The Seven Churches
This week we are taking a break from our normal progression though the book of Acts. Starting next week we will be teaching through the stewardship materials provided by our leadership, which will run for the following four weeks. Had we stayed on track with our journey through Acts this week we would have started Paul’s conversion, but I did not want to rush to fit that in, so instead we will hit that after the stewardship lessons.
This week we will be looking at the Seven Churches described in chapters two and three of the book which is popularly referred to as “Revelations”, probably because it’s full title is to long, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ according to John” for our modern tongues to bother with.
These seven churches were real physical churches. We have dug up the remains of all of them, and we know a bit about them from historical records. Because they are real churches they show us real problems that face us in our churches today, and that is how I will be treating them in this study. We will look at each of them as a typical example of the kinds of things that face modern churches.
The first church that John writes to is the church at Ephesus. This church we know more about then any other because it is mentioned in many other places in the scripture. We know that Paul planted it. We also know he also served there for three years. Acts 18-20 gives us a bit of that history, as does the book of Ephesians. Timothy, Paul’s handpicked replacement also served there, and it is believed that John the beloved also served there. This church had all the right foundations. It had the best of possible starts; with great giants of the faith helping to build it and it was in a rich and affluent merchant city.
Jesus looks at the church and see quite a bit of good things. He starts off with a long string of complements in Rev 2:2-3. He knows their “works”, this refers to the things that a church does. Things like feed the poor, and other such programs. He also mentions their “labor” which refers to the idea of service, and relates back to their works. He then mentions their “patience and perseverance” which speak to the strength of this church. He even notes they were spiritually discerning enough to reject false teachings. This church apparently was over all a very good church, one that most Christians would likely be proud to be members of.
But he has one thing against them; they have left their first love (Rev 2:4). The picture being draw for us here is one where this church has become so successful that it has become a machine. Note, that it does not say “forgot” or “lost”, rather it specifically says that they “left” their first love. This implies a more deliberate move away rather then an accidental slide. They had done so well that they do not need Jesus any more. They can be good enough with out him.
This is a very easy, and very dangerous position to fall into. Look around your town, state, or region do you see big successful churches that feel like loveless machines? Do they treat people like boxes on a conveyor belt? This is what is being described here, and Jesus is not at all happy with it. He tells them to remember the love they left, and repent or he will remove them. Today many massive churches stand empty, most of which could fit this bill.
The next church he mentions is Smyrna. This church is one of only two that Jesus has nothing bad to stay about. This church is doing well, holding the faith, even though they are under tremendous persecution. One important thing to note in this church is that it is under very real spiritual attack. It talks about it being near a “synagogue of Satan” and that a “devil” will toss some of them in to prison. Do not ever be fooled by our modern day materialistic culture, there is a real devil, and he will attack wherever he can. The success of this church is tiny next to that of Ephesus in worldly measurements, but in Jesus estimation they will receive the crown of life in glory because they are over comers.
Next is mentioned the church at Pergamum. Again, Jesus setting a model for all us in leadership of any kind starts with a string of compliments. He speaks of how bad the area is that they are planted in, and he sympathizes with that. He also praises them for holding fast to his name, even when one (or more) of them was killed for doing just that. These are all great things, and worthy of praise, but they are not perfect. They have allowed false teachers to come into their midst’s and instead of reject them like Ephesus did, and they appear to have embraced them. This church is the “worldly” or “compromising” church. They claim the name of Christ, but teach a worldly religion.
In modern day America this kind of church is very prevalent. We have becomes so afraid of offending anyone that we comprise on every point. We coin new ways to describe reality, in order not to offend anyone. We are so politically correct that no one can ever be pined down to make a stand for anything. Think about he churches in your region, do they hold to the Bible as the world of God? Is Jesus preached as the one and only way to heaven? Do they preach that without Jesus you are going to hell for eternity? Would any of them dare refer to another religion as the “Synagogue of Satan?” Not many in America would, because that is too offensive. We all should take heed at what Jesus says to this church, “Repent or else I will come to you quickly and fight against them…” (Rev 2:16)
The church at Thyatira is the next one to be mentioned. This church was is a much less affluent town, in fact it was more of a military out post then a city. This church has quite a list of good things mentioned by Jesus: works, love, service, faith, and patience. It is also the only one of the seven where Jesus mentions that they are improving. Overall it does not sound like it would be all that bad of a church to be a member of. However there is a problem at this church, and it is this woman Jezebel. She apparently was a false teacher that was allowed to preach and teach in this church. We can all see how this happens in our own churches. We are often so starved for qualified volunteers that anyone that even hints they might be able to teach a Sunday School, or lead a Bible study is drafted in to service. Little to no checking up on the teaching is often done because we do not want to scare off the help.
Jesus is not at all pleased by this, and states that Jezebel will suffer for it, and so will all her followers. This means that everyone in the church that has been lead astray by her teaching will suffer. If this was your church, that would mean your people are going to suffer because you allowed a false teacher in. The responsibility of the church to test and monitor all teachers is clear and extremely important. The only way to fix the problem this church faces would be to kick out Jezebel, and that would likely cause a church split. It would be better to reject teachers before they got started then let them in and deal with them later.
The church at Sardis is probably very stereotypical of some of the denominations we have in America today. They have great works, and are known for them, but are spiritually dead. In other words they go out and serve, but out of duty or obligation, not love or a desire to serve. Jesus tells them to remember how they used to be, and return to that. He also points out that there are members with in this church that are still holding to the faith. This shows that even if the organization itself is dead, that does not mean the all the members are. This is often very true. I know that I personally have been in dead churches where some of the members were on fire for God. Often it is these members that keeping the church alive, and are often seen by outsiders as proof that the dead church is still alive, even though it is completely dead.
The church at Philadelphia is the second, and only other church that is doing well in this list of seven. Unlike Smyrna it is in a major commercial center. This city is rich and dominates its region for trade and influence. Jesus spends quite a bit of time praising this church, and even tells them He is opening new opportunities for them. In America, the church that is experiencing explosive unstoppable growth is almost unheard of. Overall the church here is dyeing, so it would be hard to equate this to anything in my personal experience, but if we look a back to the history of America we can definitely see this. At one time the power of God was clearly felt in this country, and we accomplished the impossible time and time again. That would be a picture of what is being described with this church.
Lastly we come to the saddest example of a church of them all. Jesus has nothing at all positive to say about them. The church is not actively fighting for or against Jesus. They have all they need, and are content with it.
Please do not overlook that no place does it give any hint of spiritual warfare with regards to this church. They are not being attacked by demons; there is no mention of false teachers, or anything else along these lines. If you are ever in that position you should be extremely concerned, because if you are not in the fight then that means Satan and his demons have already defeated you and moved on. Notice how Jesus stands at the door of the church and knocks? Jesus told us that wherever two or more were gathered in his name, he would be there, and yet at this church he is out side knocking. That tells us this church is completely and totally empty of real Christians.
I fear that this church is a good illustration of the place where America is presently headed. Sure right now our country is under attack, but it is obvious to all that we are losing our love of God, and that the influence of the church is fading. America is so secure in its position with its military might that it does not need God anymore. Even as we are going through a massive recession, our economic strength is still strong enough to spend trillions of dollars on waste. They only question is, how much longer will Jesus allow our lamp stand to remain before He gives our spot to another?
Print This Post
