Laodicea

“"And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 'The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. "'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'" (Revelation 3:14-22) 

Here is the last churches rebuked by the Lord; His warning is rather stern and unlike some of his other reproofs there is no commendation attached to Laodicea’s instruction. Apathy seems to be very serious consideration by the Lord and with democracy high up on people’s agendas; tolerance seems to be the order of the day, which will revolt against the Word of God when compromise is ushered into the equation. They didn’t even realise that they were in trouble. Happy go lucky type of attitudes and a free for all when it came using the grace of God as a licence to live conscience free. The Lord Jesus was at the door knocking; He knocks away at the doors of our hearts. We must respond to His thump if we are to end up as benefactors to God’s lessons; no differently to a child receiving discipline from their father. It will soon become apparent why we serve God when we are disciplined by Him; is it for selfish gain or are we the ones who look to be about His glory and seek out His forgiveness when the Spirit and the Word exposes our iniquity? Or are we always about condoning our behaviour when it is obviously in rebellion against God?

Here is a great cross reference to highlight where those in Laodicea will stand concerning the discipline that the Lord now gives them, it will soon reveal their standings in Christ just as it reveals ours when we too are rebuked by God for erring down the wrong path. We will all make mistakes but when God shows us our slip-ups its how we respond to His counsel that proves where we actually stand in relation to God’s eternal calling; “And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.” (Hebrews 12:5-8)

“Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.”

Sins if unchecked often leave us blind to their damage; “because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” This is a very relevant point with regard to those of us living in this cosmopolitan age, with fashion high up on the agenda’s of some. Nice houses and costly clothing a must for many. But in light of eternity is this that important, obviously not in the bigger scheme of things. Why do we then place so much value on those things, if the shoe fits we must accept our loving Saviour's reproof; “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.” (Revelations 3:17-18) – “There is none as blind as those who do not wish to see”, a quote that speaks volumes when we are taken by the sin of “lukewarmness”. Complacency when it comes to fence sitting will never cut it with our Lord. Neutral is a gear that keeps us stationary but once we know where it is that we need to go, we must engage. First gear is repentance and from there we move through the gears eventually engaging the gear of endurance.

Why is it imperative that we observe the Lord’s counsel to those in the church at Laodicea? Because if we are actioned into repentance the Lord Jesus promises a great victory and the reward will be paramount; “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.” – It took the Lord Jesus all He had to rescue us from our sin, it cost Him His life, and He died so that we could be covered by God’s mercy for our sins, which is full of offense against God. As children of God we must take His counsel seriously if it is to end well for us.      

  

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

The question we need to ask ourselves is the Lord addressing us on this topic or not? If the answer is yes then we must find grace to respond positively.

Signing off

Tyrone

Arrogance

(Psalms 10:4) “In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, "There is no God."”

Arrogance is something that we will all have to contend with along life’s journey, this is a given. Sin has taken care of that. It is one thing to be arrogant with like-minded people but we enter a totally different dimension when our thoughts and the rot that comes out of our mouths breaks out against God. Woe to the one who exalts himself above the only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Bless, praise and honour His name now and forever more; the One who has offer mercy to the whosoever in and through His Son. Repentance is on offer to those who understand their need for salvation. But with arrogance as your companion you will struggle to understand your need for salvation.

Unless we are brought to a place of absolute humility, where the pride of our hearts are not always second guessing the plans and will of God, true salvation will elude the unbeliever.

Job was a man who was blameless with his conduct when it came to his praise toward his God. He lived in Arabia which lay towards Chaldea, near Euphrates, probably not far from Ur of the Chaldees, where Abraham was also called, a land where very little thought was given to God’s will by the rest of its population. As for Job he was about God’s resolve and God commended him for this, wow! What a privileged position to find. But in order for a man to arrive in such a place the fear of God needs to be paramount, with a lifestyle of turning from evil and only then will a man be worthy of mention by the supreme God and ruler of the universe. Observe; “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.” (Job 1:1) – Although his siblings were not like minded he continually offered up prayers and sacrifices for their salvation.     

