Revelation 3
Here in Ch.3 John describes the state of the remaining three churches, as they were seen through the eyes of God, during that time. Again, each church is in need of change, called to repent and warned of the consequences against not heeding God’s correction.
The church of Sardis had somehow lost its way; no longer recognizing or acknowledging that, Jesus is the Way to the Father. The Church of Philadelphia was infiltrated by counterfeits calling themselves “Christian” or “Jew” but they were neither. In Laodicea (as in many parts of the world today), many people were affluent to the point where they thought, “I’ve got all that I need!” “I don’t need God.”
These examples are not limited to the time period in which they were written, for the same attitudes can be seen in many churches today. They should confirm in our hearts however the need to defend the following key points of church doctrine; 1) Jesus is the way (John 14:6), 2) no counterfeit will save you or I (Acts 4:12) and 3) no amount of earthly riches will get you or I into heaven (Matthew 19:24).
The Truth
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 3:22)
