REVELATION 3

To the Church in Sardis

• Sardis was a city of wealth and fame
• How God is revealed: He holds the seven spirits and seven stars
• vs. 1 God tells the church that they don't have an alive relationship with God. They are dead.
• vs. 2 WAKE UP! God does not find our deeds honoring when we are not "alive".
• vs. 3 God tells us to remember what we have learned and obey it, repent of our old ways.
• vs. 4-5 Jesus will come back someday so be ready, because only the ones who have followed vs. 3 will go with Him.
• vs. 6 He who has an ear let him hear (repeated at the end of every letter to the churches, must be pretty important!!)

To the Church in Philidelphia

• How God is revealed: Holy and True, holds the key of David: He is in the highest position of royal court who opens and closes doors for us (see Isiah 22:22).
• vs. 8 God is pleased when we follow even when we have little strength.
• vs. 9 God is very unpleased when we claim we are Christ followers and we aren't, it is a lie.
• vs. 10 By following God patiently we will be kept from the hour of wrath.

To the Church in Laodica

• Laodica was the wealthiest city of the seven John the Baptist wrote to.
• How God is revealed: faithful and true, ruler of creation.
• vs. 15-16 God sees we are lukewarm and not hot, He wants us to be one or the other.
• vs. 17 We think we are rich and don't need God, but we are wretched, pitiful, poor, blinded, and naked; we NEED God, God doesn't need us.
• vs. 19 God disciplines us because He loves us.
• vs. 20 God is waiting for us to come for Him, all we have to do is GO for Him. In this biblical time dining together meant true intimacy. God wants intimacy with us.
• vs. 21 When we accept God, we are called to be HOT, and we will have eternal life.

October 22---The Futility of Hoop-Jumping

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

If we had to earn our way into heaven, we would never make it there. Thankfully, God has designed us so that He will get the credit in our lives, not us. I can enjoy salvation because of what God has done, not because of anything I can do. We might be good, but we are not good enough, that's why God has come to save us. It amazes me that we serve such a gracious God that would come save our sorry butts, even though He had no reason to need us. I am who I am because of what God has done!

October 21---Take It Away, Jesus

This analogy is so good! I never thought of it in that sort of way. Pretty darn cool!

A GOOD Laffy Taffy Joke

Q: Which animal talks the most?

A: A Yak hahaha :)

October 20---The Wisdom of "Foolish" Words

As Christians, we have high expectations of non-Christians. We should remember not to judge them because they are not living by the same standard as we are (God). We should do all we can to help them find this standard but until they do, we have no right to judge them for their ways. When sharing Christ with non-believers, they will not understand how we feel about Jesus Christ. Pray that God would change their heart so that they can see that they need the love of Jesus.

REVELATION 2

God choose the apostle John to write to these specific 7 churches because they encircled the main route of the circuit and He started with Ephesus and went in the following order clockwise .

To the Church in Ephesus

• How God is revealed: He holds the 7 stars and walks among the churches
• vs. 4 God is angry because the people have forgotten what clumsy spontaneous worship (What does worship look like in your life?)
• vs. 6 the Nicolaitains were teaching that spiritual liberty gave the right to idolatry and immorality. the Nicolaitains worshiped Baalam and fell under the rule of Queen Jezebel
• vs. 7 He who has ears let him hear. (this is repeated in every message that was given to the seven churches, that must mean that it is important.....Are you listening to God?) Paradise: Persian word for a pleasure garden; symbolizes God and believers being restored to the perfect fellowship that existed before sin entered the world.

To the Church in Smyrna

• How God is revealed: He is the first and the last and He died and came to life again
• vs. 8 God hates it when they say they are Christians and they do not follow, He would rather them not be Christians at all. Be Hot or Cold for God not lukewarm (hint: be HOOTTTTT!!) :)
• vs. 9 Do not be afraid, be faithful even to death and you will receive life

To the Church in Pergamum

• How God is revealed: He has the sharp double edged sword (divine judgement)
• vs. 12-17 God tell the people of their sin and tells them to REPENT (What sin is God showing you? How are you repenting of it?)

To the Church in Thyatira

• How God is revealed: With eyes of blazing fire and feet like burnished bronze
• vs. 18-28 God gave Jezebel time to repent and she refused, so she will be put to death. God searches hearts and minds!!! That's pretty amazing! God is pleased with us following His will.

October 19th---Turn to the One Who Understands

Jesus not only knows about the loneliness of rejection, but he's also the answer to it.

Hebrews 4:15

Side note:

366 times "DO NOT FEAR" is said in the bible. I think it must be pretty important, God doesn't want us to fear, but to trust in Him. It's pretty ironic that there are 365 days in a year, and God told us DO NOT FEAR once for each day and an extra time in case we forget. Trust God.