my life needs to be constantly at that level of excitement for the lord! It says remember the height from which you have fallen, and this makes me think of all the things i did right after i became a Christian, how much more i shared the gospel, and that means that i should be doing it just as much now! I need to always be looking back and taking note of how i should be living so that it is always bringing God glory.
23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.
God is not like us. If you haven’t already figured that out;) But really, this verse states one of the many reasons God is not like us: He searches mind and heart. As humans, our only ability is to search the outside. We can get to know someone and know their heart…But it is still only what they say and what they tell you, not the heart itself in all honesty. But God DOES see you heart and your mind. He searches it all the time…Doesn’t that make you stop and think? It definitely effected me that way. When God does a “heart or mind check” I want him to find it glorifying to him, not defiled and gross and evil. I want him to find a heart that loves him and wants to do what He commands me to. As for my mind, I want him to find a mind that is constantly meditating on His Word and commands. I want him to find a mind that is brainstorming ways to exalt His Name higher and higher. This is what I want my Lord to find when he “checks” me. So I should be in His Word daily, at least, and meditating on it (memorizing included). Also, I need to be close to Him in prayer.
Marantha!!!!
AMEN SISTER! Solid comment. Never really thought of that verse the way you put it. Nice job! :D
~ Ariana Mishreki ~ :)
23 “…And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.”
This verse (and the whole chapter really) reminds me of our study of 1 Samuel. As we saw with God’s choice of David, the Lord looks at what’s in our hearts, not at our outward appearance. Saul’s inability to give his whole heart to God led to God finding someone else who would. I know that I want God to use me for His great work. In this chapter the Lord is also very clear that He will one day (hopefully one day soon) judge everyone for their actions. I’m grateful that God not only has saved me from “the second death” but that he’s made it clear through his word what I need to seek in my life and what I need to avoid. I know I have no excuses. God is a just God, and though I know I too will one day be judged, I know my judgement will be more than fair since God has already rewarded me beyond what I deserve. I praise God for his holiness and justice.
I love this chapter because it is so amazing to hear what Jesus Christ directly says to the Christians in these churches about the sins he holds against us. Our Lord is speaking to us, let’s obey!
To the church of Ephesus he reminds us never to forget our first Love! I am sure a lot of us Christians can admit that we have cooled off for Christ and have (as Pastor Bobby once said) “gotten used to our salvation.” That is ridiculous! Our love for Christ should grow daily as we know him better..
16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.
God is holding the people personally responsible for the sin of the people affiliated with their church. This is definitely a call to me to evaluate the people I spend time around. As a Christian at school, I need to be a light to the people around me. If they see me in groups with people who are not following Christ – even if I am not necessarily engaging in the same sin as them – it will hurt my reputation, and therefore Christ’s. I need to be reaching out daily to them, but I cannot allow myself to give “silent approval” to sin by tolerating it without standing up for what I know to be right, even if it means losing friendships.
Today’s scripture really showed me how important it is to repent! In the passages, Jesus is pointing out what the churches are doing right, and what they are doing wrong. He dosn’t just tell them they are awful for sinning however, he tells us we must repent!! that is how we will be forgiven of our sins! i pray that when i repent of my sins, that i really mean them and am not just saying words! I also pray that i will always love Jesus like I did the first time, when i first learned of his awsome works in my life and how he had saved me from the eternal suffering i deserved!
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
The excitement for Christ in my life everyday should be as though I just became a Christian! All to often I do not do this. What Christ did for me was the greatest gift I could ever receive! I want my life to be overflowing with thankfulness for his sacrifice and constantly striving to obey His commands. I’m praying that I would never lack in fervor for my Savior!
21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.
As some have alreadypointed out, this verse just goes to show us how patient the Lord is with the sinner. He always gives them a chance to repent before he judges them for their sin. This also just shows us how loving our God is becuase He is willing to give us time to repent even though He could just punish us all for our sins and shortcomings whenever He wants to.
