Episodes
Monday Oct 31, 2016
Letters to the Church: Hinckley
Monday Oct 31, 2016
Monday Oct 31, 2016
Letters to the Church: Hinckley
Various Texts
Recap
· As we have examined Jesus’ letters to the 7 churches of Asia Minor in Rev. 2-3
· We have been seeking the Lord to see what He wants to say to us
o This is a process that the Elders have been going through
· From this process, God has shown us some areas that we are doing well in
o And others that we need to focus or refocus on
A Vision of Jesus
· Each letter opens with a vision of Jesus
o A reminder of who is leading the Church
· Jesus is:
o Present with the church (Rev. 2:1b)
o The eternal & victorious One (Rev. 2:8b)
o The Conqueror (Rev. 2:12b)
o The all-knowing, Ancient of Days (Rev. 2:18b)
o The Possessor of the Holy Spirit and the churches (Rev. 3:1b)
o The holy One who gives us unlimited access to God (Rev. 3:7b)
o The faithful Ruler of all creation (Rev. 3:14b)
Jesus would commend us for:
· Our commitment to the Word, which includes:
o Sound Biblical teaching & doctrine
§ Like Ephesus (Rev. 2:2)
§ “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.” (Titus 2:1)
o Staying focused on the ‘majors’
§ Not being divided by ‘minor’ theological differences (Rom. 14:1)
§ “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.”
· Our unity (1 Pet. 3:8a)
o We are not easily divided
o But tend to focus on the One who brought us together
· Our welcoming and gracious spirit
o “Come as you are” mentality (Rom. 15:7, NIV)
o Allowing people to fail and still feel loved
Areas to Grow
· Like Ephesus (Rev. 2:3) & Laodicea (3:15) we have lost focus in some areas
· Community
o Being the church beyond Sunday mornings (Acts 2:46)
o Something that used to come naturally
§ But has faded as we have grown
· Service & Giving
o Ministering to one another and our neighbors
o Through our time, talents, and tithes (1 Pet. 4:10)
· Prayer
o Both individually and corporately coming before the Lord (Jas 5:16)
o Not just to talk, but to listen
o And moving beyond our comfort zones to before the throne of God
· In a word, what we have lost focus of is our Vision (Pro. 29:18)
o We need to return to the vision that God has for us as a church
The Good News
· Just like the churches in Revelation, Jesus is not done with us
o This is a wake-up call!
o There is hope and healing for us in all these things
· We need to return to that which we know God has called us
o While not abandoning that which we are doing well
· We will spend the next few weeks with this as our aim
So What?
· Are we ready to let God refocus us on His vision for His church?
· Are we willing to be challenged and changed by His word and His Spirit?
· We don’t do this alone!
Meditation Verse: Revelation 2:1b
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