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1 Thessalonians -- 2 Thessalonians -- 1 Timothy -- 2 Timothy
Titus -- Philemon -- Hebrews -- James -- 1 Peter -- 2 Peter
1 John -- 2 John -- 3 John -- Jude -- Revelation
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Until Then - 5:1-11
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This is one of Paul's earliest letters and one of the earliest churches in Christianity.
Like most Christians, they were concerned and preoccupied with the future.
They wanted to know all the details about Christ's return.
Paul does not try to set a specific time for Christ's return.
Instead, he explains what they should be doing before He comes again.
He tells them of their responsibilities in light of Christ's coming....
This enabled them to know how to live until Christ returned. ...More
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Why Is Thanksgiving Important? - 5:18
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Unless we are thankful, we're not emotionally healthy.
Or, to put it another way, we're out of touch with reality.
All of us owe so much to other people -- people to whom we should occasionally express it.
But, of course, a lack of gratitude is far more serious than depriving a worthy person
of some much-deserved expression of appreciation.
Unthankfulness represents either self-obsession or resentment of others.
Neither condition is emotionally healthy. ...More
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Thanksgiving Every Day - 5:18
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This has something of the impossible about it.
The heights to which it calls us, seem far too rugged and steep for our feeble feet.
That is why many of us never think of taking this great verse seriously.
We simply pass it by!
Paul was perfectly serious.
He believed that we should make every day, a day of thanksgiving.
This was not just a theory with Paul.
This was his conviction.
This was his experience.
Study his life and see him in trying situations.
At times you find him without his cloak.
At times you find him without his books and his parchments.
At times you even find him without his freedom and his friends.
But never once, do you find him without his song of thanksgiving. ...More
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It's A Good Habit - 5:18
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The words of our texts say, "In everything give thanks."
Develop the habit of giving thanks, and then continue the habit.
We should not need a national holiday to remind us to give thanks.
It should be our normal manner of living.
The giving of thanks is a habit to be learned rather than some spontaneous
and accidental thing.
It is a habit that can be learned.
Some of us have never thought of constant, habitual thanksgiving as being a habit
that God wanted us to have.
When you discover the source of a gracious thanksgiving attitude,
you will find that it began by the development of a habit. ...More
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Time For Thanksgiving - 5:18
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But Paul said, "In everything give thanks."
In all "circumstances" give thanks.
No matter what happens to us, we are to give thanks.
How can we do that?
We must remember a very bad circumstance.
It was terrible!
A cross was lifted up on a lonely hill.
A body was crucified and His blood was shed.
Jesus was killed!
We know that even in that experience, God was working.
That is why we can give thanks in all circumstances.
In every circumstance that happens to us, God is working in it to mature us.
He can take any circumstance, and use that to help us to become what we ought to be.
Let us look some of the times that we can give thanks. ...More
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Now Thank We All Our God - 5:18
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Thanksgiving expressed with words of love to our Lord is an important part of our
spiritual worship.
Too many of our prayers consist mainly of what we call supplications, or to put it
more crudely, quot;gimmies."
We are all human beings.
We are creatures of dust.
Consequently, our lives are filled with needs of every description.
We realize that only our God can fill many of those needs directly, not to mention
the fact,
that He fills all of them indirectly.
There is no characteristic more hateful and despicable than that of ungratefulness! ...More
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Everyone Needs Encouragement - 2:16-17
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Paul says that God is the source of all such encouragement.
He says that part of the reason He encourages us is to equip us, in turn, to encourage others.
So, if we want to learn how to be expert encouragers,
we have to start by studying the God of all encouragement.
Paul says here that Christ Himself and God the Father are our encouragers. ...More
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Saviour Of Sinners - 1:5
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Jesus Christ is the everlasting source of eternal salvation.
Only Jesus can break the power which holds man in chains of death.
Only Jesus can avert the punishment which threatens all those who are without Christ.
Only Jesus can open the fountains of grace to all who are still in their sin.
