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Når Jesus skriver brev.

De fleste af os er opmærksomme på, at Paulus skrev flere af breve i Det Nye Testamente, og vi ved også, at NT indeholder breve skrevet af Peter og Johannes. Men vidste du, at nogle af brevene i NT er skrevet af Jesus? Ja, det var Johanes, der var forfatteren, ligesom Paulus også havde en forfatter til at skrive ned, hvad han dikterede, men budskabet i breve var fra Jesus.

Når vi modtager et brev eller e-mail fra en vigtig person, læser vi indholdet ekstra omhyggeligt. Derfor bør vi læse disse 7 breve grundigt, da de kommer fra Jesus. Nogle kan sige, at breve ikke gælder for os, da de ikke er skrevet til os, men hvis vi følger denne logik, kan vi smide stort set hele Det Nye Testamente væk. Romernes brev blev skrevet til de kristne i Rom, korinterne til korinterne, galaterne til galaterne og kolosserne til kolosserne. Pauls brev til Titus og Timothy gælder heller ikke for os, og både Lukasevangeliet og Apostlenes handlinger blev skrevet til et kaldet Theophilos.

Fra Kolosserne 4:16 ser det ud til, at det var almindelig praksis, at breve blev læst i de forskellige menigheder, for Paulus siger: ”Når dette brev læses for dig, skal du se, at det også læses i den laodicanske menighed. og at du også læser brevet fra Laodikea. " Du siger, at det er bedre at lære af andres fejltagelser end at selv foretage alle fejlene, og på samme måde kan vi lære af Jesu budskab til alle disse 7 kirker. I disse breve får vi en klar indsigt i, hvad Jesus kan lide, hvad han ikke kan lide og konsekvenserne af at ignorere hans vejledning.

Hvad ønsker Jesus?

Vær forsigtig med uddannelsesmæssige spørgsmål

Kirken i Efesos er den første nævnte kirke, og en af ​​de første ting, som denne kirke roses for, er, at de var omhyggelige med hensyn til undervisningsspørgsmål. De får også ros for at have afsløret dem, der kaldte sig apostle, men som ikke var det. Dette er meget tilfældet i dag, hvor uddannelsesmæssige spørgsmål ofte fejes til side i enhedens navn. Vi opfordres ofte til ikke at hænge på, om folk er katolikker, protestanter eller ortodokse. Vi opfordres til snarere at fokusere på det, som vi alle er enige om, og ikke tale så meget om de ting, vi er uenige med.

Der er selvfølgelig en vis sandhed ved dette, da jeg ikke tror, ​​at Jesus hverken er protestantisk eller katolsk, men der er en fare her. For når enhed betyder, at vi sætter os ned i den laveste fællesnævner, vil dette hindre åndelig vækst. Jeg tror ofte, at vi vil gå glip af et vigtigt punkt, når det kommer til enhed, og det er, at vores enhed skal være baseret på det faktum, at vi først er blevet et med Faderen. Fra denne enhed bliver enhed mellem brødre og søstre naturlig.

Ofte citeres Jesu bøn i Johannes 17:21, hvor Jesus beder "Må de alle være én, som du, Fader, er i mig og jeg i dig" , men hvis du læser resten af ​​verset, ser du, at det handler om at blive en med Gud - og når vi bliver en med Gud, kommer folk til at tro på Gud.

Må de alle være en, ligesom du, Fader, er i mig og jeg i dig. Så skal de også være i os, så verden kan tro, at du har sendt mig.- Johannes 17:21

Den første kærlighed

Når den menneskelige (eller humanistiske) enhed bliver fokus, tror jeg, vi hurtigt kan falde i den samme grøft, som Efesos kirke faldt - nemlig at de mistede sin første kærlighed. Jesus ønsker at være vores første kærlighed og baseret på vores kærlighed til ham, skulle alt andet springe ud. Når vi hver især fokuserer på at komme endnu nærmere Jesus, kommer vi også automatisk nærmere. Jesu kærlighed skal være drivkraften i vores kristne liv, for hvis vi mister den første kærlighed, bliver det kristne liv snart bare bud og regler.