Arrogance is a trait that supersedes God’s order dressed in a cloak of selfishness. Another word commonly used in place of arrogance is pride; the fruit of pride is this train of thought; “In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, "There is no God."”

You may find yourself in a place of reasoning where deep within the recesses of your soul you acknowledge that their must be a God but you find a resistance to the toil of life and find that you are always second guessing the plans of God; if this is true then arrogance or pride if you prefer is still dominating your lives. And the fruit of it will be to run to evil even if you consider yourselves to be good. God alone is good, He is light and we were born with so many evil traits of darkness that until we are freed from that type of reasoning we will remain in the ditch of arrogance where obscurity dominates. Sentiments like “I am not a murderer” loom and yet we still covet what we do not have. Men second guess the laws of God as if they know better. There is a day coming where every individual every born to the world will have to give an account to this awesome God, of this I am certain; “for it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:11-12)

Life will test our resolve when it comes to where we stand on this subject. It must! God tested Job and He will test all of as well. How will we stand up to His scrutiny? The Christian has been afforded the storerooms of grace as their aid, but it must be called upon daily if we are to overcome God’s inspection. Jesus has paid the price for our sins but we must learn to walk in His footsteps if it is to end well for us. This means that the trial of life will press in on us with its inscrutable vigour; it is duty bound and it will separate the wheat from the chaff; the call for the Christian is for us all to be changed into the image of our perfect Saviour whilst silencing the gainsayer.

Job was tested like no other, his seven sons and three daughters died, all his servants save a few were killed, all his livestock and wealth was taken from him, his body face server pain covered from head to toe with boils and his wife called on him to curse God for what they faced, which he rejected. But after he was stripped of his pride trying to understand it all, which on the surface is hard to find any actual arrogance when we reason as men but not when compared to God and His character. When confronted by God, this was his retort; “Then Job answered the LORD and said: "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. ’Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 'Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.' I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;” (Job 42:1-5)

God is the potter and we are but clay and there is so much we will never understand until we open our eyes in heaven and the sooner we humble ourselves before God, trusting His will for our lives regardless of what we are called to face along the way the easier it will become to front the hardships of life. Hope is a wonderful aid and it will sustain us in Christ.

Let us learn to put aside pride and its folly and let us echo the words of Job and it will be well with our souls; “therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes." (Job 41:6)

Signing off

Tyrone             

Maturing in Christ

(Proverbs 16:3) Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.

Preparing for battle is a requirement needed prior to combat and for those who look to stand in the victors circle must allow time for preparation. Complacency is not your friend but shear grit and determination are if found in the bounds of the good graces of the Lord. We must will them into our corners. I am persuaded that whatever is of importance to us will become a way of life. If your relationship with the Lord Jesus has priority it will soon become obvious. Lip service will eventually run its course exposing the babbler. I am starting to understand what is truly meant with this statement; “you will know the tree by its fruit.” And until that fruit is palatable we are to avoid it. Men are prone to make mistakes, God knows how I have made more than I care to recollect.

Whilst in the throws of our pruning we will not bear any fruit fit for the Master’s use. However only once “our hair begins to grow again” will we be of any use. Samson was a man mightily blessed of God and he judged Israel for twenty years, but sadly there came a time in his life where he toyed with His gifting and that decision cost him his sight. For a time and only a phase was he given up for dead, forgotten as the great rescuer of Israel and its judge; his own (Israel) discarded him as one that had served his purpose and was of no more use to them. No rescue party was sent out to free him and he was left to rot in a Philistine cell. There will always be costs to our folly and we must accept our part with those mistakes. Confess our sin before God and commit ourselves to Him regardless of our blunders, pleading just like king David did and asking God to renew a new spirit in us. We may have made varying mistakes along our journey but once we come to our senses and seek out God forgiveness for them pruning will happen and before long our trees will once again being to bear fruit. Praise God for this reality in the Christians life. Without our fill of suffering we will never understand the part we played with our sinful actions that crucified the Lord Jesus. We all nailed Him to that cruel roman cross and it was our own sin that fastened Him there.         