Through Christ the law is vindicated, the holiness of God is honored, and mercy is offered to all
because "Christ receiveth sinful men."
Jesus received the wages of sin which He never earned, that we might have eternal life
which we never deserved. ...More
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An Effective Mother - 1:5
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The effective mother creates a setting to the best of her ability that will encourage
her children to possess a sincere faith.
The effective mother demonstrates the Christian life.
A significant influence of a mother comes
not so much by preaching or teaching, as it does by example.
Eunice demonstrated the Christian life to Timothy, and Timothy was always aware of it....More
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Death Died - 1:10
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Christ took the sting of death.
Death stung Him and killed Him.
But death could not keep Him dead.
He took all the venom of death so there is none left for His people to fear.
Death for us is no longer a curse but a blessing.
When we close our eyes in death, Jesus will say, "Good morning!"
And so we shall ever be with the Lord. ...More
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Passionate Preaching - 4:1-5
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There must be passionate preaching of the Word of God from our pulpits.
If someone can stand in the pulpit and manage to make the Word of the living God sound
dry and dull, that person ought to sit down and let someone else preach.
A preacher's task is to preach the Word!...More
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A Mother's Task - 7:1-7
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Anytime we honor our mothers is special.
Mothers tend to be taken for granted except on the second Sunday in May.
And that is not very appropriate considering the contributions they make to our lives.
It is said that by the time a youngster reaches age 18,
the mother has had to handle some 18,000 hours of child-generated housework --
work that would not have been necessary had there been no child.
Being a mother is a difficult job. ...More
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Don't Give Up! - 1:12
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Some Christian workers have to work in the most discouraging of circumstances.
They are striving to labor with dead congregations that meet in inadequate buildings
located in depressed neighborhoods.
When that's the case, it is difficult to keep going.
It may be that you are in one of those barren situations.
And you are thinking about giving up - about quitting.
Every pastor may feel like that at times.
But don't give up! Don't quit! ...More
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Living In A Pagan World - 3:1-3
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As a nation we have had over 150 years of a strong Christian influence.
But that has rapidly declined.
People still attend religious services.
They still say they believe in God when they are polled.
But there is a practical atheism and a situational morality which pervades our society.
We would like to believe that our nation is Christians, but our Christianity has become hollow.
Our nation has affirmed its legislative bodies, its courts and its judges, a distinctively
anti-Christian agenda.
Anything and everything that is distinctively Christian has being denied under the cry
of equal rights.
The Christianity that once was part of the fabric of our nation is no more.
Biblical morality is assaulted constantly.
Situation ethics and "do what feels good" has replaced Christian standards. ...More
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Don't Forget The Baby - 1:1-9
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Christmas is a busy time.
It is a time of cards and cooking and candy...
It is a time of kids and parties.
Don't forget the baby!
That is what Christmas is all about!
Isn't it strange how God came into His world!
He did not come as some towering intellect, to dazzle us with his brilliance.
He did not come as some triumphant general returning from a victorious victory.
He did not come as some shallow politician or statesman,
leaving us aghast at His wit and wisdom.
He came as a baby, helpless and dependent.
He came as a warm, cuddly baby. ...More
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When Your Heart Stops - 9:27
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The question is: what would you do if you knew that death was just around the corner.
It is impossible to escape the fact of death.
No generation in history has been so exposed to the continuing possibility
of sudden, violent human destruction as ours.
At home, at work, at school, and at play; we are reminded of the truth of Scripture,
"It is appointed unto men once to die." (Hebrews 9: 27) ...More
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It Is Appointed To Die - 9:27
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"It is appointed unto men once to die..." Hebrews 9:27
There are few statements in the Bible which will be as little disputed as that.
Sooner or later we will all die! As sure as we live we die.
Death takes the beautiful and the ugly, the young and the old, the famous and the infamous,
the rich and the poor, the sinner and the saint.
No one seriously doubts that in twenty-five years or so, a very large proportion of the people
now living on this earth will be dead. ...More
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Faith Is A Way Of Life - 11:1-29
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Faith is more than a word.
