Christ Charges the Church

Today is all about Christ’s instructions to his church. His instructions to us.  We are not just studying history tonight; we are part of history in the making. 

Let’s set the scene, Revelation chapter 2 and 3, contains seven letters directly from Christ himself written to seven churches that actually existed around 95AD in Asia Minor which now the country of Turkey. 

 These scriptures were written to real people who lived a long time ago, but they are relevant, timeless, and applicable to us today, every single one which is why we are going to cover all seven. As we read the letter, I want you to ask yourself, or rather, Ask the Lord, if His words are speaking to you. We’re going to ask ourselves some tough questions today.  Join us at the table of Origin to talk about the charges Christ gives The CHURCH.

Transcript

Season 3:  The End: A Revelation Study

Episode 4:  Christ Charges the Church

Show Notes

Intro:

Hello. This is ReGina Johnston, your podcast host.

Welcome to Origin where we look at current events through the filter of a pre-supposition that there is a plan A, an original plan, that gives context and clarity when it comes to present-day “elephants in the room.”  We are women of different seasons with different stories daring to talk about the tensions of the day.  This is season 3 of Origin where we will unpack the book of Revelation. In Deuteronomy 30, the Israelites were given two choices—life or death. We have those same choices each day. We challenge you to imagine you’re in the midst of a game and you’ve just been given the two-minute warning. The end of the game is fast approaching. Life or death—which one will you choose? Join us as we begin this series The End: A Revelation Study. Let’s talk about it around the table of Origin.

Who we are:

ReGina Johnston

Kyli Rose

Jina McAfee

We’re back at the table of Origin. Today we’re going to cover Revelation chapters 2 and 3 in about 30 to 40 minutes. So buckle up for some really fast talk. At the table today, I want to welcome my friends, Kyli Rose and Jina McAfee. This is episode 4, so we’re moving fast this season. This is Christ Charges the Church. I want to give a shout out to our friend, Eve Herr, who spoke on this subject. We’re going to link you to that teaching in the show notes so you want to look for that. 

We’re going to start by defining the word “charge” found in our episode title, Christ Charges the Church. Charge means to instruct or urge authoritatively, to command. Jina, can you set the scene for us. 

Jina: In the book of Revelation, Jesus takes two full chapters, chapter 2 and chapter 3, to send letters to 7 actual churches that were functioning at the time that the book of Revelation was written which was about 95 AD, so towards the very end of the first century. The churches were positioned in a circle in Asia Minor which is now the country of Turkey. But not only is it to those churches and the Church today, it’s to us as individuals. We’re part of history in the making. Realize, these Scriptures were written to real people who lived a long time ago, but they’re just as relevant today. As you listen, you’re going to hear some hard questions, but I want you to see that Jesus is jealous for His Church. He is jealous for you. He loves you. He is for you. He wants you to make it. That’s why He challenges us. 

ReGina: That’s good. So, as we begin, let’s just share some elements that are common among these 7 letters. What are some things we see in all 7 letters?

·      Kyli: First, we see that Christ reveals; He is revealing something about Himself and His character. He is helping us to know Him better. 

·      Jina: Another thing is closeness. In each letter, Christ says, “I Know You!” He knows us. And, He loves us.

·      ReGina: And we see that He commends them. He doesn’t just dive right into the charge—Here’s what you need to do better. He tells them what they’re doing well. He brings that to the forefront.

·      Kyli: And then He takes it a step further and says, “Because I love you, this is what you need to work on. This is what you’re missing.” He wants that closeness with them. Sin separates us from God. Not only does He commend them, He corrects them, because He’s a good dad.

·      Jina: Then He calls us to action. He says, “So this is what you need to do.” It’s for moving forward, coming closer to Him and making it to the end.

·      ReGina: Then He covers the consequences. He says, “If you don’t heed what I am saying and you don’t come to action over it, there will be a consequence.”

