Jesus' Message to the Church
Jerry Watts
Revelation 1-3
For the past several months I have been hovering over the first 3 chapters of Revelation. Back in the spring I heard that this passage would constitute our 'Winter Bible Study' and I was fired up because chapters 2 and 3 are Christ's last words to His church and we need to hear and heed these.
Allow me to offer you a disclaimer - Time doesn't allow for an in-depth look at this text, but I pray it will give us fresh enough vision to stir our hearts to Him, His Kingdom, and His mission. The hymn writer wrote, ''It may not be on the mountain heights, or o'er the stormy sea, but I'll take my cross and follow Him, where ever He leadeth me.'' If we are not where Jesus wants us to be, living like Jesus wants us to live, telling what Jesus wants us to tell, and doing what Jesus wants us to do - THEN we cannot sing those words because we are NOT following the Leading of Jesus.
Please turn to Revelation 1 and please stay with me. What I want to do is to paint you 3 pictures. Here is the 'yellow-flag' warning; if you miss the first two, it is highly unlikely that you will never see the third one. Here is the truth! We love to be comfortable and in control. We will never make a decision to change until the pain of change becomes obviously less than the pain of staying the same. In the physical world, people die everyday because the pain of dying hurts less than the pain of surgery, meds, dialysis, and getting well. In the spiritual world the same is true. Our Lord's message to us requires us to take notice, if we have any hope for tomorrow.
I begin with this; Jesus may lead us to places we do not care to go. (In Acts 1, Jesus told us to go to all the world as witnesses. He included SAMARIA. Why Samaria? Because the Samaritans (those the Jews hated) needed to be saved just like everyone else.) Verse 9 tells us that John was one Patmos because of His Christian witness. History tells us that he was in exile a ...
Jerry Watts
Revelation 1-3
For the past several months I have been hovering over the first 3 chapters of Revelation. Back in the spring I heard that this passage would constitute our 'Winter Bible Study' and I was fired up because chapters 2 and 3 are Christ's last words to His church and we need to hear and heed these.
Allow me to offer you a disclaimer - Time doesn't allow for an in-depth look at this text, but I pray it will give us fresh enough vision to stir our hearts to Him, His Kingdom, and His mission. The hymn writer wrote, ''It may not be on the mountain heights, or o'er the stormy sea, but I'll take my cross and follow Him, where ever He leadeth me.'' If we are not where Jesus wants us to be, living like Jesus wants us to live, telling what Jesus wants us to tell, and doing what Jesus wants us to do - THEN we cannot sing those words because we are NOT following the Leading of Jesus.
Please turn to Revelation 1 and please stay with me. What I want to do is to paint you 3 pictures. Here is the 'yellow-flag' warning; if you miss the first two, it is highly unlikely that you will never see the third one. Here is the truth! We love to be comfortable and in control. We will never make a decision to change until the pain of change becomes obviously less than the pain of staying the same. In the physical world, people die everyday because the pain of dying hurts less than the pain of surgery, meds, dialysis, and getting well. In the spiritual world the same is true. Our Lord's message to us requires us to take notice, if we have any hope for tomorrow.
I begin with this; Jesus may lead us to places we do not care to go. (In Acts 1, Jesus told us to go to all the world as witnesses. He included SAMARIA. Why Samaria? Because the Samaritans (those the Jews hated) needed to be saved just like everyone else.) Verse 9 tells us that John was one Patmos because of His Christian witness. History tells us that he was in exile a ...
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