When a tree is servery pruned is does not bear any fruit until it is nourished enough and has gained its strength to once again bear its produce. Samson lost his eyes, his sight was taken from him and during that period in his life he was no longer looked upon as a threat by the enemy; “But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.” (Judges 16:22)  - Although God had left him, “But he did not know that the LORD had left him”. - It was only for a season to teach him just as He teaches us many truths through sufferings. Without this facet to our lives we will not grow up into mature Christians.

Some may conclude that Samson got what he deserved, after all he toyed with his gifting. This may be true and have its relevance, but I will err on the side of mercy for I have been forgiven much and understand the logs that remains in my own eyes which still needs to be pried from them in certain areas of my life. But to be sound in our theology, we must stick to doctrine. Peter has this to say on the subject; “For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” (1Peter 2:20-21)

We must not believe the garbage that some false prophets or so called apostles propagate and teach that if we suffer it is because there has to be sin in our lives. Discipline may arise from our rebellion but when we suffer for doing well this is a gracious thing in the sight of our Lord.

The writer of Hebrews is compelled to remember Samson for his faith and not his failures, praise God for that, who hasn’t failed in one form or another?

“And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets-- who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.” (Hebrews 11:32-34)

In conclusion we must come to a place of understanding that if we suffer for doing what is right in the sight of God, this is commendable in the sight of our heavenly Father. We must learn to commit all our ways to Him as we leave the rest to Him to set out in accordance with His will and purpose.

Lord willing in our next post we will conclude with the instruction to the church at Laodicea in the book of Revelation.

Grace and peace to all your confess Jesus as Lord and to those who believe that God raised Him from the dead.

Signing off

Tyrone

The gratitude of mercy

(Mark 5:17) “And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.”

Do we have hearts filled with gratitude or are we amongst the number that begs Jesus to depart? On the surface of it this may seem like a rather odd question, when in fact it is always relevant in a believer’s life. Sin cries leave me alone whilst the mercy of God is filled with gratitude which comes from a repentant heart. We have to understand mercy before we will ever be singing songs like this; “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.” With the produce of that understanding filling our mouths with praise; not all are called to be Apostles, but all have been summoned to share the Gospel with friends and family; however until it dawns upon us what we have been saved from, the power of sin and escaping our initial verdict, hell with all its torment, we should at least be eager to share the good news with our relatives.

The Bible is filled with quotes which guides our intentions. It is informative and sensible with its instruction. The Lord Jesus made statements like these to help us understand the call of God upon our lives; “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33) – Although this is easy to understand, even a child could interpret what is being said; confess Christ to other as the true Messiah or remain silent with consequences attached. However we will only be moved to action when we understand mercy. Unless of course we have another agenda altogether, looking for the goodies of this life instead of the forgiveness of our sins. Some men preach the gospel for personal gain and Paul refers to them as men looking to fill the lust of their own bellies; false prophets exploiting the poor and simple to get rich.   

The ten leapers had a need, they needed healing and Christ obliged and yet only one returned to give Him thanks. He understood mercy; the others had what they had come for, the healing of their bodies. Unless we understand the mercy of God in our lives we will always be driven by our wants over our needs.    

The man possessed with the unclean spirit “Legion” understood the mercy of God having been freed from his entrapment. A man demon possessed but now set free and with a sound mind; although his conversion was undeniable to the witnesses and with God’s mercy on display; the onlookers perceive the power of his conversion. However in spite of the undeniable evidence this was their cry; “And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.” When we strip their reaction down to its core I am left with this conclusion; the state of their hearts left these individuals loving darkness and the fleeting pleasures of sin over the light of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ. They were more worried about their pigs than the privileged presence of God.

Until we understand the mercy of God in some measure we will continue to remain silent before men. The more we understand forgiveness the greater our intent we be to share the gospel. This man wanted to join the Lord Jesus and follow him, but that was not the call God had placed upon his life, however he was given this instruction; "…Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." (Mark 5:19)

Complacency, comforts and the like soften a soldier’s heart. Understanding the mercy of God in our lives will compel us to spread the news abroad or at least motivate us to share the good news with our kin. This will cause conflict within your families circle, so what! Some of those closest to you may even begin to detest your presence whilst others may be turned by the goodness of God. We have been warned about the rift of the true gospel message and what it could do to our relationships. The Lord explains; “"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”” (Matthew 10:34-39)

With that in mind who would ever lay down their lives if they haven’t understood the mercy of God? Test your level of understanding in light of your commitment in proclaiming the name of the Lord to others and it will soon become apparent if we have understood the mercy of God or not. I do understand that at times we are called to hold our peace but that is rather an exception than a rule.