·      Jina: The last thing is the charge. You will hear it at the end of every letter. It’s how He ends each letter. The Message version says it like this: “Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the wind words, the Spirit blowing through the churches.”

ReGina: I love it too. I love the vision of that. Jina and I were out by the corn field by the church yesterday. The corn is all dried up. We haven’t gotten rain. We need rain. Pray for rain. It’s all dried up, and as the wind was blowing across the corn field, you could hear the rustling of the dry leaves in the corn field. I said, “Jina, can you hear that?” When you said, “Listen to the wind words,” I thought, “The wind speaks.” Listen to the wind words blowing across the churches. 

Kyli, let’s talk about the church in Ephesus. What does God say to the church and to us?

Kyli: We’re going to cover some Scripture here, so just hold firm, buckle in and we’ll work through it. He says:

            1 To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

2 I know your deeds, your labor, and your perseverance. [This is the commendation.] I know that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, and you have tested and exposed as liars those who falsely claim to be apostles. 3 Without growing weary, you have persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name. [Now He is going to talk to them about some of the things they are missing.] 4 But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. 5 Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.                                                     Re 2:1-5 BSB

So here are a few things that we know about Ephesus:

·       This is a first century city. It was a cross between modern day New York, Washington DC, and Vegas. There is a lot going on in this city. It’s a hub. It was known for its commerce. It was politically affluent, and it is where people would pour in when they wanted to have a good time. People liked to party there. 

·       One of the things that is said about Ephesus: It was called the light of Asia, and the gospel spread there very quickly. But to the ancient world, Ephesus was really known mostly for its temple to Artemis or Diana. 

·       One of the things He called out specifically about Ephesus is that though she had persevered well, she had forgotten her first love. Some translations would say that she even abandoned her first love, her love for Christ and her love for people.

·       Christ’s call to action for Ephesus was to remember how far she had fallen and not only to remember, but to repent. 

·       It came with a pretty severe warning. He says, “If you don’t repent, if you do not listen, if you don’t turn, I will remove your lampstand.” We talked about it on a previous podcast. The lampstands represented the churches. We see in one of the verses that He is walking amongst the lampstands. He is close to them. And He says, “I will remove your lampstand.” In other words, He is saying, “I will remove your influence. You have the privilege to partner with Me in spreading the gospel all over the world. What an honor! But if you don’t heed the warning, if you do not fall back in love with your first love….” The command was to love God and love people and they weren’t doing that well. They were persevering but not loving. Lamps are supposed to provide illumination. It’s so interesting that the place in the world that was known for being the light of Asia had lost its light. It was dim. 

So the question we ask ourselves as modern-day believers is: Are we alive and growing? Have you fallen out of love with Him? Are you going through the motions? Maybe you’re checking the boxes. Maybe you’re showing up on a Sunday morning. Maybe you’re doing the thing, practicing religion, but there is no relationship, you are not loving God well and you’re not loving people around you well. You can’t do one orthe other. They go hand in hand. We talk about the church. The church gets a lot of flack sometimes. Sometimes she is considered to be ineffective, but we believe that the church was always meant to be Plan A, God’s Plan A on the earth before Jesus comes back to rapture her. 

So, are we being effective as the church? Are we still in love with Jesus? Are we still seeking after Him like we did in the very beginning? Are we still in His Word? Are we still meeting with Him? Are we still setting time aside for Him? Are we still gathering with believers and bolstering our faith and bringing Him pure worship? Are we still in love with Him? And, are we alive and growing? Does your relationship look the same? It shouldn’t! It should have grown deeper and matured. Is it doing that? 

Jina: It kind of reminds you of a marriage. What did you do at first? Go back; do what you did.

ReGina: Then, the encouragement is to listen, listen to the wind words blowing across the churches, listen to the wind words of the Spirit. 

Ok, Jina, break down the church of Smyrna for us.

