Real Christian Women

Jesus said we are blessed if we read the book of Revelation. I also realize that studying Revelation can be overwhelming! So let’s break it down to one bite-size piece.

Interestingly, in chapters 2 and 3 Jesus expresses serious concerns for 5 of the 7 churches, and He has made them known to us by including them in the Scriptures. With that in mind, shouldn’t we give it careful attention and ask ourselves if we are guilty of the same things? Here is a list of those concerns:

1. To the Church in Ephesus… “You have forsaken the love you had at first.” (Revelation 2:4) He goes on to say that if this doesn’t change, He will remove their lampstand, meaning the church will not continue to exist. They were commended for their hard work, perseverance, and discernment. They also endured hardship and did not grow weary. But all of this could not excuse their diminishing love for Christ. Having lost the zeal and enthusiasm they had at first, they were just going through the motions.
2. To the Church in Smyrna…no criticism
3. To the Church in Pergamum… “There are some who hold to the teaching of Balaam… You also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” (Revelation 2:14-15)
4. To the Church in Thyatira… “You tolerate that woman Jezebel.” (Revelation 2:20)
5. To the Church in Sardis…“You are dead. Wake up!” (Revelation 3:1-2) Have you ever been to a dead church? This church was filled with people going through the motions of dead religion. 
6. To the Church in Philadelphia… no criticism
7. To the Church in Laodicea… “You are neither cold nor hot…You are lukewarm… Because you are lukewarm I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16) That sounds like apathy. Perhaps they were allowing “the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things [to] come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful” (Mark 4:19).

These concerns can be put into 2 main categories: a decreasing love for God (Ephesus, Sardis, and Laodicea) and tolerance of false teaching (Pergamum and Thyatira). These are serious problems that the church today should be aware of and look out for. For now, I want to turn our attention to the problem of allowing our love for God to wane.

A Decreasing Love for God

Consider this: When asked, “What is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:36-38

I asked the Lord, What does that mean? What does it look like? Here is what I found in the Word:

1. We show our love to God when we make decisions to obey His every command.

Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them… Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.” John 14:21, 23-24 (emphasis mine)

2. We show our love to God when we worship the God of the Bible, not a god we have created to be what we want him to be. Idols are gods of our own creation. They promise to give us what we want.

“You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol,” Exodus 20: 3-4 NASB

“… true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit [from the heart, the inner self] and in truth; for the Father seeks such people to be His worshipers. God is spirit [the Source of life, yet invisible to mankind], and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24 AMP (emphasis mine)

“For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God’s truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold,” 2 Timothy 4:3 AMP

3. We show our love to God when we persevere.

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12

4. We show our love to God when we obey our calling and seek to do His will.

“Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” John 21:16

Are there other ways we can show God our love? Of course! These 4 things may not be what you expected to find on the list, but I’m pretty sure that if we are doing these things, we are showing God that we love Him! On the other hand, if we are not doing these things … we should examine our hearts.

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

All Scripture references are from the NIV unless otherwise noted.

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