Ting som teologi og uddannelsesmæssige spørgsmål er vigtige, og det er, hvad Jesus påpeger, men når uddannelsesmæssige spørgsmål bliver vigtigere end Jesus kærlighed, bliver vi hurtigt som farisæerne, som troede, de havde liv i skriften.

Du undersøger skrifterne, for du tror, ​​du har evigt liv i dem - men de er vidnerne til mig! Stadig kommer du ikke til mig, så du kan få liv.

- Johannes 5: 39-40

Dette med den første kærlighed må naturligvis være meget vigtigt for Jesus. For selvom Jesus giver meget ros til kirken i Efesus, er det klart, at medmindre de vender tilbage til den første kærlighed, vil alle deres anstrengelser, prøvelser og udholdenhed blive spildt - det er
hvad Paulus skriver i1 Kor 13.

Nicolaiternes værker

Det er flere forskellige teorier om hvad Nikolaittene gerninger er og hvem disse nikolaitter var. Menigheden i Efesos får ros for at de hadede Nikolaittene gerninger og menigheden i Pergamon får ris fordi det var folk i menigheden som holdt sig til Nikolaittene lære. Den mest almindelige teorien går på at dette var en gruppe kristne som i med de som holdt sig til Bileams lære, misbrugte Guds nåde til å leve et syndig liv. Siden både Bileams lære og Nikolaittene nevnes i samme brev kan det tyde på at det var en sammenhæng mellom hvad disse to grupperinger lærte.

Dette er også en meget rettidig advarsel til nutidens menigheder, fordi i dag mange i et forsøg på at gøre Guds nåde fantastisk ender med at forvrænge det. I stedet for at blive en iboende styrke, der træner os til at leve et hellig og gudfrygtigt liv (Tit. 2: 11-12), bliver nåden en sovepude for dem, der stadig lever i synd. Selvom vi ikke er frelst ved værker, kan du tydeligt se, at Jesus så på menighedernes arbejde. Både til kirken i Efesos, Thyatira, Sardes, Philadelphia og Laodikea nævner Jesus specifikt, at han havde lagt mærke til deres gerninger. Selv om gerninger ikke er den måde, vi bliver frelst på, er gerninger helt klart en del af vores kristne vandring. Paulus går endda så langt som at sige, at vi er "... skabt i Kristus Jesus til gode gerninger" (Ef 2:10).

Tribulation er en del af pakken

Når vi kommer til kirken i Smyrna, ser vi en kirke under stort pres. Du kan måske tro, at Jesu brev til dem indeholdt nogle nøgler til, hvordan man binder djævelen, komme ud af problemer og påvirker samfundet ved at bringe Guds rige ned på jorden. I stedet opmuntres de til at være ”… tro til døden…” (Åbenbaring 2:10), og at dette skulle give dem de ultimative ordsprog.

Flere menigheder oplevede modgang, men Jesus giver dem aldrig en løsning på, hvordan man undgår modgang. Han opfordrer dem kun til at holde ud. Faktisk ser vi, at det var kirkerne, som Jesus ikke havde meget eller intet at sige om, det var kirkerne, hvor der ikke er noget om prøvelser eller modgang. Den laodicanske kirke er en af ​​de kirker, som Jesus ikke har noget godt at sige om, og hans opfordring til dem er at "... købe guld fra mig, renset i ild ..." (Åb. 3:18). "Guld" symboliserer ofte noget af reel værdi, og "renset i ild" synes jeg er et billede af forsøg.

Ja, vi kan leve et sejrende kristent liv, men det betyder ikke et liv uden modgang. Tværtimod, Peter siger, at vi skal nyde den effekt, forsøg har på vores tro.