Signing off

Tyrone

Philadelphia

(Revelation 3:7-13)  “"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: 'The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. "'I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie--behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet and they will learn that I have loved you. Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'”

This encouragement starts with a qualification of who God is and what He is capable of. Universally He is the head of all the churches and not the pastors or elders of a church; they hold an office and have been appointed by Him. They may stand in the gap for now but ultimately we will all stand before our King and give an account for what we have done with what He has given us.

When God sets His mind to something it cannot be thwarted. The beauty of who our God is rings true in my soul and we must take comfort in the fact that He is not like us but steadfast in all His deliberations. He is a God of His word. Praise His name! Men often promise the world but contracts are easily broken, however it is not so with God, it is impossible for Him to lie. I take so much security from this truth that it inspires me into action. For the Christian to really apprehend that if God is for us who can be against us must captivate our souls and it must energize us into action. The sooner this dawns upon the believer, life becomes far more triable, and we will identify that the Judge of the universe has forgiven us. “Jesus the one who died in my place is on my side, hallelujah! What do I have to fear? No wonder Paul was so bold with his lettering; “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-39) 

I suppose the believers at Philadelphia (a city in Asia Minor) must have been fired with similar thoughts, they must have been gripped by their hope in Him and this would have over-shadowed the enemy’s onslaught from within other so called Christian circles; the pretend believers living outside of the Word of God; those who chose and amongst us still choose to twist the Word of God in a similar fashion to the way Satan twisted the words of God to Eve. But praise God they never shifted, they held on tight to the Lord Jesus and we must do the same. “Let God be true and every man a liar” if and when their opinions supersede what is written.

We must never forget that God opens and shuts doors in accordance with His will, His purposes will stand and for us to be the benefactors of His resolve we must align ourselves with His commands and the believers of this church were applauded for doing exactly that; “and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”

The table will eventually be turned and their reward will be this; “Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie--behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet and they will learn that I have loved you.” The encouragement I see here is that we must hold onto the Word of God, regardless on any outsider’s ambush, as it will pay dividends in its due season.

It is all about keeping God’s Word in tact with patient endurance; these believers were to be kept for the hour of trial that is coming upon the whole world; “Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.” They obviously had already past the test and therefore didn’t need to be re-tested. That is a beautiful thought as it penetrates my soul.

Their encouragement nears its end with this beautiful reminder attached; “I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” My thoughts have been taken to the parable of the ten virgins, five were wise and five were foolish, they are obviously amongst the wise and will be ready when their Master returns, will we be amongst that number? I trust so! If we learn from their example and follow suite it will most certainly end well for us. But we must pay careful instruction to God’s counsel and make it our own.

Endurance is called for and we must overcome; “The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'” (Revelation 3:12-13)

To all the Christians abroad let the grace and peace of our great God abound in your hearts from here on in.

Signing off

Tyrone

Habits

Throughout our lives habits come and go, and depending upon how committed we are to them the longer they stick around or if those patterns are seen as a threat to our existence they live a short life or at least we will it even when we cannot find it. New Year’s resolutions prove this point rather well. It is the way we have been wired, put on to much weight and diets are on the cards but until that regime becomes a habit the initial intent will soon be lost to self-indulgence, but break the shackles of over eating or ingesting incorrectly and the results will soon become evident. Most of those types of intentions come from a place of self-centeredness; we do certain things to feel better about ourselves and that varies from person to person. We have a resolve to achieve some remarkable things when something deep within us gets triggered. A soldier is pushed to the brink of his endurance and he cries out, “I can’t go anymore corporal” but the instructor insists he has to continue or he will not qualify and from somewhere he finds another gear and continues with new vigour. Where did that come from? God Knows! Now if we have that sort of drive prior to salvation, how much more should we be motivated to walk in the Spirit? We now have the mind of Christ; it shouldn’t be a tap that we switch on and off as we once did. We are new creatures in Christ and the reality of our lives is that we must now learn to apply a different set of rules to our understanding, the overarching laws of grace, a freedom to now walk habitually in victory with sin no longer having the power it once held over us; the Lord Jesus Christ has freed us from that bondage.

