The City of Brotherly Love Rev 3:7-13

As most people know, Philadelphia means "Love of the Brethren."

Certainly, brotherly love is an important mark of the Christian. But it is not enough to love God and our fellow believers; we must also love a lost world and seek to reach unbelievers with the good news of the cross. This church had a passion to reach the lost. Philadelphia was situated in a strategic place on the main route of the Imperial Post from Rome to the East, and thus was called "the gateway to the East." It was also called "little Athens" because of the many temples in the city. The church was certainly located in a place of tremendous opportunity. The only major problem with the location was that the area was prone to earthquakes. Philadelphia sat on a geological fault, and in 17B.C. it was destroyed by a severe earthquake that also destroyed Sardis and ten other cities. Afterward, some of the citizens refused to move

back into the city and remained in the surrounding countryside, which they called "the burnt land." There did not seem to be much secuirty in the city of brotherly love!

The Lord gave the church at Philadelphia a great opportunity for ministry. But could they take advantage of it? There were at least two obstacles to overcome, the first being their own lack of strength (Rev. 3:8). This was not a large or a strong church; however it was a faithful one. They were true to God's Word and unafraid to bear His name. Looking at verse ten we can see that they had endured some special testing and had proved faithful. It is not the size or strength of a church that determines its ministry, but faith in the call and command of the Lord. If Jesus Christ gave them an open door then He would see to it that they were able to walk through it!

The second obstacle was the opposition of the Jews in the city. The Jews in the city of Philadelphia were excluding Jewish believers from the synagogue. The believers in Philadelphia were in a similar situation to that of Paul when he wrote 1 Corinthians 16:9-there were both opportunities and obstacles! Unbelief sees the obstacles, but faith sees the opportunities! Since the Lord holds the keys, He is in control of the outcome! So what do we have to fear? Fear, unbelief, and delay have caused the church to miss many God-given opportunities. (STOP MISSING YOUR OPPORTUNITIES LETS BE OBEDIENT TO WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS SAYING TO US!!!!!)

Jesus gave three wonderful and encouraging promises to this church.

1. He would take care of there enemies. Rev 3:9 If we take care of God's work, He will take care of our battles.

2. He would keep them from Tribulation Rev 3:10

3. The third promise to this church is that God would honor them Rev 3:12. God honors faithful people who bear His name for His glory (Gal. 2:9).

To be honest the church of today is very much like the Philadelphian Church. For God has set before us many open doors of opportunity. If he opens the doors, we must work; if He shuts the door, we must wait. Above all, we must be faithful to Him and see the opportunities, not the obstacles. I've been saying it all week and I'm going to say it again Therefore be steadfast immovable always abounding in the work of the Lord because you know your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58

The Zombie Church Revelations 3:1-6

Sardis was once one of the greatest cities of the world. It had been the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, and in the 6th century B. C. was ruled by a fabulously wealthy king whose name, Croesus, became a byword for uncounted wealth. Several times armies had tried to overthrow it but were unable to do so. But twice in its history it had fallen to foreign assault, once by the Persians, and once by the Greeks, and both victories were achieved by stealth. Sardis was so confident it could not be overcome that it failed to guard its walls adequately. In the dead of the night a band of brave soldiers climbed up the sides of the ravine and entered an unwatched gate and overthrew the city. Thus, Sardis was a city characterized by a complacent spirit. The church in this city is the least attractive of the seven churches to whom these letters are written. Our Lord finds nothing to commend about it. As in all these letters, the life of the church is revealed in its deeds. Our Lord says, as he does in most of the letters, "I know your deeds; I know your works." In Sardis these were works that were done to impress people They had a good reputation, but it was actually a dead church. The members of it were for the most part not even believers. They were not spiritually alive. This indicates a church made up of people who outwardly professed Christ -- probably many of them thought of themselves as believers -- but who actually possessed no spiritual life. They were Christians in name only. Sardis had grown comfortable and content and was living on its past reputation. There was reputation without reality, form without force. Like the city itself, the church at Sardis gloried in past splendor, but ignored present decay. In fact, even what they did have was about to die! Why? Because the beleivers had gone to sleep or what I like to call Zombies. They were lifeless!!! The impression is that the assembly in Sardis was not aggressive in its witness to the city. There was no persecution because there was no invasion of the enemy's territory. No friction usually means no motion!!! the unsaved in Sardis saw the church as a respectable group of people who were neither dangerous nor desireable. They were decent people with a dying witness and a decaying ministry.

The first step toward renewal in a dying church is honest awareness that something is wrong. When a organism is alive, there is growth, repair, reproduction, and power, if these elements are lacking in a church, then that church is either dying or already dead.