Jina: Smyrna could be called The Persecuted Church.  Revelation 2:8-10 says this: 

8 To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the First and the Last, who died and returned to life. 9 I know your affliction and your poverty—though you are rich! And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews but are in fact a synagogue of Satan. [He says, “I know it looks like people who are godly are slandering you, but that’s not true. They are of Satan.” It helps to know that He knows.] 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.                                          Re 2:8-10 BSB

There is intense persecution going on in the world now although not necessarily here. OpenDoors USA estimates:

·      13 Christians are killed every day somewhere in the world because of their faith  

·      360 million face persecution worldwide

We may talk about persecution, but we may be doing it from an air-conditioned room (which we are so thankful for right now) and padded seats. We might talk about it over our coffee or a meal together. Maybe someone made fun of us. Maybe our social media platform got canceled. That’s persecution here. Maybe our jobs were threatened which is real. And that is starting to happen. We talk about persecution but not in the same way as the martyred church—not yet. Week 1, we said, “You’ve got to settle some things now.” Settle it now. Before it gets here. Don’t be shocked if that time comes because it’s happening. 

There is no correction for this church, none. They are doing the right things. But He is saying to them, “Do not fear what you will suffer.” Do you see how He is describing Himself in verse 8? The First and the Last, who died and returned to life. So, He is basically saying if the worst thing that can happen is that you die, then you will return to life, like Me. He used that description of Himself on purpose.

So, what are we afraid of? Are we afraid of losing a job? He can give you another one. Are we afraid of losing our livelihood?  He provides. Afraid of someone being mean to you? They tortured Christ where you couldn’t even recognize His face. His word says, “Be faithful unto death.” We need to settle it. Are you afraid of suffering for Christ? Stay faithful under persecution when you do suffer. Settle it now.

Kyli: Look at Paul’s influence. He got this. He said, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Ph1:21). What’s the worst that can happen? If I’m here, I’m spreading the gospel. If I’m with Jesus, that speaks for itself. What could you possibly take away from me? I have nothing to lose. Because he really embodied that, look at the impact his life had. What could we impact if we really, whole heartedly believed that? 

ReGina: I’m going to talk about the church of Pergamum, the church was too tolerant of falsehood in the culture. This sounds so applicable. Let’s see what it says in the Scripture. 

            12 Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum…

13 I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, [oh wow] yet you have remained loyal to Me. You refused to deny Me even when Antipas, My faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city. 14 But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin… 15 In a similar way, you have some among you who follow the same teaching. 16 Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of My mouth.

                                                                                      Re 2:12-16 NLT

Basically, He is saying to Pergamum that you are so tolerant of sin that it’s influencing the church. And what are we doing today? It’s just pretty crazy. We have allowed Satan to sell us a bill of goods: You are not loving people well if you don’t tolerate their sin. 

Jina: And that’s our mandate—to love. 

Ancient Pergamum was a center of idol worship known for a variety of pagan temples and altars. They had temples of idol worship to culture, politics, drugs, entertainment, and medicine. This is sounding so familiar to what we deal with today in our culture.

The question we have to ask ourselves as modern-day believers is the same question He is asking Pergamum. Are we appropriately addressing matters of holiness and idolatry in the church and in the culture? The church is supposed to bring transformation to the culture. This translates to a personal question: What sin am I tolerating that I should not be tolerating?

Sometimes when we hear the word “holiness,” we think in legalistic terms like how long our dress is, how long our sleeves are, how high our neckline is. A lot of that is really important because it can distract from the message of Christ if we’re not careful. But holiness simply means set apart for God’s purposes. We need to ask ourselves: What idols are we tolerating and bowing down to, without even realizing it, that is actually diminishing holiness, that set-apartness for God’s use? Here are a few thoughts: 

·      Are we speaking the truth in love or staying silent to appease the idol of false peace over accountability? I have found myself doing that some.

·      Are we speaking the truth in love or staying silent to appease the idol of rebellion?