Derfor kan du glæde dig med glæde, selvom det i en kort periode, hvis det er, er tungt i mange slags prøvelser. Sådan prøves deres tro. Selv letfordærvelige guld testes i ild. Tro, som er meget mere værd, skal også testes, så den kan komme til ros og ære og ære, som Jesus Kristus afslører. - 1 Peters brev 1: 6-8

Ægte rigdom

Vi har ofte en tendens til at se kirken her i Vesten som den "rige" del af Guds globale kirke, men jeg tror ikke, det er sandt. Jo, måske har vi flere penge end kristne i Nordkorea, men ægte rigdom måles ikke i penge. Jesus gør det klart for de kristne i Smyrna, at han har set deres jordiske fattigdom, og at han ikke har lukket øjnene, når det kom til deres behov. Men samtidig siger han også, at selv om andre så på dem som fattige, så han på dem som rige. Ægte rigdom kommer ikke fra at samle skatte her på jorden, men fra at samle skatte i himlen.

Du skal ikke samle skatte på jorden, hvor møl og marker ødelægger, og hvor tyve bryder ind og stjæler. Men du vil samle skatte i himlen, hvor hverken møl eller marker ødelægger og tyve ikke bryder ind og stjæler. For hvor din skat er, så vil også dit hjerte. Mattæus 6: 19-21

Når Jesus er imod menigheden

Kan Jesus tænke på at modsætte sig menigheden? Han er ikke imod den sande kirke, men kirken i Pergamon modtager en skarp advarsel fra Jesus.

Vend dig om! Ellers kommer jeg snart til dig og vil bekæmpe dem med sværdet, der kommer ud af min mund.

- Johannes Åbenbaring 2:16

Johannes Åbenbaring 2:16 er muligvis ikke det mest anvendte skriftsted blandt norske kirker i dag, men de kristne i Pergamon modtog denne advarsel, og vi vil gerne finde ud af, hvorfor de modtog en så kraftig advarsel fra Jesus. Mange tror måske, at før Jesus kommer med en så kraftig advarsel, må der være nogen alvorlig synd i menigheden - og måske gjorde det det. Men hvad Jesus kalder dem er, at de TOLERERER to forskellige grupper, som vi allerede har nævnt - dem, der holdt sig til Bileams lære og dem, der holdt sig til nicolaiternes lære.

Med andre ord var det ikke meget alvorligt i Jesu øjne at konfrontere disse to grupper. Hvis vi ønsker at undgå at modtage den samme advarsel, bør vi måske overveje, hvor vi står. Forsøger vi hellere at undgå konflikt, når det kommer til synd eller ubibelsk undervisning i menigheden, eller tør vi stå op og tale klart om, hvad Bibelen siger.

Jeg tror, ​​at denne advarsel også gælder for mange kristne ledere i dag, fordi mit indtryk er, at mange af dem er helt bedøvede af menneskelig frygt. Fordi de ikke ønsker at være upopulære eller præsenteres negativt i rampelyset, forbliver de langt væk fra alt, hvad der kan være kontroversielt.

Vi bør ikke søge det kontroversielle af hensyn til konflikten, men på samme tid har vi som Guds folk et opfordring til at være lette og salte i denne verden (Matt. 5: 13-16). Hvis vi konstant skal udvinde Guds ord for at tilpasse det til den kultur, vi lever i, vil saltet miste sin kraft og være ubrugelig.

Jezabel

I Thyatira dukker en anden figur op, og det er Jezebel. Igen ser vi, at det at tolerere hende var nok til at vække Jesu vrede. Det er klart, at Jesus er bekymret for, hvad vi tolererer. I min studiebibel står det, at navnet Jesabel er synonymt med falsk tilbedelse, sensualitet og manipulerende kontrol, og baseret på hvad der siges om hende, ser det ud til at være en god beskrivelse.

Vi ved ikke detaljeret, hvad hun lærte, men det siger, at hun lokkede kristne til en syndig livsstil efter det, hun lærte. Det er ikke kun, hvad en prædikant direkte siger, det er afgørende - vi må også se på frugterne. Hvis frugterne af en forkyndelse er, at mennesker med let samvittighed fortsætter med at synde, er det ikke en bibelsk forkyndelse.