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
I have been guilty of serving without serving my God, I had forgotten Him. I was going through the motions and realized that I had forgotten who I was serving and that is a HUGE issue. I pray that I never forget again
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent
Verse 4 was convicting to me. I need to love Jesus more and loosen my grip on the things I love in this world. I am going to repent and do things that I used to do like reading the gospels so that I will have a passionate love for Jesus.
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
this is one of the worst plagues on high schoolers today. when we become a Christian its not about a crush, or a warm feeling you get at a church camp or worship service. its about Loving God with all your heart and giving you life to Him. its about repentence and faith. these verses for some reason are hard for alot of people to swallow but we need to preach it to them clearly. i need to go more out of my way to preach this fearlessly so hopefully people wont drift away from the faith.
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent
This a good reminder that we need to stay on fire for Christ always!! I remember a sermon on how new Christians in their “honeymoon phase” are on fire and really pumped for their new faith, but then all their passion goes away after a while. We need to have fervor always!!
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
so many christians are all jazzed on jesus at first and full time for him then they lose there first love, god does not like this..and from the verse it says he holds this against us, we need to make sure we dont do this
10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Whatever we suffer for Jesus Christ here on earth is only a small fraction of how long eternal life will be. Why wouldn’t you want to suffer short term compared to suffering forever? especially if it’s for Jesus who loved us first, by suffering completely for our sins when he lived a perfect life by giving us opportunity of a new life, to be released from every sinful thing we have ever done. Living 100% for Jesus Christ is the best way to live, even if it means dying and being persecuted for it!
26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations,
I want to be one that keeps Christ’s works until the end. I do not want to grow weary and give up. I cannot view ministry as taking away from my life but view ministry as my life and see the rest of my life distracting me from my ministry. God will reward those who faithfully keep his commands to the end.
Wow another great chapter. It just keeps getting better and better. I love it talks about how Gos really knows us. God is really the only person who truely knows who we are. He knows us by the heart that we have. Just like in the sermon Pastor Bobby was talking about at winter revival(2010). God doesn’t care what is on the outside he really only looks at the heart. Even our pastors don’t even know that some of us act different when we are at church. These chapter reminds me that God always knows who I truely am.
Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.
Fauthfulness is one of the greatest virtues, and one of the best things I can accomplish in life is faithfulness to God. The last sentence of verse 11 speaks of how one who becomes a child of God and repents by accepting Christ’s salvation will not die a second death in hell. I think it’s cool how even though people say that “we all die”, that’s not necessarily true, because there will be a generation of people who get taken up by Christ when he returns for the Rapture and therefore they will never have laid in a grave (physically) and they will be spiritually lifted up without having had people on earth mourn their body’s death. (so i don’t necessarily agree with that statement people commonly use by Ben Franklin that says “two things are inevitable in life: death and taxes”…besides, taxes don’t exist in every place, like the Bahamas for ex., and like I said, death might not be inevitable for us because we may be the generation that Christ returns to). I want to remain faithful and achieve one of my life goals–to save someone spiritually–before Christ returns :)
25 Only hold fast what you have until I come.
It so important that we keep hold of Gods commands, untill the day He returns. It seems like a long and endless battle against sin, but it will be nothing compared to the amazing time we will have in Heaven with God. Christians think that this battle against sin is going to seem like forever. It will be over before we know it, and we will have a reward in Heaven to look forward to. I need to think of the reward I will reveive in Heaven before I think of being disobediant to God. It isnt being overruled by sin, because I have the choice. Its me being disobediant. This constant battle with sin will remain till the day we die or when Christ returns, but I have to push throught it, with the reliance on God.
As a pastor (or shepherd), it is interesting to see how Jesus (the Good Shepherd) speaks to his churches. One theme in all of these letters is that Jesus cares about the purity of his church. He wants it be do doctrinally and morally pure. As a pastor this needs to be my desire for the people of True North. In my example, in my teaching, and in my personal interactions with students, I want to encourage every one to hate sin and error as much as Jesus expresses in these verses.