·      Are we appeasing the idol of self by not really loving our brother or sister in need? Maybe it’s not convenient. I have heard that terminology recently. I can’t do that; it’s inconvenient. Do you think it’s convenient for me? It’s not. 

·      When all of our stories are about us, are we appeasing the idol of self?

·      When we spend too much of our time on entertainment, are we appeasing the idol of entertainment and comfort?

There is so much to look at here and so much to ask ourselves. When appeasing these idols of comfort, money, food, work, self, the encouragement is this: Whoever has ears to hear, let her hear what the Spirit is saying.

So, Kyli take us to the next church.

Kyli: Next on our journey is the church of Thyatira, the church that was tolerant of falsehood in the church. We are going to pick up in verse 18.

18 Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira…. 19 I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things. 20 But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead My servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols. 22b Those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds. 23bThen all the churches will know that I am the One who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve. 

24 But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (deeper truths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you 25 except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come.      Re 2:18-20, 22b, 23b, 24-25 NLT

So, what do we know? We see the name Jezebel mentioned here. We also see Baal mentioned. In the OT, there was an actual queen named Jezebel. She was married to a wicked king. They were both wicked—King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. We see in the OT that she practiced witchcraft. She was responsible for murdering some of God’s prophets. In this passage, Jezebel is described as a self-proclaimed prophetess. She is a false teacher, an immoral woman, an idol worshipper, and someone who teaches those inside the church to sin. Most scholars believe this is not referencing Jezebel of the OT, but in this Scripture, they are referring to a real person in Thyatira, probably a church leader. This is probably not just a metaphor for rebellion but there was a person in the church of Thyatira who was demonstrating a lot of the character traits of our OT Jezebel. She was teaching falsely. This matters. We have to be so alert. Often, the enemy cloaks himself and he deceives. He is the author of deception. He operates in half-truths. 

As the body of Christ living in a similar day where half-truths are spewed all over the place and compromise is everywhere, what is the only thing we can use to discern that? It’s truth. Statistics show that so much of the body of Christ is biblically illiterate. We do not know truth. How can we withstand falsehood when we don’t know truth? How do we identify a falsehood, a lie or a half-truth? We have to know truth. You don’t out-power the enemy; you out-truth him. So do we know truth. It’s really tricky. We see some religious bodies today celebrating things the Bible has clearly said is not the best way for you. Same-sex marriage is not the best way. He designed marriage between a man and a woman. This is the best way for you to live with one another. This is the way you can live with one another without hurting yourself or each other and without adulterating the identity He gave you. You’re supposed to look and sound just like Him. It is what is safest for you. We see some of that compromise, a false truth, a half-truth permeating within the Church. The largest Christian religion in the world believes that Jesus is a way to heaven, but their position papers also state that He isn’t the only way. We see a lot of watered-down truth—not completely this, not completely that, just multiple ways. God has an issue with that. When we don’t know truth, we are susceptible to falling for it. We must know truth. 

Thyatira, are you tolerating a spirit of rebellion and sexual immorality in the church by not challenging darkness? I would say to anyone listening, put your name right there. Kyli, are you tolerating a spirit of rebellion and sexual immorality in the Church by not challenging darkness. Do you challenge darkness? Put your name in every single one of these.

Are we holding one another accountable within the Church body? You cannot have accountability apart from relationship. We’ve got to prioritize.

Jina: So it’s not just that you’re not living that way yourself, but you’re not challenging.

Can we call brothers and sisters to a higher standard in Christ that we ourselves are not maintaining? Can we discern what those standards are apart from the Word and apart from an intimate daily? It’s very practical. 

So, whoever has ears to hear, let her hear what the Spirit is saying.

ReGina: So now we’re turning the corner to the fourth church, the church of Sardis. So, Jina, help us understand that church.