This should now become the way we understand our position in Him; “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:11-14)

Walking in the Spirit should be habit forming, something we no longer have to think about but live out by default because of what Christ did for us on Calvary. But unless we are deliberate with our intent, we could end up in unwanted territory.

Take a normal morning and unpack the events that take place in our lives and it will become obvious that we do what we do because it needs to be done, not much thought gets in the way of our intent. We wake up, have a quite time, shower, brush our teeth, get dressed, and pack school lunches, we drink coffee, eat breakfast, make sure kids are ready for school and so on; the list varies depending upon the demands of life and where we fit into it. But as Christians we all have the same Spirit that guides us, therefore we must all learn to put Him first in our lives. When He is shelved we see that our lives take a turn for the worse. Not that our comforts are always stripped from us, on the contrary it’s often our comforts that keep us from Him. There is a measurement which accurately weighs us in the balance, the scale of peace of God in our lives; “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) – Regardless of the trial of life when we have peace with God it outweighs everything else, praise God for His comfort.

The churches except for two, Smyrna and Philadelphia lost their way and somehow a snare captured their understanding leading them down the wrong road and so repentance was called for. Have we learnt to walk in the Spirit with a clear conscious or is our life still filled with entrapment with the bad habits of the past keeping us from our freedom in Christ?

I trust we will observe the good example of the Church at Philadelphia, learn from their example and follow suite. Good habits are available to all of us you confess Jesus Christ as Lord and to those you believe that God raised Him from the dead. We have the mind of Christ and we must learn to use it proficiently. Grace is available to all of God’s children but it is imperative that we find endurance in applying it into our lives. Only then will the peace of God surpass all understanding.

“"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: 'The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. "'I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie--behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet and they will learn that I have loved you. Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'” (Revelation 3:7-13)

Lord willing we will unpack this in more depth in the next post.

Signing off

Tyrone

At the coalface

(Revelation 20:6) “Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power…”

Somewhere and at some time a survey was taken and this was the question asked, “If you are given the chance to see when you would die would you want to know?” Ninety eight percent chose not to know. Why? It is obvious that we fear death, when in fact we needn’t but in order for that reality to inhabit our lives we must disclose all the facts.  

Did you know that some will face a second death? Sadly this will be a large chunk of the earth’s population. But not many people have been told this truth throughout their lives. Has it ever been explain to you with careful consideration? It is imperative that we have the facts prior to the decisions we make concerning all facets to our lives, how serious will it be for us to get the most important decision of them all incorrect? The one decision that carries with it eternal consequences and with no re-runs available. We only get one life to find repentance for our sin and our rebellion against God; it is crucial that we find forgiveness form the only true Saviour which God has so mercifully supplied; the darling of heaven, His beloved Son the Lord Jesus Christ. Reject this offer at your own peril and you will taste the wrath of God and the sting of the second death.

Why do we so often shy away from the truth, especially when the subject that needs examining is such a serious topic? The Lord Jesus is the beginning and the end when it comes to the rescue of a person salvation; whereas our natural birth and the corruption of Eve’s sin guarantee us death; we are born to die and if we die in that state we will have to face the judgement of God where our second death will have eternal consequences. A sting so server that there will be no escape, condemn to a place of torment for eternity; these are the facts according to the teachings of scripture. The Word of God has so declared it; “Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:14-15)   

Why do we then lie to ourselves and to others when we face the deaths of our loved ones? We make comments like, “they are at least now at peace”, when all their lives they have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ rescue. It is obvious that they are in fact in torment awaiting the judgement of God. In a cell awaiting their trial and so shall it be for all who reject the mercy of God. Reject His offer of salvation in and through the Lord Jesus Christ at you own peril; “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God."” (Luke 9:24-27) 

When we lie to others we give them a false hope, allowing them a slight glimmer of dishonest optimism which allows them to believe that they will escape God’s judgement regardless of the way they live their lives. This type of reasoning is from the pit of hell. IT IS A LIE! And I will not be apart of those lies anymore. Reject the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice for your sin and your end will be hell.     