Når du læser Jesu brev til kirken i Thyatira, er du måske lidt chokeret over brutaliteten af Jesu ord, men dette viser kun, hvor alvorligt dette var for Jesus. Generelt ser Gud synd meget alvorligt, men når prædikanter i hans navn forkynder ting, der fører mennesker til synd - så er det endnu mere alvorligt. Men det er ikke kun i brevet til kirken i Thyatira, at det ser ud til, at Jesus ser meget alvorligt på at lokke andre til at falde - det vises også i Jesu forkyndelse i evangelierne.

Men den, der lokker til at falde en af ​​disse små, der tror på mig, han blev bedre tjent med at få en møllesten hængt omkring hans hals og blive sænket ned i havets dybder.
- Mattæus 18: 6

Det siger om dig, at du bor ...

Vi mennesker ser på det ydre, men det ydre afspejler ikke altid det indre. Dette fremgår af Jesu brev til kirken i Sardes. De havde et ry for at være en levende kirke, men Jesus afslører, at det kun var udenfor. De har måske haft vidunderlig ros og inspirerende talere, men kvaliteten af ​​en menighed måles ikke af, hvor vidunderlig ros er, eller om præsten formår at inspirere folk. Kvaliteten af ​​en kirke måles ved, om mennesker bliver til disciple, der dagligt bliver mere og mere som Jesus. Jesu råd til menigheden var at tænke tilbage på det, de hørte og modtog i begyndelsen - og holde fast ved dette.

Der er meget forkyndelse i dag, der glider længere og længere væk fra de genoplivningsprædikanter, som Hans Nielsen Hauge, Charles Finney, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards osv. Stod for. Der kan være meget af det, de prædiker, der lyder gammeldags, men når man ser på frugterne af deres liv, tror jeg, vi kan være enige om, at det er vi, der har noget at lære af dem og ikke omvendt.

En åben dør

Kirken i Sardes havde tydeligvis glemt, hvad de hørte i begyndelsen, men for kirken i Philadelphia har Jesus intet negativt at sige. De får ros for at holde fast ved Guds ord - også gennem prøvelser. Måske var det netop derfor, de havde formået at holde jævne kurser.

Paulus siger, at enhver, der ønsker at leve et gudfrygtigt liv, vil stå over for modstand (2. Tim. 3:12), men gennem al trængsel har Gud magten til at åbne dørene, der skal åbnes og dørene, der skal lukkes. Nøglen er at holde sig til Guds ord. Når vi forbliver tæt på Gud, vil han lede os, hvor han vil have os, og når han åbner dørene, kan hverken djævelen eller andre mennesker stoppe os.

En lunken kirke

Den sidste kirke, der nævnes, er den laodicanske kirke, og med god grund er der ikke mange kirker, der har valgt at navngive denne kirke - Jesus havde ikke noget godt at sige om denne kirke. De troede tydeligvis, at de havde det godt, fordi de sagde om sig selv "... Jeg er rig, jeg har overflod og mangler intet ..." (Åb. 3:17). Men det gode selvbillede fik en kraftig ridse i malingen, når Jesus kommer til hans syn på dem. I hans øjne var de ”… elendige og ynkelige, fattige, blinde og nøgne…” (Åbenbaring 3:17).

Årsagen til Jesu afsky for denne forsamling lå i det, Jesus beskriver som lunefuldhed, og jeg tror, ​​at denne lethed lå i deres evne til at reagere, når Helligånden talte til dem. De gjorde bestemt meget godt, havde godt forberedte møder og som Sardes et ry for at være en god menighed. Men dette hjælper ikke, hvis vi ikke har vores hjerteforhold til Jesus i orden.