Jina: It’s the Church that Fell Asleep. In modern-day terms, you might say it’s The Walking Dead Church or The Zombie Church. Here is what is written in Revelation, chapter 3:

1 Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis…. I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of My God. 3 Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to Me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.                                                    Re 3:1-3 NLT

I want to give you a little context about the actual city of Sardis. It sat on the edge of a tall mountain, and it only had one entrance up the side of the steep cliff. It was thought to be like a fortress. The enemy could not get in. They needed only a single watchman, one watchman, to stay awake and alert to prevent an attack. And yet the city was captured by its enemies twice during its history.

This is what stood out to me: They became complacent. If we don’t keep stirring up the word of God in our lives, we will become complacent. It’s easy to do. It’s easy to do if you don’t keep the living God alive in your life. The Scripture says that the church in Sardis had a reputation for being alive, but according to Jesus it was asleep and almost dead. Can you picture this? They were probably busy. They could have had lots of programs. They had a good name, a good reputation according to the world’s standards. But Jesus said, “Repent and wake up. Otherwise, when I come again [and we think that’s going to be very soon], it would surprise them.” He wants us. He wants us. 

The question we must ask ourselves as modern-day believers is: Have you made an idol of your reputation? Is that more important than your relationship with the Lord Jesus? Is it? Are you spiritually asleep? If so, wake up. 

Have we become complacent? Have we become less in love with the Lord than we were at first? We must repent. We must repent and turn. We’ve got to turn back. 

ReGina: Now we’ve come to the last two churches. Many scholars believe that each church mentioned in Revelation also represents a certain time period in history. I think we can find principles and application with each church, but these last two churches represent two types of the modern-day church. Philadelphia is the one I am going to talk about now. It’s The Faithful Church, the church who will be raptured, we believe, before the tribulation begins to unfold. You will find it in Revelation 3:7-11. Here’s what the word says:

7 Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia…. 8 I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed My word and did not deny Me…. 10 Because you obeyed My command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world [that’s when we believe the church will be raptured] to test those who belong to this world. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown.                                                                                            Re 3:7-11 NLT

So here, to the church in Philadelphia, the admonition, the commendation, the encouragement is: You’re true to God. You’ve endured everything until the very end without wavering, without compromise. Now, here is the thing, I know a lot of churches and a lot of people who hold themselves up in a very high regard because they have the corner on the market. They uphold the word. They are enduring. They’re enduring to the end. But they’re not humble. What we see about the church in Philadelphia is they’re humble. That’s very important. Yes, you may be a church that’s true to the word of God and you may be enduring everything to the end without wavering, but are you humble? Or are you proud about that? If you’re proud, that’s not the Philadelphia church. 

Christ really has no correction for this church. He only praises them. He calls them to action—to hold on to what they have. I think of holding on to a bone, like a dog holds on to a bone, and he is not letting go. You could even pick him up by picking up the edge of the bone. He is not letting go. Hold on to what you have. And He combined this with the promise of being raptured before the tribulation. I am so thankful that the Lord loves His Church and wants to rapture His Church before judgment is completely unfolding. 

The question we have to ask ourselves as modern-day believers is: Are we enduring all things faithfully for the cause of Christ? And, are we doing it humbly? 

Kyli: I love what it said in verse 8. You have little strength [so many could probably resonate with that] yet you obeyed My word. You didn’t deny Me. I know you feel tired, but you’re still moving toward Me. That’s powerful. Keep moving. Keep moving.

ReGina: The word tells us, “When you’ve done all, stand” (Ep 6:13).

Kyli: You’re not standing alone.

ReGina: Really, this endurance thing we’re talking about is hard. The harder things get, the harder it is to endure, to finish well. The Bible doesn’t just call us to barely make heaven by the skin of our teeth, this endurance is not “I’m dragging in.” It’s an endurance where we are having done all to stand. Standing on the word of God. Ready. It’s an active stance, not an “I’m still standing.” It’s an overcoming stance. It’s really difficult to do if we don’t have a relationship with Jesus. Christ makes it possible to bear all things, believe all things (1Co 13:7).

