Revelation 3 -- Word To The Churches

Jesus was delivering a variety of messages to these churches, not to unbelievers.  My commentary pointed out several:

When the Spirit is grieved, the church begins to lose life and power.  When sin is confessed and church members get right with God and with each other, then the Spirit infuses new life.

It is when the church’s leaders and members get accustomed to their blessings and complacent about their ministry that the enemy finds his way in.

The first step toward renewal in a dying church is honest awareness that something is wrong.  When an organism is alive, there is growth, repair, reproduction, and power; if these elements are lacking in a church, then that church is either dying or already dead.

A remnant of dedicated people often exist in even a dying church.

The warning here is that we not grow comfortable in our churches, lest we find ourselves slowly dying.  The encouragement is that no church is beyond hope so long as there is a remnant in it, willing to strengthen the things that remain.

It is not enough to love God and our fellow believers; we must also love a lost world and seek to reach unbelievers with the good news of the cross.

Christ is the Lord of the harvest and the Head of the church, and it is He who determines where and when His people shall serve.

Satan is the accuser and he uses even religious people to assist him.

There are both opportunities and obstacles.  Unbelief sees the obstacles, but faith sees the opportunities.  And since the Lord holds the keys, He is in control of the outcome.  Nobody can close the doors as long as He keeps them open.  Fear, unbelief, and delay have caused the church to miss many God-given opportunities.

God has set before us many open doors of opportunity.  If He opens the doors, we must work; if He shuts the doors, we must wait.  Above all, we must be faithful to Him and see the opportunities, not the obstacles.

The church cannot be a ‘closed system’.  Jesus said, “Without Me, you can do nothing.”  The Laodicean church was independent, self-satisfied, and secure.  But all the while their spiritual power had been decaying.  The Lord was outside the church, trying to get in.

Father, help us to each take an honest look at our churches to determine where we are, where You are, what we are doing, and what we’re missing.  Let us grab the opportunities You present us with and know that we are in Your will.  Help us to be at work where You are at work.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford