proeidopoíisi
Look out! Look up! Listen! Prepare! Beware! Be alert! Warning!
The Western church has really failed to make a kingdom difference in our world today. Do we integrate our faith into our everyday living or simply show up on Sunday service or watch a sermon on-line? Do Christians know more about what not to do than what should really be done? Are we just too comfortable with our lifestyles and don’t have the time or inclination to grow as a follower of Christ?
Jesus did send messages to the seven churches in Revelation, which are as revelant and applicable today as when they were written. The church of Ephesus have “forsaken their first love” while churches of Pergamum and Thyatira tolerated false teachers and teaching. Sardis and Laodicea were in danger of being lazy about the faith and the Smyrna and Philadelphia churches who endured persecution were told to hold on and overcome. Nonetheless, the message to all churches is the same when Jesus says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” So, what to do?
Because Jesus knows every church, its struggles and triumphs, he also addresses each congregation differently. What we need to be doing is serving in and outside our churches for God’s glory, not our own personal agendas. He doesn’t care about what color our carpets in the meeting room are. He isn’t concerned about petty differences or the number of people on a Sunday morning service. The latest technology is the least of his concerns. What does Jesus care about?
First of all, he cares about us. So we need to be aware of the false teachers and false preaching. He cares about non-biblical connections and our spiritual health or lack of it. Jesus is the resurrected Lord of Glory, the Ancient of Days, the great “I Am,” “the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth”. He wants to be pleased with your witness, church, works, and your very life before God and men.
Jesus wouldn’t have written those warnings or messages if he didn’t want us to pay attention. What a thrilling challenge for us in 2024 to be a witness for Christ. Look inward and look up!