God says, “Your relationship with me will be evidenced by the way you treat other people.” God is concerned about the vulnerable. God is concerned with social justice. He is concerned that those who have the power to help others do so. A gospel void of a desire to help others is not pleasing to God.
Read MoreThis passage is a picture of what heaven will be like. As human beings, we bow down and pay homage to countless other things. However, there is nothing that compares to the incomprehensible glory of God.
Read MoreFor us to believe that modern Christianity is what God intended, we would be sorely mistaken. The blessing and prosperity in Laodicea was doing something insidious in the hearts of the believers there. God cares what happens in His churches. God’s message to the church at Laodicea was nothing but sadness and rebuke. Their wealth and prosperity made them blind to how useless they were to God. Sometimes our greatest enemy is within ourselves. If Laodicea, in its first century wealth, was rendered useless, what hope is there for us? This is a strong warning. Wealth, success, and security make people weak.
Read MoreOne of our greatest human shortcomings is that we are shortsighted. We live for the moment. We live indulgently. We make compromises too easily. We forfeit a better future by living at a low level right now. Present sufferings are worth enduring for life’s future rewards. Some losses incurred in the moment are worth the gain to come in the future.
Read MoreAre you authentic? We often think of authenticity being on the inside, but authentic Christians are externally verifiable. One is not a Christian just because he says so. Anyone can call anything gold, but a simple test will determine whether or not it really is. If one is a real Christian, he will have a spiritual pulse. This is not a question of merit. It is a question of authenticity.
Read MoreLove has to have the right impetus and source: Truth. In Thyatira they loved people, but their doctrine was falling apart. This was unsustainable because they had no basis for the love they were demonstrating. Thyatira is alive and well today. If we are going to love people as Christ did, our love must find its source in Truth; otherwise, our love has no foundation.
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