Revelation 2 & 3...
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus
“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna
“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum
“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira
“To the angel of the church in Sardis
“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia
“To the angel of the church in Laodicea
If you're interested enough to ask that same question, then you should know the answer is yes. These churches do 'exist' today. Where are they you ask?
Right down the road from you.
These 7 churches had issues that are the same sorts of issues found in churches today. Churches that have left their first love. Churches that are self sufficient to the point that enormous amounts of money are spent just to keep them looking pristine and inviting.
Yet...why are these letters there in Revelation? Wisdom and a warning.
The letters come as a warning before the wrath of God comes to this world.
The letters have wisdom within to show churches today where they need to make corrections.
Notice the punctuation. I used church as in the lower case because these have deviated from the Church in which CHRIST JESUS is the head.
So many we have found in our last 20 years, here, where we live, have been representations of the ill effects of what God wrote about in these letters to the churches.
Why angel? An angel is a messenger from God to people. Someone appointed to that congregation could be the Pastor, called of God, to be that messenger.
Angels do not lead churches, they do what they are told by their God and ours.
A Pastor is a 'Called out one' to shepherd the people of that particular flock of believers. We have seen many churches where the Pastor has to hold a second job because the people do not support him enough to allow him to do the work of God as he's called to do.
Yes, I said 'he'. Pastor/Elder/Teacher in the original language is in the male context. God never condoned women as Pastor's. Elder is in the male. There are no women Elders. There are Deacon's- male, and Deaconess's, female.
Read Timothy to know more about this if you choose.
Where we have been where God's truly been working, has been places where the Pastor never see's himself as the head of that body of believers. They rely on Christ to be the head. They consider themselves stewards of what they have been entrusted with. Which is to teach and equip the saints for service.
Most of the churches we have seen in 20 years barely if rarely teach and equip the saints, they would rather entertain! Really? Yes, really.
Or they would wonder why the church wasn't doing so well...and would try to throw special events at it in order to try to find some spark of revival to ride the waves of. They would hire someone to be A Lead Pastor...sorry...but if you look to HIRE a Lead Pastor then you do not have a CALLED Pastor. GOD appoints and calls Pastors to lead HIS Church.
We have had generations that have not questioned what goes on in a church.
They just accept it and move on. Some stay, some go. To find one that truly teaches the Word...is rare. Scripture said that would happen as well. People would accumulate themselves teachers that tell them what THEY want to hear, not what they NEED to hear. Look at various headlines. Pastors that are adamant about teaching what people NEED to hear often do not last long. They get fired. Think about that. Someone that GOD appoints is fired by way of human agency. If that Pastor truly is a man of God, it's beyond heartbreaking to be forcibly removed from God's calling for him. I have seen it. What resulted is exactly what resulted in all those churches listed above. Their candlestick was removed and the church died.
Churches do not need visionaries they do not need to have vision focus groups.
They do not need to spend months trying to figure out why things aren't working and develop plans to revitalize.
What did the first Church do in Acts? EVERYTHING about the first Church started with PRAYER. Prayer, that brought out everything about themselves. Prayer that brought about a deeper relationship with Jesus. Prayer that brought about an elimination of poverty. Of need. People were taken care of by others in the Church. Not by the government. If you read your history, there's accounts of the time back then whereby the Government was having major problems because the people were NOT relying on them for handouts...they were relying on the Church. It's documented.
Read those letters to the Churches. Look for the wisdom and the warning.
Jesus was NOT kidding around, never has, never will about what is happening right now and what is to come.
Read the rest of the book. BILLIONS will be dying from the wrath of God being poured out upon this world. It says 1/3rd of the world will die. Ok, do the math, close to 8 billion or more here now. Then it happens again later.
A world ruler WILL be set up that WILL oppose God. That's coming too. A One-World Government.
Ok you may think you can't take the Bible COMPLETELY serious? Hmm. Well consider that it's NEVER failed to prove itself correct. EVERY single prophecy has come true. Without fail. So what makes you think that the 500 or so prophecies that are left won't come true?
Again, never once, in all of Scripture will you ever find God saying "Just kidding".
He wasn't kidding when Adam and Eve sinned and knew from before that moment it would cost Jesus Fellowship with the Father when in due time He would die on a cross for all mankind's sin.
Yet the so-called churches of today would rather give out bowls of sugary cereal an have no accountability or commitment from it's people and wonder why they aren't growing as Christ called them to. We have seen a considerable amount of churches like this.
Relationships...why have we seen so many churches in 20 years? Relationships. People aren't open to them. Relationships were at the HEART of the early Church. People today get told they share too many prayer requests! Uhm. there's not limit mentioned in the Bible on how many. Bear one another's burdens has no restrictions.
So read again in Roman's. People who practice sin will not see Heaven. You cannot intentionally live a sinful life, and think you will go to Heaven. Which means the entire transgender/homosexual group. You are intentionally living in sin and although God DOES love you, He will never condone what you are doing. Chapter 2 and onward. Read it. I'm not making up anything.
So the ball is in your court. Will you keep on accepting what's in front of you or are you going to seek God and ask Him if where you are is right by Him?
A long time ago there was a title. I've never read the book but the title description is accurate. "The Battlefield of the Mind". There's a war going on to control how you think, what you think, what you say and how to get you to NOT say some things out loud for fear of offending someone.
I hate to break it to you, if you tell people the truth of God's Word, you are GOING to offend someone.
Too much of the so-called church today has taught ONLY about the Love of God and not enough about the Wrath of God...as one put it...it's gone on for so long that we've air-conditioned Hell. People can't believe that a loving God could also pour out wrath.
Well, it's coming. I just won't be here. When Christ returns, I will be going with Him. Will you?
The Challenge to you is to examine where you are and where you are worshiping. Which is Biblical. The Berean Church examined everything they were taught even by the Apostles to see if they were so.
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