Equipping University

Jesus will preserve his church and will present his bride to his Father at the end of the age. Realistically speaking, it seems an impossibility that the church made it through the first two hundred years of its existence alive. However, there are Christians in every nation and Christ will redeem "a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'" (Rev 7:9-10). God is not interested in the power of these individuals or their size when they gathered together on earth. Instead, God cares only about their faithfulness. We may never be important but we can all be faithful.

The words of Christ to the church in Sardis are the stuff of pastoral nightmares. No pastor or church member would ever want to hear the words delivered to the church in Sardis addressed to their own congregation. The letter suggests that the church in Sardis had slowly taken on the characteristics of its city, a group of people on the verge of death. Like the residents of Sardis, the Christians there were ignorant or deceived about the safety of their future existence as a church. They did not realize that the essence of a church is not found in its buildings, programs, past achievements, or reputation. Instead, the essence of a church is found only in its right fellowship with Christ as demonstrated through doctrinal orthodoxy and a holy life of loving service, continual repentance, and Spirit-filled obedience.

The situation in the church in Thyatira is almost identical to that in Pergamum. Certain teachers are making inroads within the congregation and teaching a false doctrine of accommodation with the culture and condoning spiritual adultery. We do not know all we wish we knew about this city. Our difficulty in interpreting this particular letter comes from the many references to daily life that are now obscure to us with the passing of time and lack of archaeological evidence. Yet, while Thyatira is the least known, least important, and least remarkable of all seven cities in Revelation, it receives the longest letter. Therefore, we see that even though the city was relatively unimportant, the same cannot be said for the church in that city. The words Christ directed to them still impact churches today.

People like to give nicknames to their favorite cities. In America, we have the Big Apple, the Windy City, the Motor City, the Big Easy, Sin City, the Mile High City, the Queen City, and the City of Progress. Most city nicknames try to highlight a memorable aspect of that city's history or lifestyle. Most cities are proud of their nicknames, although many have derogatory alternatives like Cleveland's "Mistake by the Lake." Even Las Vegas revels in its otherwise shameful nickname. However, the ancient city of Pergamum received a nickname from Jesus that it would surely not agree with or appreciate. Jesus referred to Pergamum as "the city where Satan dwells." This nickname reveals much of what the Christians in this city were facing at the time John wrote these words.

In his words to the church in Smyrna, Jesus does not promise to save them from physical death or even that things will get better. In fact, Jesus does nothing! He allows their suffering to continue and worsen. Why? Have we not been told all our lives that Jesus will rescue us and keep us from suffering? Are these not the conditions under which many agree to come into a relationship with Christ? Are there not many in the church today who think that if they do their part (attend church, read their Bible on occasion, give some amount to the church), then God will do his part (make our life better)? We must come to a place where we understand and accept a biblical understanding of suffering before such suffering arrives in our lives. It is important to know God���������������������������s heart before we face suffering, so that we may understand our suffering in light of God���������������������������s lo

Jesus is not interested in a church filled with sentimental ignorance any more than he wants a church filled with loveless orthodoxy. Christians must strive to have an informed mind and an enflamed heart. Sacrificing sound doctrine for love is just as bad as sacrificing love for doctrine. The church of Ephesus serves as a great model for us today. In a positive sense, we must continue the battle against false teaching in the church and test all things by the Scriptures. However, in the negative sense, we must do so while being careful that we not embark on a witch hunt and attack every small divergence in non-essential doctrine with an attitude devoid of love. The letter to the Ephesian believers teaches us that love for God and love for our fellow believers must dominate everything else that we do. A church that has forgotten how to love has ceased being a church. God loves the church and so should we.