Sardis ~ The Dead Church
The church of Sardis represents the Reformation movement, away from the Nicolaitan doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. The Reformation deservedly has been praised for moving back to the Word of God, instead of the practices of men, but they fell short as well. Remember, it's never good to put your faith in a particular church, pastor or denomination...all are lead by men and prone to sin and pride.
I hope you see my point here, since I'm tough on the RCC, but I also want you to see that the Protestant Churches erred just as much.
(v.1) This describes the Protestant church then, and even today...it has the name of Christ, but is not following Christ. So many churches focus on traditions and works, that they fail to focus on fellowship with each other and especially God.
I was raised in the Lutheran Church, where Martin Luther is given the credit for starting the Reformation movement. He was a big player, but many other Catholic priests were involved in going back to the Word of God, and not the word of a pope.
Unfortunately, one of the results of the Reformation was the failure to acknowledge the Jews as God's people. Martin Luther and many other Reformists were anti-Semites, and believed that the Church replaced Israel for God's promises and blessings. This is called Replacement Theology, and not only is it completely against Scripture, but it makes God out to be a liar!
I suggest you look up Martin Luther's quotes in his books about the Jews, and how the Church has replaced Israel for God's blessings.
(v.3) Of course, as with the Catholics, the Protestants are filled with believers...it's the leadership that Jesus is rebuking.
(v.4) It all comes down to a personal relationship with Jesus, not any affiliation with any particular church that saves us.
Philadelphia ~ The Faithful Church
(v.8) The church of Philadelphia faced all the same temptations and persecution of the earlier churches, but God is commending them for keeping the faith, and for persevering.
(v.10) This is another verse that shows us that the faithful believers will be Raptured before the Tribulation comes upon the earth.
Laodicea ~ The Lukewarm Church
(v.14) Cults use this verse to say that Jesus was created, and not God Himself. What they fail to see is that the Greek word used to say "beginning" here, is Arche, where we get the word "architect" from. This word also means authority, and since Jesus created the universe, He is the authority of it as well. John 1:1
(v.16) There are many ways to approach this, for the neighboring towns had hot and cold springs that Laodicea tried to pull from, but the main focus for us is our faith. It's one thing to be an atheist or to deny Christ as our Creator...that is bad. But it's also bad to know who Jesus is, and not do anything about it...lukewarm faith.
This church is prophetic to the state of the church in the last days...apathetic and ineffective.
(v.17) We can see this being so relevant to today, for in most of the Western world, we are rich and forget to praise God for the blessings and wealth He has given us. This is why Solomon didn't want to be overly rich and think that he created his wealth, and not God. Prov 30:9
(v.19) Like a loving parent, God rebukes us to open our eyes and see the right path!
(v.20) Remember, at the beginning of these churches, Jesus was in the midst of them. Now, because the apathy has been so severe, Jesus is outside the church, knocking on the door to come in!
If we let Jesus into our lives to be the LORD of our lives, then we will one glorious day dine with Him at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Rev 19:9
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