Et resume

Der er bestemt mange andre ting, man kunne have nævnt, når det kommer til disse syv kirker, men for mig er der tre vigtige punkter, vi skal huske.

Hold din første kærlighed til Jesus i live.
Hold fast ved Guds ord og stå op for sandheden, selvom det betyder at konfrontere synd eller falsk lære.
Vær ikke bange, hvis du oplever lidelse for Jesus.

ENGLISH

When Jesus writes letters

Most of us are aware that Paul wrote several of the New Testament letters, and we also know that the NT contains letters written by Peter and John. But did you know that some of the letters in the NT are written by Jesus? Yes, it was John who was the author, just as Paul also had a writer to write down what he dictated, but the message in the letters was from Jesus.

When we receive a letter or email from an important person, we read the content extra carefully. Therefore, we should read these 7 letters thoroughly as they come from Jesus. Some may say that letters do not apply to us as they are not written to us, but if we follow this logic, we can throw away virtually the whole New Testament. The letter of Romans was written to the Christians in Rome, the Corinthians to the Corinthians, the Galatians to the Galatians, and the Colossians to the Colossians. Paul's letter to Titus and Timothy does not apply to us either, and both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles were written for one called Theophilos.

From Colossians 4:16, it appears that it was common practice for letters to be read in the various congregations, for Paul says: “When this letter is read to you, you must see it also read in the Laodicean congregation. and that you also read the letter from Laodicea. "You say it is better to learn from the mistakes of others than to make all the mistakes yourself, and in the same way we can learn from Jesus' message to all these 7 churches. In these letters we get a clear insight into what Jesus likes. , what he doesn't like and the consequences of ignoring his guidance.

What does Jesus want?

Be careful about educational issues

The church at Ephesus is the first mentioned church, and one of the first things that this church is praised for is that they were careful about teaching matters. They are also praised for revealing those who called themselves apostles but who were not. This is very much the case today, where educational issues are often swept aside in the name of the unit. We are often encouraged not to hang on to whether people are Catholics, Protestants or Orthodox. Rather, we are encouraged to focus on what we all agree on and not talk so much about the things we disagree with.

There is, of course, some truth to this, since I do not believe that Jesus is neither Protestant nor Catholic, but there is a danger here. For when unity means that we sit down in the lowest common denominator, this will hinder spiritual growth. I often think that we will miss an important point when it comes to unity, and that is that our unity must be based on the fact that we have become one with the Father first. From this oneness, unity between brothers and sisters becomes natural.

Often, Jesus' prayer is quoted in John 17:21, where Jesus prays, "May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you," but if you read the rest of the verse, you see that it is about becoming one with God - and when we become one with God, people come to believe in God.

May they all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I in you. Then they must be in us too, so the world can believe you sent me.- John 17:21

The first love

When human (or humanistic) unity becomes the focus, I think we can quickly fall into the same ditch that Ephesus's church fell - namely, that they lost their first love. Jesus wants to be our first love and based on our love for Him, everything else should pop out. As we each focus on getting even closer to Jesus, we also automatically come closer. Jesus' love must be the driving force in our Christian lives, because if we lose that first love, the Christian life will soon become just commandments and rules.

Things like theology and educational issues are important, and that's what Jesus points out, but when educational issues become more important than Jesus' love, we quickly become like the Pharisees who thought they had life in scripture.

You examine the scriptures, because you think you have eternal life in them - but they are the witnesses to me! Still you don't come to me so you can have life.

- John 5: 39-40

This with the first love must of course be very important to Jesus. For though Jesus gives much praise to the church at Ephesus, it is clear that unless they return to the first love, all their efforts, trials and perseverance will be wasted - that is

what Paul writes in 1 Cor 13.

The works of the Nicolaitans

There are several different theories about what the Nicolaitans did and who these Nicolaitans were. The congregation in Ephesus is praised for hating the deeds of the Nicolaitans and the congregation in Pergamon is being punished because it was the people of the congregation who adhered to the doctrines of the Nicolaitans. The most common theory goes that this was a group of Christians who, like those who adhered to Balaam's teachings, abused God's grace to live a sinful life. Since both the teachings of Balaam and the Nicolaitans are mentioned in the same letter, it may indicate that there was a connection between what these two groups taught.

