A Community of Faith, A Lighthouse for Christ
We complete our tour of the seven churches of Revelation with a visit to lukewarm Laodicea. This church thought they could do everything on their own, but Jesus had a very harsh warning for them: if they didn’t get passionate for Him and learn to depend on Him, they were finished as a church! SCRIPTURE … Read more
We come now to my favorite church of the seven churches of Revelation, a church that receives only encouragement from Jesus, the church of Philadelphia. Philadelphia was a small, poor, persecuted church, but Jesus loved her dearly and left before her an open door that nobody could shut. SCRIPTURE REFERENCE Revelation 3: 7-13 Complementary Passage: … Read more
There are a lot of dying organizations that believed they were alive but in fact are dying or dead. Think about Detroit, Michigan. Think about many churches and congregations. SCRIPTURE REFERENCE Revelation 3: 1-6 SERMON AUDIO SERMON NOTES What is a mark of being alive? Matthew 28: 19-20 Church’s Baptism in a given year Charge … Read more
Our tour of the seven churches of Revelation comes to the church in Thyatira which was in many ways the mirror image of the Ephesian church. This was a hard-working, loving, serving church that was condemned because it was tolerating immorality within the body. Christ the merciful is also Christ the authority, and His church … Read more
Our series in Revelation continues in Pergamum, a church of great courage and fortitude but which is endangered by a threat from inside the church. As we hear Jesus’ warning, we’re reminded to always Teach Truth! SCRIPTURE REFERENCE Revelation 2: 12-17 Complementary Reading: Psalm 1 SERMON AUDIO SERMON NOTES Risk: Permitting False Teaching Command: Teach … Read more
Most of us harbor some sort of fears that impact our lives and decision making, perhaps more than we care to admit. However, the Bible tells us more than 100 times to “fear not.” The last of these encouragements not to fear is given to the church at Smyrna, a group of poor Christians facing … Read more
Having celebrated the resurrection on Easter, we move into the era of the church. Our spring series on the seven churches of Revelation begins with Ephesus, a church that did a lot of things right but had lost their love. As with all the churches, a risk is highlighted, as is a command by Jesus. … Read more