71%

“71%”

Revelation 2:1-3:22

Next week will begin our revival services, but I pray that revival has already begun. Some of you may wonder if we need revival as a church or even as an individual. Why do we have revivals? Have our revival services become just two additional days during the week of going to church and hearing a different preacher? From what Jesus wrote to the seven churches in Revelation, perhaps we should call these services a “REPENTAL” instead of a revival. Five of the seven churches were commanded to repent—not revive. Consider this morning, which of the seven churches is NMBC?

Ephesus was lacking in LOVE .

Smyrna was lacking in NOTHING .

Pergamum was lacking in DOCTRINE .

Thyatira was lacking in LEADERSHIP .

Sardis was lacking in DISCIPLINE .

Philadelphia was lacking in ZILCH .

Laodicea was lacking in COMMITMENT .

Applications for daily living:

1. From Ephesus we learn that activity and doctrinal soundness cannot replace a heart and attitude of love.

2. From Smyrna we learn that faithfulness unto death—death to self—allows us to escape the second death—death unto God.

3. From Pergamum we learn that false teachings must not be tolerated.

4. From Thyatira we learn that false teachers mix truth with error and lead unsuspecting Christians away and into eventual punishment.

5. From Sardis we learn that a body may look as if it is alive, and it may even act as if it is alive, but at its heart, it is stone-cold dead.

6. From Philadelphia we learn that the vitality of a church is a direct indication of its missionary zeal.

7. From Laodicea we learn that indifference in a church about its spiritual condition and toward its commissionary fulfillment is sickening to Jesus.

From all seven churches we learn that Jesus is fully aware of both the spiritual condition of the church and its attitude toward fulfilling the Great Commission, and that He fully expects His churches to be fulfilling its discipling and missionary directives.