Jina: And your church family. We have each other. That helps. 

ReGina: Those kinds of things give us helps to strengthen us to walk through tragedy and illness and betrayal and assault and death and financial ruin—all the things we have been facing in the last several years on another level. So, when those tragedies come, and they will continue to come—the Bible tells us that—when we’re forced to take a stand for what we believe, and that day is coming, will we waver or will we be firm and declare, “We will not be moved.” You know we readily sing the song, We Will Not Be Shaken (Bethel Music), but when the smallest little wind blows in someone’s life, you see them shaken so easily. It’s a decision made beforehand. Make it today. Make it now. If you have not made that decision, make it now that nothing is going to stop you from serving God in the way that He has called you to serve Him no matter what comes. 

Jina: When the storm comes, and it will.

ReGina: Lastly we have the church of Laodicea, the Lukewarm Church. Kyli, tell us about this one.

14 Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the One who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation. 15 I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other. 16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth! 17 You say, “I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!” And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. 

18 So I advise you to buy gold from Me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from Me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. 19 I correct and discipline everyone I love. [If you are feeling corrected or disciplined by Jesus, know that you are loved.] So be diligent and turn from your indifference. 20 Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear My voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.                                                            Re 3:14-20 NLT

Isn’t that a picture? As we hear some of this language, it will not necessarily register with us in our modern vernacular, but what is so cool about these letters is God is speaking their language. He is speaking in a language that they can hear, and He is using verbiage they would understand. We are going to break some of it down. Here is what we know about Laodicea. He is using very specific, very targeted language to get their attention. He wants them to hear Him. He speaks our language. We often think of Him as hiding like we have an on-going game of Where’s Waldo. No. He wants you to find Him, to hear Him, so that you can move toward Him. He is not playing Hide and Seek with you. Here’s what we know about the city:

·      It was located in a really high valley, so they had issues getting water. What they had were some cold aqueducts that would bring water from the mountains. Then they had some hot aqueducts bringing water from the hot spring. By the time the hot and the cold collided, what you ended up with was a bunch of useless, lukewarm water. You couldn’t do anything with it. You couldn’t find any refreshment for a hot day. It wasn’t going to cool you off. It was lukewarm. It wasn’t good for washing. It had mineral deposits, so it tasted terrible. It was like west Texas water. So essentially, it was good for nothing. What do we need to exist? Water. Can you imagine being surrounded by the one thing that should sustain you and couldn’t. So, when Jesus said, “I am about to vomit you out of My mouth,” they would have understood that language. When people came to visit Laodicea, it is said that they would often vomit when they tasted this water because the taste was so horrific. So, when they heard Him say, “I’m going to vomit you out of My mouth because you taste so foul to Me,” they would have understood that. This would have been like Him highlighting something to them. It startled them.

·      The city was also known for its clothing industry, specifically soft black wool. So, when He said, “I want you to buy white garments from Me so that you won’t be naked,” they would have understood this, the stark contrast. 

·      Finally, we see that the city was known throughout the Roman Empire for its eye ointment. It is so interesting that they provided something for the physical eye when their spiritual eyes were blinded and closed. 

·      They had yet another temple there where they would worship false gods, so when Christ said, “I want you to buy eye ointment from Me so that you can see and not be blind,” that was another eye opener, no pun intended. He is saying, “You can correct physical vision, but you can’t see spiritually.

One of the questions a person must ask is: What is a lukewarm Christian? Why would Christ say that He would rather we be hot or cold, but not lukewarm? And how do you reconcile a God who tells His children I will NEVER leave or forsake you, with the same God who says, “I’m about to spit you out of My mouth?” I think here, He is actually speaking about two different types of people. We all know what it means to be lukewarm in general, right? We can take something or leave it. We don’t love it. We don’t hate it. We’re just kind of neutral. I think that so many of us have sat in the place where we are just going through the motions. We don’t pick a side of the fence. Really, if you will remember episode 1, that was the charge. Choose. What are you going to choose? In these last days, you cannot straddle the fence. You have got to choose. And by not choosing, you have made your choice. 