This is also a very timely warning to nthe congregations of the ages, because today many in an effort to do God's grace end up distorting it. Instead of becoming an inherent force that trains us to live a holy and godly life (Tit. 2: 11-12), grace becomes a sleeping pillow for those still living in sin. Although we are not saved by works, you can clearly see that Jesus was watching the work of the congregations. Both to the church of Ephesus, Tyratira, Sardes, Philadelphia and Laodicea, Jesus specifically mentions that he had noticed their deeds. Although deeds are not the way we are saved, deeds are clearly part of our Christian walk. Paul even goes so far as to say that we are "... created in Christ Jesus for good works" (Eph 2:10).

Tribulation is part of the package

When we come to the church in Smyrna, we see a church under great pressure. You might think that Jesus' letter to them contained some keys to how to bind the devil, get out of trouble, and influence society by bringing the kingdom of God down to earth. Instead, they are encouraged to be “… faithful to death…” (Revelation 2:10) and that this should give them the ultimate sayings.

Several congregations experienced adversity, but Jesus never gives them a solution on how to avoid adversity. He only urges them to endure. In fact, we see that it was the churches that Jesus had little or nothing to say about, it was the churches where there is nothing about trials or adversity. The Laodicean Church is one of the churches that Jesus has nothing good to say about, and his call to them is to "... buy gold from me, purified in fire ..." (Rev. 3:18 ). "Gold" often symbolizes something of real value, and "purified in fire" I think is a picture of experimentation.

Yes, we can live a victorious Christian life, but that does not mean a life without adversity. On the contrary, Peter says that we must enjoy the effect that trials have on our faith.

Therefore, you can rejoice with joy, though for a short period, if it is, it is heavy in many kinds of trials. This is how their faith is tested. Even perishable gold is tested in fire. Faith, which is worth much more, must also be tested so that it can come to praise and glory and honor, as Jesus Christ reveals.- 1 Peter's Letter 1: 6-8

True wealth

We often tend to see the church here in the West as the "rich" part of God's global church, but I don't think that's true. Sure, maybe we have more money than Christians in North Korea, but real wealth is not measured in money. Jesus makes it clear to the Christians in Smyrna that he has seen their earthly poverty and that he has not closed his eyes when it came to their needs. But at the same time, he also says that while others looked upon them as poor, he looked upon them as rich. True wealth does not come from collecting treasures here on earth, but from collecting treasures in heaven.

Thou shalt not gather treasure upon the earth, where moths and fields destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But you will collect treasures in heaven where neither moths nor fields destroy and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, so will your heart.

- Matthew 6: 19-21

When Jesus is against the congregation

Can Jesus think of opposing the congregation? He is not opposed to the true church, but the church in Pergamon receives a sharp warning from Jesus.

Turn around! Otherwise, I will come to you soon and will fight them with the sword coming out of my mouth.

- John Revelation 2:16

John Revelation 2:16 may not be the most widely used scripture among Norwegian churches today, but Christians in Pergamon received this warning, and we want to find out why they received such a powerful warning from Jesus. Many may think that before Jesus comes with such a powerful warning, there must be some serious sin in the congregation - and maybe it did. But what Jesus calls them is that they TOLERATE two different groups that we have already mentioned - those who adhered to the teachings of Balaam and those who adhered to the teachings of the Nicolaitans.

In other words, confronting these two groups was not very serious in the eyes of Jesus. If we want to avoid receiving the same warning, we may need to consider where we stand. Do we rather try to avoid conflict when it comes to sin or unbiblical teaching in the congregation, or dare we stand up and speak clearly about what the Bible says.

I think this warning also applies to many Christian leaders today because my impression is that many of them are completely stunned by human fear. Because they do not want to be unpopular or presented negatively in the limelight, they stay far away from anything that can be controversial.