Faith is a way of life.
The great resources of power in faith are almost beyond our imagination.
God is life.
His power touches all of life and we, by faith, can possess that power.
In Psalm 18 we read this passage: "And by my God I have leaped over a wall." (Vs. 29)
How often this has been true...
Faith in God has enabled many to leap over the highest wall of difficulty, trouble, and distress.
Faith leaps walls and moves mountains.
Faith specializes in the impossible. ...More
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Challenge Of Change - 11:25
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Our society has abandoned God's laws of relationships and has been writing their own.
We have reached a state where common decency is no longer common.
All our doing without God has finally outdone us.
With all these changes creating chaos and crises we, as a church, have been trying to hold on.
Just look how change has been impacting our churches:
Eighty to eighty-five per cent of our churches in America are on a plateau or are declining.
The number of unchurched Americans is escalating to sixty per cent or more in the '90s.
Two-thirds of our children in America are receiving no religious training.
We are facing years ahead when it will become increasingly difficult to minister -- probably already.
The church is dealing and will be dealing with issues that no one could have imagined fifty years ago.
So, as our world appears to be whirling out of control, racing toward a collision with
certain calamity -- what can we do? ...More
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One Person Can Make A Difference - 11:27
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You, too, can make a difference in the lives of those around you.
And every Christian should make that a priority.
You can be the one who brings people together.
You can be the one who brings encouragement to the discouraged.
You can be the one who shines the light of truth that brings light to those in the darkness
of doubt and fear.
God can use you with the abilities He has already given you to make a difference.
With His help, you can make a difference. ...More
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Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus - 12:2
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Everything we need, we have in Christ.
He has all the hope, all the love, all the grace, all the power, all the strength, all the wisdom,
all the patience, all the guidance, all the encouragement, all the joy, all the endurance,
all the gentleness, all the forgiveness, all the determination, all the submission,
all the boldness that we need.
The Lord Jesus has already run the race.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, and we will run the race well. ...More
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Gambling With Death - 1:15
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Essentially, there are only two important matters to consider in this life.
One is the uncertainty of life.
The other is the certainty of death.
There are two kinds of death.
There is physical death.
Almost everyone prepares for physical death.
We make our wills.
We buy our life insurance.
We make plans for families in preparing for physical death.
But too few give attention to spiritual death.
There are also two kinds of people who come to death -- the saved and the lost. ...More
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You Can Tame Your Tiger - 1:19
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You can learn how to tame your anger!
Your best bet is to prevent it.
As someone has said, that when it comes to anger, an ounce of prevention
is worth a pound of apologies.
It would be better to prevent it.
The Bible says: " Take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak
and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life
that God desires." (James 1:19)
You must catch your anger early, before you pull the trigger.
Remember, when the gun goes off, it's too late.
You have already shot someone with your explosive anger.
You must stop yourself before you pull the trigger.
You must learn how to control your anger! ...More
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Investing In Families - 1:22-27
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Ezekiel's vision captures the same power of water to restore and sustain life
when he is led to the bank of a river and sees great trees growing on either side.
He also sees this river feeding into a sea of stagnant water and making the water fresh.
Ezekiel tells us that this water that sustains life flows from the sanctuary.
Don't be satisfied with any water other than the holy water of God's redeeming love in Jesus Christ.
Nothing else will transform the stagnant waters of our culture.
Families are the keepers of our springs. ...More
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Everydody Needs A Friend - 2:23
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Everybody needs a friend.
There are many who live out their entire lives without a genuine, authentic friendship.
There is probably no greater tragedy than to go through live without a friend.
Without a friend, life is filled with loneliness as one's only companion.
Without a friend, the only conversation one hears is the monotony of talking to oneself -- to me,
myself, and I.
Everybody needs somebody, everybody needs a friend. ...More
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Reasons To Rejoice - 1:3-9
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Look at 1 Peter 1: 3-9 and consider "reasons to rejoice."
Here we see that God's people can rejoice because of their new life in Christ.