Jina: I think a lot of people live there. 

We do, and we’re miserable there. Someone who is on fire for God is hot. You know if that’s you. And so does everyone else. You’re not perfect, but there is no doubt, you know what you’re about and you know that Christ is Lord and Savior no matter what. It’s a bumpy road but it’s a road you have committed to staying on. 

On the opposite side, we see someone who is completely cold. We have atheists, agnostics, pagans, wiccans, people who just absolutely reject Jesus as Lord and Savior and the gospel. You have friends and family who do that as well. He is not speaking about either one of these groups here. He is talking about the one who lands in the middle. Your convictions are not clear. They’re muddy. They’re muddled. You might call yourself a Christian because of where you were raised geographically or because you go to church on Sunday, but what He is saying here is that is simply not enough. It is not enough to profess by mouth without conversion, something that takes place in our hearts, a turning. What is repentance? It is acknowledging that I have sinned against God, and then it is taking action to turn and live a different way. 

The question we have to ask ourselves as modern-day believers: Laodicea, Kyli, are you lukewarm about Christ and just going through the motions of church tradition? This is something you will have to work out with Jesus. The Bible says, “You will know people by their fruit” (Mt 7:15-20). Your life will produce fruit. Is it producing fruit where people can look at our lives and say, “They love Jesus. They’re on fire for Him”?

We leave you with one final charge. These are the last words spoken directly to the Church body in the book of Revelation. After this, the corporate body, the Church isn’t mentioned again. Whoever has ears to hear, let her hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church. Pick a side. 

ReGina: So, there you have it. These words are the word of the Lord to the churches. Church is very important. These days, I am hearing so many arguments about whether church is a building or the people. We think it’s just the people, but I’m here to tell you it’s both. It’s a gathering, and it is individual. God speaks to us individually. He speaks to us corporately. There are a lot of things that happen in a corporate gathering of people that will not happen anywhere else. You can’t have unity with someone else, without the gathering. You can’t really have discipleship in its fullest form without the gathering. Church is God’s idea. There was gathering before Pentecost. There was gathering on the day of Pentecost in the book of Acts and after. The Bible says, even more so, there should be gathering as the Day of the Lord approaches (He 10:25). We need to heed Christ’s message to the churches, make them individual charges, but also be a part of a corporate body of Christ and heed those in our corporate bodies of Christ all across the nation. There is one big Body, but we all represent it in different aspects. You may be listening today and think, I don’t attend Church, I don’t even know Jesus. Today can be the day where everything changes. Your best bet at enduring well is knowing Jesus. I just want to pray with us a salvation prayer as we close. You can pray it wherever you are. You can join in prayer. The Bible says, “If you believe it in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you are saved” (Ro 10:9).

I am going to ask my friends here at the table to pray after me.

Lord, I hear the words You have spoken today. I hear that You love me. I hear that You love the Church. I hear that there is a Church that endures to the end. I want that. I want to endure to the end. So, Lord, I confess I have not known You or lived according to Your will. I repent. [That word repent means I’m turning away from my will, and I’m turning to God’s will.] Forgive me. Help me to know truth. Help me to turn. I give my life to You. Be my Lord. In Your name, I pray. Amen.

You have prayed the prayer. You have confessed Him as Lord. You are saved. The best thing you can do now is connect to a local church and begin to grow in Him, begin to live for Him and serve Him all the days of your life.

Thank you for joining us today at the table of Origin. It has been a fun, quick journey through the churches in Revelation. We’ll see you again for Episode 5. 

Sources:

Bible Versions:

Berean Study Bible

New Living Translation

The Message Version

“Christ Charges the Church” 3/2/2022, Eve Herr, www.bethele3.org

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