The reality of the doom and gloom of bringing children into this world is eternal damnation, if they remain steadfast in the path they were born into with sin dominating their lives with the “fruit” of it rebelling against God; they will end up in hell! This is a heavy thought but most certainly worth at least a small portion of our considerations. The only hope I have for my son Moe is that he will be sold out for the Lord Jesus, the rest of his life and the way he fills it has very little bearing on the way I will guide him through it. Work or you shall not eat but be content with what God gives you; do not covet another mans goods nor the position he holds in society. Make every decision with and overarching spin on eternity and your position in it. Be a surgeon by all means but make sure you are not driving your children to that end without total disclosure; if we have failed in this area, that is on us as parents, but thankfully we still have time to set that which is crooked straight in and through the finished work of the cross.

The Lord may just be calling you out to take your head out of the sand. We are not race horses with blinkers attached but human beings with eternal spirits. This life is but a fleeting moment in comparison to eternity; let us get our balance right. We have been hoodwinked into believing so many lies and our drives which govern our determined outcomes will never change outside of the Lord Jesus Christ and His salvation. We must all be part of the first resurrection if we are to escape the second death. “Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power.”

Understand this, miss out on the first resurrection and you will tasted the sting of the second death and there will be no escape. Some may despise the way in which I have unpacked these truths but it’s often hard callous accuracy which we need to set us free; “…and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."” (John 8:32) 

Signing off

Tyrone

Sardis

There are times in our ministry where it is good to sit back and to be taught by others who have been gifted by God. It is true that God gives spoken gifts unto men within the body of Christ, whereas women ort not to be as vocal taking a leadership role, they are gifted in other areas where men are not. This is God’s design, Paul makes his intent very clear we dealing with this topic, we must never buckle to pier pressure but always look to emphasis the will of God if we are to enlarge the value of God’s sovereign plan. He is the potter and we are the clay. Our selfish opinions have very little influence when it comes to the will of God. However when we align our wills with His even when we don’t quite understand the intricacies of His brilliance it will be well with our souls and peace like a river will flood them with overwhelming joy.

This must become the mind-sets we live our lives by if we are to become benefactors of the deeper riches of God’s goodness: “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10)

It is the instructions from the Word of God that gives us direction and when we shirk them we take an incorrect turn and the potential of lurking dangers are inevitable. The book Pilgrims Progress highlights this point well. We must be watchful to its instruction at all times; especially when the world drives with intent in the opposite direction.    

The body principle found in scripture (see 1Corinthians 12) teaches the church participants to take up their intended role the way God has designed it. The hand learning to work as a hand and not desiring the office of a foot; how often have you seen people walking around on their hands? Frustrate that model and errors will begin to reveal themselves as we see highlighted by the Lord Jesus and penned by John throughout their instructions to the churches in the book of Revelation.  Every error started with a resistance to the Word of God in some form or another. It has be so from the beginning with Satan deceiving Eve and it continues in a similar vain throughout history.  

“"And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: 'The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. "'I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'” (Revelation 3:1-6)

“Our Lord proceeds to give this degenerate church the best advice: Be watchful, and strengthen the things, etc. He advises them to be upon their watch. The cause of their sinful deadness and declension was that they had let down their watch. Whenever we are off our watch, we lose ground, and therefore must return to our watchfulness against sin, and Satan, and whatever is destructive to the life and power of godliness. It is a difficult thing to keep up to the life and power of godliness ourselves, when we see a universal deadness and declension prevailing round about us. Or it may be understood of practices, as it follows: I have not found thy works perfect before God, not filled up; there is something wanting in them; there is the shell, but not the kernel. Christ enforces his counsel with a dreadful threatening in case it should be despised: I will come unto thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know the hour, (Rev 3:3). Observe, (1.) When Christ leaves a people as to his gracious presence, he comes to them in judgment; and his judicial presence will be very dreadful to those who have sinned away his gracious presence. (2.) His judicial approach to a dead declining people will be surprising; their deadness will keep them in security, and, as it procures an angry visit from Christ to them, it will prevent their discerning it and preparing for it. (3.) Such a visit from Christ will be to their loss; he will come as a thief, to strip them of their remaining enjoyments and mercies, not by fraud, but in justice and righteousness, taking the forfeiture they have made of all to him.