From these several comments from Christ, concerning the churches (i.e. Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, and Thyatira), it seems that in every church their is a place of improvement. Some more than others, for the situations are different. But Jesus places a lot of concern of having a holy church, and if not, they should repent.
I wonder what Jesus would say about True North? I’m sure He would have good things to say, but inevitably he would tell us that we need to repent in some certain areas.
Therefore we, as a body, as True North, should work together, encouraging one another, spurring each other on towards love and good works, leaving no excuse for sin, but together pursuing righteousness. As it says in 1 Corinthians we should be like-minded and moreover have the mind of Christ. In Romans 12 it says we should, if at all possible, be at peace with everyone.
I’m excited to make peace with my brothers and sisters in Christ, to God be the glory forever and ever amen!
Maranatha!
7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches
This is a great verse about evangelism. It is saying that to whoever can hear, tell the gospel to. I need to be evangelizing more. I pray that I would have the earnestness to strike up evangelism conversations and that the Lord would give me courage and the right words to say.
5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.—This is big because many times I say that I am not going to keep on sinning but then I go back to my old ways! I really need to be trying my best to strive for perfection and to be like Jesus Christ who lived on earth WITH temptation and avoided it! I need to really make Jesus my only example. I want to give the Lord my life and I am giving it to him to do whatever he wants with it!! I do not want to fit in with the world, I want to be all in for Christ! Praying that I can learn from my old ways and repent and make sure that I am making that change.
Break my heart for what breaks yours! Everything I am for your kingdom’s cause! Open up my eyes to the things unseen!
MARANATHA!!!
STRIVE for PERFECTION! It cannot be completed on our own, but because of what Christ did we can join Him in Heaven now! (Our new perfect bodies are gonna rock so much!) cant wait..
5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.
It is so important to repent of our sins and turn away from them! So many people expect God to forgive us and take his forgiveness for granted! Dont use it as a tool, but rather a blessing! He died for us and paid our debt, so is our response to continue sinning because we know he will forgive? NO! We must treasure his forgiveness and sincerely repent of our sins and turn away from them!!! SOmetimes i pray about something for a really long time and realize that i am not even making the effort to go against it. I just keep falling in it everytime when i should try to stay out of it and turn from that sin or temptation!
Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
I really liked this part of verse 9! We must always be faithful and not hypocritical! In the end, if we remained faithful and stuck to our faith and trust in God, we will receive the crown of life-eternal life in Heaven(:
AMAZING!! Great encouragement! I loved what you said about how we need to “treasure his forgiveness.”
20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
While God initially praised the Thyatarians for their love, faith, and patience, he rebukes them for tolerating sin in their congregation. Rather than putting out the woman who was practicing sexual immorality, they allowed her to freely practice her sinful behavior while attending church. My first reaction to this is a bit of shock that the Christians in Thyatira would refuse to appropriately deal with the sin in their midsts even after confronted with the truth. However I soon realized that I do the very same thing in my own life! I am convicted of my sin, but refuse to take the action neccesary to romove it from my heart. May I never tolerate sin! I pray that my heart would learn to hate the sinful things that God hates.
These are all words from Jesus Christ! That is so awesome to me! Ok, in verses 4 and 5 it tells us not to lose our first love. “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” This is something that happens to a lot of Christians, the excitement and fire for Jesus that one has when they are first saved dwindles out as life and trials hit them. That is yet another reason why it is so imperative that we are all in the Word each and every day. So we can read of what the Jesus did for you and me throughout history, and the immense price he paid!
I want to be right with the Lord, and have a clear conscience before him. He is my entire life, my everything, i am absolutely nothing without him. This year i have been focused on keeping the Lord my focus throughout the day, so i can live out my life in a way that pleases him, and gives him glory. I will not lose my first love! I am too in love with Jesus to ever let that happen! (: I am determined, and so encouraged by True North its crazy (:
So encouraging! Keep up your determination!
