Practical Revelations from the Seven Churches of Revelation

A Practical Inductive Study of the Seven Churches of the Book of Revelation

De: Claude T. Stauffer

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

On the rear exit way leading out of our church is a sign that reads “You are now entering the mission field.” Having thought about this, I believe the same sign should be placed on the outside for those entering the church. I believe this is true of all churches. Church is not only a place where we come to be fed and spiritually equipped. It is a place where the saints are equipped so they can do works of ministry in their everyday lives (cf. Ephesians 4:11-12). But that is really only a part of what church is all about. Those who come to church only looking to receive will get only half of what God offers them. Church should be a place where we come to receive, but it should also be a place where we come to give. The Body of Christ is composed of many different parts. And those interconnected parts are the instruments Jesus uses to minister to His flock. When we come to church, we should come not only with a mindset to feed ourselves spiritually, we should come with a mission mindset looking for how God might want to use us while we are at church. Church is a mission field. It is a place where hurting people come and God might just want to use you to bring healing and comfort to those hurting. People who come with problems that need solving or questions that need answering, or simply with life issues, these people can be ministered by the members in the local church body. There are times when you might be one of those in need. But there are other times when you might be the one helping someone in need. The Lord comforts us so that we can later be used by Him to comfort others (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4). When we look at these seven churches of Revelation, we see that Jesus finds issues that need attending to in five of the seven churches. Two other churches receive no criticism from Him. But all of these churches are part of a Christ’s mission field. There are needs all around us. We need to be open to the Spirit for His empowerment as well as to how and where He might want to use us. Spiritual growth comes through service; through applying in real life what we learn from the Lord in His word. There are opportunities for such service both in and outside of the church. The world is a mission field, but so is the church. Jesus gave Himself for His bride the Church. The Church is important to Him. Jesus loves the Church. That doesn’t mean the church is without problems. It simply means there’s work to be done. The Church is a mission field. Come join me as we consider Jesus’ word to His bride the Church.