4. Our blessed Lord does not leave this sinful people without some comfort and encouragement: In the midst of judgment he remembers mercy (Rev 3:4), and here (1.) He makes honourable mention of the faithful remnant in Sardis, though but small: Thou hast a few names in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; they had not given into the prevailing corruptions and pollution of the day and place in which they lived. God takes notice of the smallest number of those who abide with him; and the fewer they are the more precious in his sight. (2.) He makes a very gracious promise to them: They shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy - in the stola, the white robes of justification, and adoption, and comfort, or in the white robes of honour and glory in the other world. They shall walk with Christ in the pleasant walks of the heavenly paradise; and what delightful converse will there be between Christ and them when they thus walk together!

We now come to the conclusion of this epistle, in which, as before, we have,

1. A great reward promised to the conquering Christian (Rev 3:5), and it is very much the same with what has been already mentioned: He that overcometh shall be clothed in white raiment. The purity of grace shall be rewarded with the perfect purity of glory. Now to this is added another promise very suitable to the case: I will not blot his name out of the book of life, but will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. Observe, (1.) Christ has his book of life, a register and roll of all who shall inherit eternal life. [1.] The book of eternal election. [2.] The book of remembrance of all those who have lived to God, and have kept up the life and power of godliness in evil times. Christ will produce this book of life, and confess the names of the faithful who stand there, before God, and all the angels; he will do this as their Judge, when the books shall be opened; he will do this as their captain and head, leading them with him triumphantly to heaven, presenting them to the Father: Behold me, and the children that thou hast given me. How great will this honour and reward be!

2. The demand of universal attention finishes the message. Every word from God deserves attention from men; that which may seem more particularly directed to one body of men has something in it instructive to all.” (Matthew Henry)

Signing off

Tyrone

Finding true balance

How often are we arranged the way we should be? Life has its pressures which no one can deny. So when we to find the sweat spot its pure bliss. Golf teaches you a similar principle; a player swings a club and hits the ball perfectly in the sweat spot and the ball goes where intended and this is extremely rewarding. The opposite applies when you shank or miscue the ball and this brings with it immediate thoughts of frustration which is hard to conceal leaving that individual unbalance. If you have played golf long enough you soon see the true colours of those around you, as it is a game that reveals character like no other.

Some guru’s propagate that in order to be balanced you must have all the clutter removed plugging the gaps around ones aura. Sadly they are misguided in their application, their intent to find peace is noble, but without the finished work of the cross as their axis, true peace will always remain just out of reach. Heaven will and can only ever be seen through spiritual conception, without that event in ones life one will continually clutch at straws looking for the answer to life and just when you think you have worked it out you realise that you have been deceived. And so we start again down some other road hoping to find peace. We all have an inherent God given drive to search out truth.   

Repentance in the Lord Jesus Christ is the world’s solution and there are many voices that point in other directions, but they are all lures designed to deceive. Did you know that the world will strive to find peace and will eventually believe that they have arrived and cry “peace and security”? It is at that time in world history that another one of God’s judgements will be manifest and all because they rejected Him and shunned the Lord Jesus Christ and his followers; “While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” (1Thessalonians 5:3) – Lets face it; I only understand that because God has revealed it to me in and through His written Word. My eyes have been opened to this true because I have been give eyes to see. Every born again believer has been made alive in the spirit and we have received the mind of Christ. Therefore we are now able to see spiritual truths, those who remain dead in their trespasses and their sin cannot see what the Christian sees. It is impossible for the unbeliever to have enough faith to believe what has been penned; the Lord Jesus had this to say to someone seeking the answer to life; Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)

     

To the Christian peace will only ever bare its intended fruit once we learn to right our wrongs, in other words until we learn to put our Lord and Saviour first in every area of our lives. If not, we will continually miscue in the zones we refuse to relinquish. It is really as simple as that; trust and obey the voice of God. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and then the other compartments to our lives will begin to find alignment. Hold off in some slots and the peace of God will elude us. Our God demands that we walk by faith in order for us to find “our centre”, to be complete in every area of our lives.