They can also rejoice because of their living hope and their eternal inheritance.
They can certainly rejoice because of their security in the power of God.
God's people can rejoice because of their new life in Christ.
Verse 6 says, "In this you greatly rejoice." (NIV)
Rejoice in what? ...More
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A Heathy Church For A Hurting World - 2:1
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A world sick with sin is watching us -- whatever else we should be,
we should never be a source of sin that infects the church of the Living God.
The hope of a sin-sick world dying in their sins lies in the health of the church!
We must strip from our lives those things that hinder.
Every time we break a sinful habit.
Every time we show consideration to those in need.
Every time we show patience and love to an immature Christian.
Every time we react in love to those who wrong us.
We bring honor to God!
We bring health to our church!
We are an example as to how Christians should talk and behave.
We show our friends and family that Christ lives in us. ...More
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Time For Judgment - 4:17,18 By Vance Havner
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Peter says, "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God."
God begins with His own people: judgment, like charity, begins at home.
Much of the blame for world conditions lies at the door of the church.
Our indifference, our neglect, our failure to cry out against iniquity have encouraged the devil.
Unfaithful preachers, modernism, formality, worldliness, unholy living have disgraced the house of God
until He must like the Savior of old, first cleanse the temple. ...More
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God's Timetable - 3:8
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Some things cannot be done in a hurry, no matter how strong the impulse to achieve instant goals.
There are no shortcuts to success.
Even personal grooming consumes time.
Getting your education may slow you down, but later, you may climb the corporate ladder
more swiftly and surely.
Growing in the Christian life requires time.
It takes time to raise a family. ...More
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Spiritual Schizophrenia - 3:17-18
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Many Christians are suffering from spiritual schizophrenia.
Here is an example of this serious spiritual illness:
People practice one set of beliefs on Sunday and a different one the rest of the week.
They talk about commitment, but compromise is their practice .
Their deeds belie their words.
What a difference it would make if we lived our faith. ...More
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Daddy, How Do You Spell Love? - 4:7-16
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How do you spell love?
Spelling love is more than a matter of putting four letters of the alphabet together
in a correct sequence.
We spell love as we express it and live it and in the way we fulfill our personal relationships.
In that way love must be the most misspelled word in the vocabulary of our lives.
There is abundant evidence of the disastrous consequences of a misdirected and inadequate love.
...More
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A Parent's Joy - Verse 4
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Parents never want their children suffer needlessly.
And when children turn out right,
words again fail to describe
the joy parents experience.
Instead of tears of grief, tears of inexpressible joy are shed.
When our children succeed in life, it brings parents a sweet satisfaction ....More
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Here We Stand! - v. 3-4
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Salvation should ignite us.
The Greek word for diligence is the word, "spoude".
That gave us the English word for speed.
Jude is saying, "I could hardly wait to talk about salvation."
That was the passion of his heart.
That was the fire in his bones.
That was the obsession of his life.
It must also be ours!
Nothing should excite us more than:
Hearing salvation
Getting salvation
Having salvation, and
Spreading salvation.
Salvation is what we ought to write about, sing about, preach about, talk about, and shout about
because there is nothing in all the world like being saved. ...More
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Christian Grow! - v. 20
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Growth is God's intention for every Christian.
We must bend or be broken.
God will not tolerate continued interference.
We are not sinless, but we should sin less and less.
It is nature's law.
Nature tells us to grow or it will kill us.
A cantered tree does not send forth new shoots.
When the baby stops growing, it begins to die.
Nature will pick at us until death claims us.
We must grow or decay!
We must advance or regress!
We must live or die! ...More
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There Is Hope! - 1:3
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How's your relationship with Christ?
Maybe you are having trials and tribulations and there is no light at the end of the tunnel.
Are playing around with sin?
Have you allowed your love for Christ to die?
Do you feel as though there is nothing to hold on to?
The message of Revelation tells us there is hope!
There is hope in Christ! ...More
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No More Fear! - 1:17-18
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The problem of fear is a problem that affects many lives.