SO encouraging! (:
10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Id like to concentrate on the last part of this verse…”Be faithful unto death…” God wants us to serve him with our full hearts. As Christians, we say that we are always faithful to Him, but are you willing to suffer and die for Him? Almost every Christian would say yes, but its easy to say it. God knows our hearts, He knows if we are seriously committed enough to die for Him. He promises us the crown of life. Personally, there is no place I would rather be than in Heaven, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to get God to say, “well done my good and faithful servant.” Those seven words I long to hear from God.
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
Ephesus was the loveless church. Verse 4 says that they has abandoned their first love. When people first become Christians, I feel like that’s when they are on fire for God the most. You have a desire to learn more and more and more, falling deeply in love with Jesus every day. Well, that passion needs to be in my heart at all times, 24/7! It’s not something that goes away over time. If anything, that love needs to grow deeper as I learn more about who God is and his perfect grace and mercy.
Four churches, four different messages, four comments
1) Jesus encourages the Ephesians, first, with praising them for their patience and intolerance for falsehood. In an age of “tolerance” it’s hard for christians to stay true to God’s word, which speaks of only one truth, and live a life that doesn’t tolerate other beliefs but actually hates them. But Jesus knows that their heart has gone astray. I need to keep my mind and heart fully on God. Without a full surrender I cannot fully do God’s will; my works will be in vain. The love that I have should always resemble the love I first had when I realized the excellency of the cross. That’s why I’m so thankful for having a pastor that reminds us of the importance and awesomeness of the cross.
2) To the church of Smyrna, Jesus warns them and gives them a “pep-talk”. As a christian, I should be ever-alert for the tribulations that the devil imposes on me. When I see them, Jesus says that I should not be frightened but endure so that one day I might, too, participate in the joy and glory of heaven. As final words to the church of Smyrna, Jesus states, “The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.” Let us remember the words of Jesus and fear the One that can kill both the body and the soul.
3) To the church of Pergamum, Jesus warns about believing in the “stumbling blocks” of Balaam and Nicolatians. Though these two beliefs and prominent anymore there are still doctrines of which we must stay alert. Such doctrines are that Jesus isn’t God, one must work to obtain salvation, the mental belief of Jesus is enough (by mental belief I mean believing that Jesus was an actual man and he actually died, no faith), there are more than one path that leads to God. All of these beliefs can lead many people to stumble and fall away from the faith. That is why it is so important that Jesus stated that we must repent and return to the True Word of God.
4)To the church of Thyatira, Jesus begins with the common praise. Saying that they have endured, loved, and had patience. But Jesus never tolerates toleration of falsehood. It’s weird hearing God, the perfect being, being so intolerant. I bet that people today, even some that call themselves christians, would read this and say that God needs to be more tolerant. No! We cannot tolerate sin. No compromise! Jesus shows us that the only way to live is a life that has a hatred, yes a hatred, for sin and a love for good. Sin is serious. Because Adam and Eve sinned once, JUST ONCE, God cursed them and convicted them of eternal punishment. But God is good and loving, and sent His son so that me, the unrighteous, might be accredited as righteous because of the sacrifice of Jesus, the righteous. The Great Exchange as Martin Luther calls; and great it is.
My last words for my comment will be short: God loves me, but knows that I must not tolerate sin and that I need to love, with my whole heart, God
6 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations,
I want to be a person that is not only striving for righteousness until the day I die, but also persevering and being SUCCESSFUL in my fight against sin and effort to do things in accordance to God’s will. It is one thing to strive for righteousness, or do a righteous thing here and there, but a whole nother to actually be in constant lifestyle where I am succeeding in “keeping God’s works”, and doing it for my entire life, UNWAVERING. That is the key word here. I need to be steadfast in the way I act and serve the Lord!