With that in mind let us now consider the instruction to the church at Sardis “"And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: 'The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. "'I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'” (Revelation 3:1-6)

Lord willing we will unpack some of the detail in the next post…

Signing off

Tyrone   

     

Naked before the Lord

The Apostle Paul was an extraordinary man as far as men go. I may even go as far as to say that he was a freak of nature; “One in ten thousand”, a man full of zeal, with a determined drive to achieve his objective, regardless of the opposition he faced. Prior to salvation he believed that killing Christians was to do God’s bidding and so he was motivated to back the high priest and the Jewish rulers of the day and it would have surprized me to ever seen him idle; his mind must have been hard pressed with thoughts of action twenty-four seven. A man originally miss guided in his zeal but God graciously helped him turn that corner; he had a radical conversion, God called out to him it was not the other way around; it is God who graciously woes men and women unto himself. Scripture is clear with many of its instructions, like; “seek the Lord whilst he may be found”. The mystery of salvation is like the wind; “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:8) 

Saul became Paul, a change of name as well as a change in character with a determined grit to realign the error of his ways. His transformation was not a simple “I’ll put my hand up” to an altar call. Something most of us did somewhere along our Christian journey. God struck him with blindness; hard to ignore such an experience. But for us it was never so radical, maybe that is why so many of us lack his measure of faith, God knows! This is why we need to be tested in so many areas of our lives to eventually arrive at a place of total dependency upon God’s provision. Unless this has become your experience it would be hard for me to convince you that it is needful for the Christian to suffer in order to increase in the measure of your faith. It is a blessing when we endure hardships for the sake of the gospel; God is glorified in and through them when the world witnesses our obedience and our commitment to the Lord in spite of the onslaught. Remember Job!   

Paul heard God speak to Him from the heavens, immediately understanding that it was the Lord who now addressed him and the One he was in fact persecuting; “Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” (Acts 9:3-5)

God breathed life into Saul’s spirit in the same manner in which it happened to us, the Christian! Eyes opened to the truth of Jesus Christ as the one and only true Messiah, Praise God!

When I stand naked before the Lord many thoughts travel through my mind convincing me of my crimes before God, breaching His Commandments, unwanted thought and the like, but it was not so for Paul and this is a phenomenal declaration that he pens; “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.” (1Corinthians 4:1-4) – Can you claim this type of testimony, I know I cannot but I most certainly want to arrive there. God help all those who cry Abba Father. He learnt that all fall short of the glory of God even if they are unaware of any rupture of God’s law in there own lives; “as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."” (Roman 3:10-11)

Ezekiel pens this, by which he illustrated the mind of God concerning three other remarkable men; “even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord GOD.” (Ezekiel 14:14) – Men of faith who stood out in a time debauchery being notice and commended by God, phenomenal individuals and yet they could only ever spare their own lives if God brought judgement; “And the word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, when a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it and break its supply of bread and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast, even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord GOD.” (Ezekiel 14:12-14)

It is God who makes an appeal to all too repent of the error of their ways in and through His mercy on display in and through the Lord Jesus Christ; “For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."” (Romans 10:13) – Paul’s response to his conversion was manifest by the way he lived the rest of his life, so let us learn from his example as we seek out God’s forgiveness in the areas of our lives that lack obedience. We have the mind of Christ and so we have no more excuses to continue in sin so that grace may abound. Do not be fooled into believing that salvation has now bought us a ticket to live like we once did.

This was one of the reasons the Lord got John to pen his instructions to the differing churches in the book of Revelation. We must examine our lives and repent where and when needed. Lord willing will continue with the instruction to the church at Laodicea in the next post.

Signing off

Tyrone