For the next seven week’s our Sunday morning worship will explore the messages to the seven churches in Asia Minor (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea) from Revelation 2-3.

These messages to the churches are intended for the universal church. This means that we can listen to these messages for specific insights for us today. There are three reasons I believe these messages are for the universal church.

• First, there are seven of them. Seven is a number of wholeness and completion in Revelation suggesting that the letters are for the universal church.
• Second, the letters were not sent as individual prophetic announcements to each church; they were sent as a part of the entire book of Revelation. In other words, the message to Ephesus was not sent as a letter like Paul sent to Ephesus. These seven prophetic announcements were included in the book of Revelation and sent to all the churches. Each church heard each announcement along with the rest of the book.
• Third, each church is instructed, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” If we have ears to hear, we can learn from what the Spirit says to us through these messages to the churches.

For this Sunday, we’re going to look at Revelation 2:1-7 the message to the church at Ephesus, entitled, “The Church Who Loves.” To prepare for Sunday read Revelation 2:1-7. What do you think is the significance of Jesus walking among the lampstands? How can the church (believers) retain their first love? Is it encouraging or convicting to think that Jesus “knows your work” (2:2)?

Here are some specific praises and prayers for this Sunday’s worship:

• Praise Jesus that he controls his churches and that he is in the midst of his churches. Jesus is not distant from his people, but present with them (us). He is with us in struggle, persecution, difficulty, blessing, reward, commendation, and correction. We should thank and praise him for his presence.
• Praise Jesus that he sees and knows us and addresses us as a church accordingly. We need to heed seriously Jesus’ commendations and corrections because we cannot hide from his eyes that are like flames of fire.
• Pray that we will be a church worthy of commendation. Ephesus was commended for doctrinal fidelity and faithful endurance and corrected regarding abandoning love for God and others. Pray we will love God, others, our neighbors, and the nations inexplicably and generously.
• Pray that we would “hear what the Spirit” says to us this week in worship. If we need correction, may we repent and seek forgiveness. If we need encouragement to remain faithful, may we grow in doctrinal fidelity and loving generosity.
• Pray that any who gather with us Sunday would hear and see both the credibility and the plausibility of the gospel. Credibility comes through gospel witness, doctrinal fidelity, and faithful endurance. Plausibility comes through a life-changing love that makes us inexplicably generous and Christ-like.
• Pray that sinners would come to Christ who conquered and receive the promise of the paradise of God in Christ. Each message to the churches ends with an invitation to experience life and salvation through endurance and obedience. We will invite sinners to come to Christ and receive the gift of eternal life.

If you are part of Wilkesboro Baptist, would you pray specifically for our church in the coming weeks? Pray that we will hear and respond to Christ’s messages to his churches. Invite friends and neighbors to join us for worship. God is working; let’s join him to celebrate his greatness and his glory.

For more about interpretive themes in Revelation and how to make sense of the book, I will have four additional teaching sessions on Sunday evenings. The first is on October 4 from 6:30-8:15. All are welcome to attend at WBC. We will record these sessions and make available on our podcast channel also.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash