Revelation 2
Here in Ch.2 John begins to describe the state of the first four (of the seven) churches, as they were in the eyes of God, during that time period. Each church is called out for their faults, warned against continuing down their current path, challenged to repent and shown the outcomes of their choices.
This pattern shows not only God’s love for the church (both then and now), but it also shows how He works in us as individuals. He calls us out when we drift away, His Spirit convicts us of the sin in our lives and gives us a chance to repent, to change our direction.
Ask yourself these 4 questions (which correspond to each church in this chapter); 1) Is my love for my church or my Lord as strong today as it was in the beginning? Or has it left me? 2) Do I fear death? Would I renounce Jesus to save my life? 3) Am I prone to compromise? Do I error on the side of political correctness? 4) Are the things of this world more important to me than the things of God?
Both the church and we as individuals would do well to read this chapter carefully, pray over it and ask God to speak into our hearts concerning areas that need to be strengthened or changed, as not hearing or heeding this information is not an option.
The Truth
“Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10)