One of the most outstanding disclosures of our stressful, nervous, modern civilization,
is the fact that many people live with fear.
Fear affects all classes of people -- the high and the low, the rich and the poor,
the educated and ignorant, the old and the young.
There is the fear of darkness and of snakes, and of rats.
There is the fear of heights and
Some fear themselves, and others.
Some fear the past, present and the future.
Some fear sickness and growing old and death.
We need to know how to conquer our fears.
The Bible provides that knowledge.
There are two words which stand out like mountain peaks in the Bible.
The words are "Fear not!: ...More
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Revelation Revealed - 1:1-20
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Apart from the symbolism of numbers in Revelation, there are many other figurative language.
Used symbolically are birds, beasts, persons, cities, elements of nature,
weapons, qualities (light,darkness, etc.), and precious stones.
All these are used to picture the triumph of righteousness over evil.
One cannot truly understand Revelation if he ignores this central characteristic.
The message of Revelation can only be revealed to us when we rightly interpret the symbols
as they were known
to those who first received the book of Revelation.
Its meaning for them has the same meaning for us. ...More
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The Curtain Is Opened - 1:9-20
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Revelation opens the curtain and lets us see what is and what will be.
Revelation lets us look into eternity.
In this first chapter we see Jesus ruling in power and glory;
We see Jesus as He really is now.
Revelation means an "unveiling".
Unveiled is the work of Jesus Christ in His church.
In verses 1 thru 8 the curtain is opened that separates the visible realm of this earth
from the invisible realm of heaven. ...More
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Ephesus - 2:1-7
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The counsel which Christ gives to the church at Ephesus could be stated in three words
-- remember, repent, return.
Remember your early joy and zest in your love for Christ and His work.
Remember the fervor and enthusiasm of that love.
Repent of the condition of service without love, which you have allowed to creep into your life.
Such a condition is deadly to effective work in the Lord's kingdom.
Return to that original state of service out of a heart of love.
Christ warns that if they do not return to that first state, they are forfeiting their right
to exist as a church.
He warns them that He will remove the candlestick from its place.
The candlestick is the church. (1:20)
the church has no right to exist if it is not going to carry out the purpose for which Christ has for it.
This is a strong warning to any church!...More
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Love Is Gone - 2:1-7
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"Do the things you did at first" (Revelation 2:5).
Christ encouraged them to return to the elementary aspects of their discipleship
and reclaim their discipline in following Christ.
It is possible to become so caught up in church work that we fail to do the real work of the church.
We can become so busy doing the things of God that we fail to take time to be with God.
Loving Christ is the key to the recovery of our passion and our power.
This is how we can reclaim our former devotion and effectiveness.
Returning to our first love for Christ will cause us to make more time for Bible study and prayer.
It will propel us to share our faith with those who need Jesus as Saviour.
Our first love will be contagious to others. ...More
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Smyrna - 2:8-11
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Christ combines a pattern of commendation and comfort.
The commendation is partly one from the silence.
He has no complaint to bring against them.
He knows their "tribulation."
This is the word previously discussed which pictures outside pressure which threatens to ruin.
He knows their "poverty."
This is a reflection of the confiscation of property used by Domitian as a means of persecution.
The Christians at Smyrna had lost all their material possessions.
So Christ, who sees and knows all, says: "But you are rich."
True wealth is the enrichment of character, not possession of wealth.
This is truly a rich church....More
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Faithfulness Makes A Difference - 2:8-11
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Jesus praises the church in Smyrna.
The Church at Smyrna is only one of two churches to whom the risen Christ gives such high praise.
Would our church receive such praise?
Would we be found faithful to our Lord today?
Jesus called upon them to be faithful.
They probably wondered how so few people could make any difference among so many
and with so much opposition.
How could this small church impact a pagan city for God?
Jesus knew what they could do with His power.
He says, "I know your afflictions and your poverty, yet you are rich."
You look about and see the difficulties of being a Christian.
