In this letter we are currently looking at Jesus is going to give the church some things that will get them on the road to revival or as we can say “Life”. Many people are good at pointing out problems, but they are not so good with solutions. Jesus is going to reveal some solutions that will help breath life back into the dying church. Revelation 3:2 – 3 “Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.” In other words WAKE UP!!
Sometimes this is the hardest thing to do. I am a heavy sleeper, many people live life that way. So when we are told to wake up it takes us some time to really wake up.. and for some of us it takes that pot of cold iced water. This admonition should have struck a nerve with the people in this church because the city had been over run twice in its history because the people were not awake to the real threat. We need to be awake to our weak points, to the things that tempt us to sin and mislead us as a church. When we are asleep we are not aware of what is going on around us. Jesus tells the people to wake up and look at what is happening to them. The church is being challenged to wake up. Sadly some are asleep at the wheel. And don’t even know it.
We need to strengthen the things that remain. During the 6th century BC, the city was very well fortified, so much so that the people did not pay much attention to the threat of Cyrus and his Persian army. As a result of not looking to further strengthen the walls, the Persian army found a small breech and as a result, the city fell. While playing the Assassin's Creed I am reminded of how the walls are built during that time. And I can see how if your not watching you can be breeched at any time. If they had only strengthened what they had. We are the same way, once we are content with where we are spiritually, Satan will find the cracks in our armor, and from there he will attack!
The church here is told to “remember”. We must always remember what we have been taught. We can change our music and our ways however the Word never changes. I believe that we need to also remember our history. We are not to dwell on the past and this is key, but the past can help us to remember what Jesus has done for us. Hello the Cross! Now hold fast to what we have heard. What are you going to anchor your life to? The church needs to anchor itself in Jesus and what is taught in the Bible. Jesus is to be the anchor of our soul. Yes Yes I know this sounds very Sunday Schoolish and preschool but in the end this is true. If the church looses sight of Jesus, it will eventually die.
The road to revival can be a tough road to travel, it will require work and change, and it will require us to move out of some comfort zones.
Sometimes this is the hardest thing to do. I am a heavy sleeper, many people live life that way. So when we are told to wake up it takes us some time to really wake up.. and for some of us it takes that pot of cold iced water. This admonition should have struck a nerve with the people in this church because the city had been over run twice in its history because the people were not awake to the real threat. We need to be awake to our weak points, to the things that tempt us to sin and mislead us as a church. When we are asleep we are not aware of what is going on around us. Jesus tells the people to wake up and look at what is happening to them. The church is being challenged to wake up. Sadly some are asleep at the wheel. And don’t even know it.
We need to strengthen the things that remain. During the 6th century BC, the city was very well fortified, so much so that the people did not pay much attention to the threat of Cyrus and his Persian army. As a result of not looking to further strengthen the walls, the Persian army found a small breech and as a result, the city fell. While playing the Assassin's Creed I am reminded of how the walls are built during that time. And I can see how if your not watching you can be breeched at any time. If they had only strengthened what they had. We are the same way, once we are content with where we are spiritually, Satan will find the cracks in our armor, and from there he will attack!
The church here is told to “remember”. We must always remember what we have been taught. We can change our music and our ways however the Word never changes. I believe that we need to also remember our history. We are not to dwell on the past and this is key, but the past can help us to remember what Jesus has done for us. Hello the Cross! Now hold fast to what we have heard. What are you going to anchor your life to? The church needs to anchor itself in Jesus and what is taught in the Bible. Jesus is to be the anchor of our soul. Yes Yes I know this sounds very Sunday Schoolish and preschool but in the end this is true. If the church looses sight of Jesus, it will eventually die.
The road to revival can be a tough road to travel, it will require work and change, and it will require us to move out of some comfort zones.
In His Grip,
Pastor J
Pastor J
