Revelation 1:20 ( The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches; and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches)
Jesus explained in the book of Revelation the seven types of churches, which constitute the churches in this generation and the one to come. Out of these seven churches comes the body of Christ. Christ is one, so also is His body. It’s still the same in this generation, nothing has changed. Every church on earth has the same characteristics as one of the churches in the book of Revelation.
If your church doesn’t have the same characteristic as the church of Laodicea, it may have that of the one in Sardis, or the quality of the church in Pergamum. This message is to call churches to awareness and check where they belong and make amendments before their candle is removed and their light becomes dim.
The first type of church is the one of Ephesus; God knows them, he knows how they have been exposing fake and false prophets with fake apostles in their midst, they didn’t allow evil to prosper, but rather expose and disgrace them, they worship God with diligence, seeking his face day and night, but in reality, they have lost their first love towards God.
Their love for God has waned, they no longer evangelise or bring others to Christ, they may appear to be holy outside but inwardly there is no more thirst or hunger for God, living holy without first love is practically impossible, without holiness no one shall see the lord.
With commendation Jesus Christ gave them, they are still found wanting, which means that a little disobedience can disqualify one from making heaven, the love for God is very essential in our walk with him; the love of God is the fulfillment of the law and the message of the prophets.
God called them for repentance else he will remove their candlesticks and be deleted from the book of life. Check your life or your church if it’s the same as that of Ephesus, sound the battle cry against lukewarmness, let the church go on retreat to check their relationship with God if it’s still intact, it won’t be palatable if they discovered it in the end, when the door of repentance would have closed and what remains will be, ‘oh had I known’.
The second type of church is the church of Smyrna.
God commends this church and sees nothing against them, this seems to be the perfect church among the ones mentioned in this passage.
Even though most of their members were martyred by those who called themselves Jews but are nothing more than the Synagogue of Satan, they suffered tribulations and were cast into prison but they never relented in doing God’s works and following His will.
They thought they were poor but God counted them to be rich for they had what others couldn’t have, the presence of the most high God.
The riches of the kingdom are different from the riches of the world, but unfortunately, some churches are not like this, they glory in their riches but not in holiness, they glory with material things, and how mighty their church auditorium but not in the divine transformation of their souls, they have bigger church but imperfect relationship with God, the more they increase in numbers and the wealth increases, is the more they go further away from his presence, they rejoice when men gives testimony of prosperity but not in repentance and change from wicked ways.
God commend this church for their faithfulness in what they believe and what they are ready to die for, which is their conviction.
What makes hell hell is that all that God represents is lacking in hell, lack of his word and his peace, lack of his presence but the manifestation of his wrath, his blessing and mercy with his goodness is lacking in hell, it’s only the place of undiluted wrath, all those who despised his word will find themselves there, and whoever sins against him.
A little leaven leavened the whole lump, a little sin disqualified one from making heaven, and imprinted in man the mark of the beast, God demands outright obedience not half, for those churches who subtract one from the law to add their own are short of what the church truly represents.
If your church has yet to face any type of persecution no matter how little it is, maybe there is a little alignment with it and the forces of darkness, or they have compromised with the prince of the world, the enemy doesn’t fight his own.
This church in Smyrna is the kind of church we tag as old school, they turned their back on the world and face calvary, nothing in the world amused them only the presence of the Most High God is sufficient enough to see them through their earthly journey.
They may not meet the demand of the world but they are perfect in the eyes of God this kind of church is difficult to come by in this world where everyone is seeking the praises of the world, not minding what heaven is saying about them.
Where the angels of the church are trying to shake hands with the princes of the world, whom they never try to win their souls into the kingdom of God, I’m yet to see in the Bible where Jesus visited Herod’s palace or Pilate’s domain to seek their approval or shake hands with them.
Some churches are trying to seek the favour of God with their works, they fast they prayed but they only lack one thing, that is God’s approval, for they rely on the works of the flesh to attain the level of the spiritual relationship with God, flesh and blood cannot see God, their sacrifice is just like Cain who bypassed the blood to present his sacrifice to God and was finally rejected….to be continued
Prayer: Father lord, visit the foundation of your church, align their works with your will and purpose, in Jesus’ name amen.