We should not seek the controversial for the sake of conflict, but at the same time, as God's people, we have a call to be light and salty in this world (Matt. 5: 13-16). If we are to constantly extract the word of God to adapt it to the culture we live in, the salt will lose its power and be useless.

Jezebel

In Tyratira another figure emerges, and that is Jezebel. Again, we see that tolerating her was enough to arouse the wrath of Jesus. Clearly, Jesus is concernedfor what we tolerate. In my study Bible it says that the name Jesabel is synonymous with false worship, sensuality and manipulative control, and based on what is being said about her, it seems to be a good description.

We do not know in detail what she learned, but it does say that she enticed Christians to a sinful lifestyle after what she learned. Not only is what a preacher directly saying is crucial - we must also look at the fruits. If the fruits of a preaching are that people with light conscience continue to sin, it is not a biblical preaching.

When you read Jesus 'letter to the church in Tyratira, you may be a little shocked at the brutality of Jesus' words, but this only shows how serious this was to Jesus. In general, God sees sin very seriously, but when ministers in His name preach things that lead people to sin - then it is even more serious. But it is not only in the letter to the church in Tyratira that it seems that Jesus is very serious about luring others to fall - it is also shown in Jesus' preaching in the gospels.

But whoever deceives one of these little ones who believe me, he was better served getting a millstone hung around his neck and being lowered into the depths of the ocean.

- Matthew 18: 6

It says about you that you live ...

We humans look at the exterior, but the exterior does not always reflect the interior. This is evident in Jesus' letter to the church in Sardes. They had a reputation for being a living church, but Jesus reveals that it was only outside. They may have had wonderful praise and inspirational speakers, but the quality of a congregation is not measured by how wonderful the praise is or whether the pastor is able to inspire people. The quality of a church is measured by whether people become disciples who daily become more and more like Jesus. Jesus' advice to the congregation was to think back to what they heard and received at the beginning - and to hold on to this.

There is much preaching today that is slipping farther and farther away from the revival preachers that Hans Nielsen Hauge, Charles Finney, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, etc. stood for. There may be a lot of that preaching that sounds old-fashioned, but when you look at the fruits of their lives, I think we can agree that it is we who have something to learn from them and not vice versa.

An open door

The church in Sardes had obviously forgotten what they heard in the beginning, but for the church in Philadelphia, Jesus has nothing negative to say. They are praised for sticking to God's word - even through trials. Maybe that was exactly why they had managed to keep regular courses.

Paul says that anyone who wants to live a godly life will face opposition (2 Tim. 3:12), but through all tribulation, God has the power to open the doors to be opened and the doors to be closed. . The key is to keep to the word of God. When we stay close to God, He will guide us where He wants us, and when He opens the doors, neither the devil nor other people can stop us.

A lukewarm church

The last church mentioned is the Laodicean church, and for good reason, not many churches have chosen to name this church - Jesus had nothing good to say about this church. They obviously believed they were doing well because they said of themselves "... I am rich, I have abundance and lack nothing ..." (Rev. 3:17). But the good self-image got a sharp scratch in the paint when Jesus comes to his view of them. In his eyes, they were “… miserable and pitiful, poor, blind and naked…” (Revelation 3:17).

The reason for Jesus' disgust for this congregation lay in what Jesus describes as capriciousness, and I believe this ease lay in their ability to respond when the Holy Spirit spoke to them. They certainly did very well, had well-prepared meetings and, like Sardes, a reputation for being a good congregation. But this does not help if we do not have our heart relationship with Jesus in order.

A summary

There are certainly many other things one could have mentioned when it comes to these seven churches, but for me there are three important points we need to remember.

    1. Keep your first love for Jesus alive.

    2. Hold on to the Word of God and stand up for the truth, even if it means confronting sin or false teaching.

   a3. Do not be afraid if you experience suffering for Jesus.