You look at each other and you say, "What can we do? ...More
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Suffering Saints - 2:8-11
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The assurance that the Christians of Smyrna needed is the same assurance that we need today.
Here is the assurance that God knows what we are facing.
In all their distress and all of ours we have the companionship of a living and sympathetic Savior.
He says; "I know thy tribulation."
Then He reminds them that their poverty is not real, because all who belong to Christ
possess true riches.
We have spiritual treasures that no one can take away. ...More
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Thyatira - 2:8-11
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The Lord promises to those who overcome that He will not put upon them
any more spiritual obligations than they already have.
He also promises that they will have no additional duties to special Gnostic revelations. (2:24)
They are to be loyal and what he has already given. (2:25)
He promises to those who overcome will receive authority over the nations.
They will find themselves completely vindicated as Christians before the people
who are now persecuting them.
The picture of their ruling with rods of iron is symbolical of the certainty
of their vindication and triumph with Christ....More
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Pergamum - 2:12-17
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He warns the church to repent of its attitude of leniency and toleration toward the present sinfulness.
If they do not take action to eliminate the evil, the Lord is determined
that He will personally "make war against them" with the sword of His mouth.
Just what action He will take is not indicated.
But He leaves no doubt as to His ability to deal with the situation that has developed.
"He that hath an ear, let him hear..."...More
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Sardis - 3:1-6
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"I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead."
In those few words He voices a tremendous complaint.
In this church there was much outward activity, but no inner spirituality.
This organization was perfected and running smoothly.
An outsider would see this as the ideal church, but there was no life -- no real-life, in the church.
Someone has said that "there are few things better organized than graveyards,
but there is no life there."
This was the condition of the church at Sardis.
They had a reputation of being alive, but the One with perfect knowledge said they were dead. ...More
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Philadephia - 3:7-13
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Only good is spoken about this church.
No condemnation is offered.
The Lord knows of the work of this church and has set before her an open door
which no one can shut.
This church is given the opportunity for full spiritual enjoyment and for service to the Lord.
No one can stop the work of this church if she will take advantage of this open door
to serve the Lord. ...More
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Laodicea - 3:14-22
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The church at Laodicea had everything in it except Christ Jesus.
He was on the outside seeking to come inside.
If anyone would respond to His knocking, He was ready to come in and have fellowship with the church.
He could begin with even one individual whose heart was responsive and who desired Him.
To the one who overcomes the spirit of lethargy and becomes zealous for God,
He promises glory and fellowship.
They will sit down together, even as He and the Father, once he has overcome
the obstacles in his way. ...More
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Our God Reigns - 19:6
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God holds the world in His hands.
The world may seem to be going to pieces, disintegrating -- well, it had to be integrated
before it could disintegrate.
God has never advocated His creative power.
Science and providence convince us that God's creative power is still at work.
With God working -- something new can happen in the world.
That is what our text means.
Catch the optimism of that possibility.
The redemptive power of God.
God's redemptive power is active in the world. ...More
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Special Series -- Letters To Seven Churches By Tom Amburgey
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Introduction To Seven Churches
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As we study these seven churches, you will notice that some get high praises, some harsh rebukes,
most get a little of both.
But you will learn that our gracious and holy lord extends the promise of blessings and renewal
if only the church (and this means us) repents and turns to Him.
Jesus judges His churches, and rightly so.
But He also comforts them with the promise of eternal blessings that flow forever for those
who hold onto hope and carry on faithfully for him....More
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Church #1 - Ephesus
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As we learn about the church at Ephesus, keep in mind this thought by Edmond Burke,
"Seldom does a man take one giant step from a life of virtue and goodness into a life
of vice and corruption.
Usually, he begins his journey into evil by taking little steps into the shaded areas, areas tinted
and colored a bit, almost unnoticed by those around him.
Until one day, hardly aware of the journey he has made, he finds himself firmly entangled
in a life of vice and corruption."
Think about that for a few moments and we journey back in time
and set the scene of Ephesus....More
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Church #2 - Smyrna
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