My thought was exactly like Beth Lauder’s when I read this chapter. Seeing the way Jesus rebukes and encourages various churches I could not help but think of what a letter to Compass Bible Church would say. Would it be that we have lost our first love, would it be that we are tolerating sin, or would it be that we are holding fast to sound teaching? Like many of you have touched on, I do not want my passion for the Lord to wane or decrease, but with the more I see of Him my wonder and love should increase. Time should be a signifier of growth in my love, not an indicator of a fading love. As a church body we all need to be striving for sanctification, seeing sin as sin.
“To the one who conquers”
Jesus says this at the end of all these letters. He is giving a promise of reward to his people who will do what he says. Another way it is translated is to the one who overcomes. It comes from the Greek verb nikao which goes along with the noun nike. Nike = victory. One of the greatest sports companies of all time that has spread the mentality of “Just do it” basically comes from this Christian idea given by Jesus to his people. Jesus is telling us that we can do it! We need to listen to what he says and apply it to our lives. Yes Lord! I am ready!
Loving Revelation and hope you all will keep commenting!
5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.
Wow…. a very powerful chapter! I think so often when underestimate God’s power, but I feel it is radically displayed in this chapter!! It’s always good (and scary) to take a look at how God does NOT prosper sin…and he is not just going to slip it under the rug but he will deal with it! It’s so important for me to remember to confess and repent before the Lord when I sin. It’s not worth it for God to have to hunt us down and to shake something out of us….but have us go before Him by free will!
Reminds me of 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” It’s so true! We go before Him and confess with an open heart we are forgiven… Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Another awesome encouragement…that when we confess our sins the Lord forgets that as far ‘as the east is from the west…” WOW! AH that is really far! Praise God!
Thank God for His mercy! Without his mercy….we would be absolute dust….
I loved the “not just oging to slip it under the rug” part. That’s so true and I often forget that. Sometimes I think oh it’s just a minor sin, no big deal. But it is!!
Sorry I wasn’t at the campus lunch on tuesday- i was at home. Hope it was a success!!
Oh Elizabeth! Don’t even worry! But I’m so happy this passage encouraged you and got you thinking!! Free campus lunch on TUESDAY!:D
ooh!! ok yay! i’ll be there :)
I love this chapter because it specifically talks to the church and its people which can really apply to me and our church.
Here are some things that we should be doing according to this chapter:
- continually staying on fire and revived
- Dont be afraid of preaching the bible because we have might be poor but rich in Spirit
- make sure that we are reaching out to those who are not a christian or are straying away
- to make sure we help one another out if we see a major sin in anybody’s life
In relation to these in order for me to stay on top of this i need to be coninually praying and opening the word because with that knowledge is the only way I’ll grow. I need to cut of any sin dragging me down. I also need to make sure im activley communicating with my accountability partner and that i reaching out to christians around me. In doing this i can be sure that my flame will not go out but if i ignore his commands im only going to be slowly moving away from Christ.
Hey Katie! Great list of things that we should be doing from this chapter! Keep these comments coming!
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
Ahhhhhh. Refreshing yet eye-opening scripture. It’s very easy to lose the excitement or “first love” you have over something when you frequently use it or even neglect it. We live very impulsive lives and often we love something at first and then dislike it a short time later. HOWEVER, this can’t be applied to Christ and our relationship with him. It is imperative that we keep the same burning love and passion that we had when we were “baby Christians” or new believers. Sometimes I dont always have the intense love I had for Christ 7 months ago, and I need to stay in the word in order to keep the fire burning! He is worthy of our praises and we should always have as much excitement and love as we had in the first place for him!
I read . . .
Revelation 2 . . .
Um . . . don’t really know where to start . . . but I’ll try my best. :P
“2 “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.”