However, a remnant of dedicated people often exists in even a dying church. The Lord admonished them to strengthen what remained and not to give up because the church was weak. Where there is life there is hope!! The remnant in the church at Sardis had not compromised with the pagan society around them, nor had they grown comfortable or complacent. It was this devoted spiritual remnant that held the future of the church's ministry. WAKE UP!!! BE WATCHFUL!!! REPENT!! REMEMBER the WORD you RECEIVED and OBEY IT!! In another words stop being a Spiritual Zombie. It is not enough to be true to the faith and have a great history. The faith must produce life and works.

The warning to the church at Sardis is that we can't grow comfortable in our churches we will find ourselves slowly dying. The encouragement is that no church is beyound hope as long as there is a dedicaed remnant in it, willing to strengthen the things that remain.

Francis Drake

Lately I have been doing a lot of reflecting over this prayer so I thought I would share. Just an amazing prayer I think its awesome that a "pirate" wrote this in 1577.

Disturb us, Lord, when 
We are too pleased with ourselves,

When our dreams have come true
 Because we dreamed too little,

When we arrived safely 
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when
 with the abundance of things we possess

We have lost our thirst 
For the waters of life;

Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity

And in our efforts to build a new earth,

We have allowed our vision 
Of the new Heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,

To venture on wilder seas
 Where storms will show Your mastery;

Where losing sight of land, 
We shall find the stars.
We ask you to push back
The horizons of our hopes;

And to push back the future 
In strength, courage, hope, and love.
This we ask in the name of our Captain,
Who is Jesus Christ

Thyatira Rev. 2:18-29

Thyatira was a military town as well as a commercial center with many trade guilds. Wherever guilds were found, idolatry and immorality the two greatest enemies of the early church were almost always present too. Thyatira was located about 35 miles southeast of Pergamum. It was a very small city, but a busy commercial center. It was on a major road of the Roman Empire. There were some good things going on in this church. Our Lord tells us what they are. "I know your deeds [i.e., your works], your love and faith, your service and your perseverance." Those are related. Love leads to service; faith leads to perseverance. If you love God, you will serve his people. You cannot help it. It is the sign that you love that you are willing to serve. And if you have faith you will persevere; you will understand that God is in control and things will work out according to his purpose. You keep at your work; you do not quit. So here was a church that had many people that loved God and served his people. They had faith in his word, and they persevered. They helped many, and they kept it up. As others then got involved, the church grew. So the deeds, or the works, of the church were far more when this letter was written than when it first began.

However the Lord found much to expose and condemn in the assembly at Thyatira. No amount of loving and sacrificial works can compensate for tolerance of evil. Evidently there was in the church at Thyatira a woman who was a very dominant leader. Jesus names her "Jezebel." That was not her name, of course, but our Lord always names people according to their character. That is why he often renames people in the Gospels. Here He chooses the name of the most evil woman in the Old Testament. (Food for thought if we were to be given a new name by Jesus what do yo think your name would be??) What does your character say about you???

The problem Thyatiran Christians faced, In order to make a living they had to belong to a union, but to attend the union was to become involved, or to be sorely pressured to become involved, with the worship of idols.So they had to make a choice. It was difficult to live in Thyatira for this very reason. But apparently Jezebel had begun to teach that it was all right for them to go along with the requirements of the guild, that they needed to submit to the pressures of the world around in order to make a living, and that God would understand and overlook this. Her philosophy was what you often hear today: "Business is business." If business practices collide with your Christian principles, then your principles have to go -- because you have to make a living. Have you ever heard that argument. Not only was the church at Thyatira tolerant of evil, but it was proud and unwilling to repent. The Lord gave the false prophetess time to repent, yet she refused. Now He was giving her followers opportunity to repent.

God’s exhortation to these churches is, Repent!! Turn back to Him!!! It is not only lost sinners who need to repent, but also disobedient Christians. If we do not repent and deal with sin in our lives and in our assemblies, the Lord may judge us and remove our lampstand. How tragic it is when a local church gradually abandons the faith and loses its witness for Christ! He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches!

