Sovereign Grace Baptist Church Meets weekly at 907 Hillsboro Boulevard, Manchester, TN, 37355. Currently, our church is without a pastor/elder and the members meet weekly for praise and worship in hymn, prayer, reading of Scripture, study of the word, and fellowship.
I have been reflecting a lot on the teaching of Christ in Revelation two and three. Recently our congregation has been experiencing a bit of a crisis. Some decisions need to be made and uncertainty looms, at least from my perspective. I may be wrong but a renewed look at what the NT teaches concerning the church is much in need. In preparing for some of this proposed teaching I have been re-visiting Christ's words in the Apocalypse to garner wisdom. This much neglected book has so much to challenge us with in our own day. The dispensationalists, have, in some measure taken the text away from us by proposing that the seven churches refer to successive church ages, which creates a mystery that is indeed quite unfathomable. How can we be in the age of Laodicea (apostasy), and yet still await the promise of Philadelphia (rapture)? Some have restructured their thinking to escape the foolishness of such eisegesis, such as Robert Thomas, whose two volume work on Revelation published by Moody is at least responsible exegesis at least, if not somewhat mistaken on many matters!
So the truth about the seven churches is really that these characteristics are found in any number of places of worship at any age and in any combination. They may have been historical churches with specific occasional problems, but they also depict the types of problems that Christian congregations will face in light of ungodly culture that persecutes believers throughout church history. So doctrinal purity and deficient love may be a symptom of the local Baptist church down the lane. Basking in millions of dollars yet being spiritually impoverished may be the condition of the elegant Episcopal church on Main street. You get the picture!
What jumped out at me in the survey of the first three chapters was the amazing vision of the glorified Christ, and how quickly the church may lose sight of Him. Texts like these are designed to be gazed upon again and again. We must see the Lamb of Judah as the triumphant Lord. He has the keys in hand. He has overcome all the foes, especially the most deadly. He holds the church in His hands speaking of the belivers' security, yet He walks amongst the candlesticks ensuring that He sees all, obviously stressing our accountability. What does He see?
In short, everything. Again and again, echoes the refrain: "I know your Works." All of our doings, and lack of doing, as well, are under His careful gaze. Why? What is the big deal that such an intimacy is bound up with the churches? It is because the church is the bride to be. He has shed His blood to redeem her, and He longs for her purity. He expostulates, He exhorts, He encourages, and He exposes! There is no rock that Christ has left unturned. He knows all our dirty little secrets. He knows that we are compromised, He knows were we are afraid, He knows when we are persecuted, and He knows when we are victorious. For some, He laments and spews us forth like vomit. For others, He gently urges that they keep going in the same correct direction. "Strengthen the things that remain," he reminds the dead church! Indeed, a miracle is needed here. Whereas, to the persecuted, He demands that they be "faithful unto death,'" so they can emerge as conquerors with a crown of life!
What does Christ think of the Church? Well that depends on What type of "church" one is!!! Let us learn from these three practical chapters what pleases and what displeases the Lord, the head of the Body. So with confidence we can go forward, not fearing our lampstand being removed or our children killed!!!
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