My Father EXCPECTS my life to look like this, therefore I should strive for that everyday. :) Everything He lists in here is obviously, COMPLETELY AMAZING. The first verse is talking about how He’s saying that us Christians will have perseverence in fighting sin & temptation & that we can’t stand being around un-Godly people who don’t worship the Lord. It’s also saying how we (I can relate to this) cannot stand being around people that say they are a Christian, but infact their life completely models something totally different.
Verse 3 talks about how we are waiting ever so patiently waiting for our Fathers return. How we LONG for the day & crave for her returning to Earth. Each and everyday is a day closer to when He will finally come back. This verse is also saying how during that “waiting period” we strive to do ANY & EVERYTHING for the Lord Almighty and serve Him whole-heartidly.
Verse 4 & 5 are saying that wherever we fall & stumble ’cause of sin, we shall repent of it and move forward. Do not linger in the past troubled times, but instead, as for Forgivness from God. However, if one doesn’t repent and STOP what they were doing, then God will bascially turn the light off in your life. NOT GOOD.
Verse 7 says that whenever one of Gods sons or daughters conquers the battles against sin and wins the war, that we’ll be rewarded. AWESOME TO THINK ABOUT. That when you get a thought of temptation, don’t give in & just “do” the sin cause you felt lazy. Instead, fight against it, and God will “grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~M.A.R.A.N.A.T.H.A~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~
~ Ariana Mishreki ~ :)
What stood out to me from this chapter was definitely how many times he talks about the one who “conquers”, NIV said “overcomes.” This is a Christian! Because Jesus conquered sin and death in him we are conquers through him who loved us! (Romans 8:37) I like how Bobby said about this we need to live ready to live his Word, I definitely want to do this everyday till he comes!
29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
What I am hearing is that most churches had some things they were doing good or okay but all of them had areas of sin that needed to be dealt with. God wants these churches to repent of their sins and to keep pursuing holiness. This makes me reflect on my own life because I know I am doing some good things for Christ but there is sin in my life that hinders my effectiveness as a servant of the Living God. I feel that I struggle with the sins of omission more than anythings. Sins of omission would be knowing the right thing to do and not doing it. I pray that God would forgive me of those sins and give me the strength and endurance to do his will, not mine.
Revelation 2
26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father.
Christ in Revelation 2 is commanding those Christians who hear what the Spirit says to obey. Of the four churches only the church of Smyrna was without rebuke. The other three churches were all called to repentance. One thing that stood out in this chapter is that Christians need to continue with repentance. Some Christians can become so puffed up that they believe that they have graduated past repentance. We need to never forget that Jesus paid it all on the Cross but we are still a sinful people that have a dependency on Christ to fight sin until our very last breath. Even the most holy of person encounters sin and temptation. If we think that we have no sin the truth is not in us.
1 John 1:8-10 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
1 Corinthians 10:12 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!
Mark 10:18-22 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
It’s so awesome reading the book of revelation because Christ is speaking the churches! There is so much valuable information in here…don’t tolerate sin in the church, etc. It is also clear that I can’t myself lose the fire I have because Jesus tells us multiple time throughout the chapter to stay in the faith and continue the *good* that was happening.
I read……:)
There is much love in the red letters.
3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.”
I’m in my first love stage right now and Im glad I have this scripture to remind myself not to get comfortable in the Lord, to not ease up or lose my vigor and thirst for knowledge.
5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent
Often times i find myself doing things wrong, and in the middle of it i realize my fault and stop. I need to work on not doing it in the first place thought, and not giving in at all!
i read this great chapter
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
I remember in the summer time at one of the beach nights when Pastor Bobby talked about if we are on fire for Christ or not. This verse really reminded me of that! When I heard that mini sermon he gave at the beach night, I was really convicted because I felt my fire for Christ wasnt as strong as it had once been. Now, my fire and love for Jesus Christ is stronger than it has ever been and it is continuing to grow daily! I need to make sure that Christ is always my first love above EVERYTHING else!! He is totally worth it!