Compromising Church Pergamum Rev 2:12-17

Like their brothers and sisters in Smyrna the believers in Pergamos had suffered persecution, and one of their men had died for the faith. In spite of intense suffering, this church had remained true to God. Despite their courageous stand against persecution, the believers in Pergamos were not faultless before the Lord. One problem the church at Pergamum had was it started listening to the teaching and practices of the "Nicolaitanes." The Nicolaitans, were the early Christian-pagan syncretists, the false teachers that crept into the church, who disguised themselves as followers of Christ – who professed to be His ministers and servants – but who led the people astray. Understanding the story of Balaam helps us interpret this group more accurately. (Number 22-25). Balaam was a true prophet who prostituted his gifts in order to earn money from King Balak, who hired him to curse the people of Israel. God prevented Balaam from actually cursing the nation -in fact, God turned the curses into blessings! Balak followed Balaam's advice and making friends with Israel, and then inviting the Jews to worship and feast at the pagan altars. The Jewish men fell right into the trap. They ate meat from idolatrous altars and committed fornication as part of heathen religious rites. Twenty-four thousand people died because of this disobedient act of compromise (Num. 25:19). You might be saying how does this relate? Because a group in that church said, "There is nothing wrong with being friendly to Rome." What's wrong with displaying your loyalty to Caesar? The Lord accused the Christians in Pergamos of committing "spiritual fornication" by saying, "Caesar is Lord." This compromise welcomed in the Roman guilds and protected them from Roman persecution, But It Coast Them Their Testimony and Their Crown!!! Today we may face the same temptation to achieve personal advancement by ungodly compromise. Compromising in your faith is one sure way to lose your influence on those around you (Something to think about) Would the people around you say of you that your a person who stands for what is right? Or your a person who cuts corners to get ahead in life? The congregation or the individual Christian that compromises with the world just to avoid suffering or achieve success is committing "spiritual adultery" and being unfaithful to the Lord. It's hard to make a stand when those around you disagree or even would kill you for your stance. But when you make a stand there's NO COMPROMISING!!!!! Know what you believe and be unwavering. 1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

The Crowned Church Rev 2:8-11

Today I'd like to reflect about the second church mentioned in the book of Revelations, Smyrna. The city remains a functioning community today called Izmir. The church of Smyrna was not going through an easy time they were being persecuted for their faith, they would not accept Caesar as Lord. From both the Jews and Gentiles, the Christians in Smyrna received slander and suffering. But they were Rich!!! They lived for eternal values that would never change, riches that could never be taken away. There suffering for Christ only increased their riches. Unlike the church of Ephesus there are no words of accusation given to the congregation in Smyrna! They may not have enjoyed the approval of men, but they certainly received the praise of God. However. The Lord encouraged this Church to not be afraid! The main point of this letter is standing true to Christ no matter what the government might threaten to do. Today as Christ followers we need to stand up for what is right! Not seek the approval of man but in all things desiring to be obedient to our father in heaven. The "crown of life" is the winner's crown awarded at the annual athletic games. Smyrna was a key participant in the games, so this promise would be especially meaningful to believers living there. The Lord reinforced the promise given by James (James 1:12) and assured His people that there was nothing to fear. Because they had trusted Him, they were over-comers, victors in the race of faith (Heb12:1-3) and, as over comers, they had nothing to fear. Even if they were martyred they would be ushered into glory wearing crowns!! It coast to be dedicated Christian, in some places more than others. As end-time pressures increase, persecution will also increase; and the people of God need to be ready (1 Peter 4:12). The world may call us "poor Christians," but in God's sight we are rich

Spiritual Exam I hope your prepared!?!?

My plan for this chapter is to take a look at the seven churches in Asia minor and apply the message Jesus had for those churches to our lives. Jesus Christ can accurately inspect each church and know its true condition, because He sees the internals not only the externals. In this chapter the Lord gave each assembly an "X ray" of its spiritual condition. Even though it's addressed to one church specifically it was intended for all the churches to read these messages and to benefit from them. This passage of scripture is really speaking to individuals, this is where you and I need to heed is message. "He that has an ear let him hear." Churches are made up of individuals, and it is those individuals who determine the spiritual life of the assembly. So I want to challenge you as we read this chapter apply the message to your own heart.

Ephesus was a serving church, busy doing the works of the Lord. This church kept going when the going got tough. Looking at the church from the outside you would think it was a great church to be apart of (Appearances can be deceiving). This busy, separated, sacrificing church really suffered from "heart trouble" they had abandoned their first love!! As I sit here and think about that what an awful thing to experience! Imagine Jesus saying to you, you lost your first love OUCH!! Man thats painful. Their actions where not motivated by a love for Christ. What we do for the Lord is important, but so is why we do it!! The Ephesian believers were so busy maintaining their separation that they were neglecting adoration. Labor is no substitute for love; neither is purity a substitute for passion. It is only as we love Christ fervently that we can serve Him faithfully.

"First Love" can be restored if we follow Jesus checklist. First we must remember (literally "keep on remembering") what we have lost and develop a desire to regain that relationship once again. Second we must repent change our minds and confess our sins to the Lord. Third we must restore the original fellowship that was broken by our sin and neglect. This means a return to prayer, Bible reading, obedient service, and worship. The church that loses its love will soon lose its light. The church of Ephesus was the "careless church," made up of careless believers who neglected their love for Christ. Are we guilty of the same neglect???