Pergamum: The Compromising Church

Revelation 2:12-17
“¹² “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

   These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. ¹³ I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.

Smyrna: The Suffering Church

Part 3

Revelation 2:8-11
“⁸ “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

   These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. ⁹ I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. ¹⁰ Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.

Smyrna: The Suffering Church

Part 2

Revelation 2:8-11
“⁸ “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

   These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. ⁹ I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!

Smyrna: The Suffering Church

Part 1

Revelation 2:8-11
“⁸ “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

   These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. ⁹ I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. ¹⁰ Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.

¹¹ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.” - NIV

Do You Really Love God? Pt. 2

Last Wednesday we began a study on the 7 churches in the book of Revelation. We looked at the church of Ephesus which on the outside looked like a great church to belong to, but it was the inside that God cared about. God cares about the inside…meaning our hearts.

Do You Really Love God? Pt. 1

We know that according to Scripture that God loves us. God loves the people on this planet. His love for us is so great, so big that He sent His only begotten Son to die for us. To die so we may have a relationship with Him. To die so we may live. To die so we may spend eternity in Heaven with Him. To die so we can share with others this same love that He has shown to us.

Freedom of Praise Pt. 2

Last week we had begun a new series entitled “Freedom of Praise”. That when we allow our lives to line up with God, when we allow God to take the lead in our lives, just like letting someone take the lead when dancing, there is a freedom that comes from it. When we allow God to lead we are no longer bound by our circumstance. We are no longer tied down to the issues in our lives because God is the one doing the leading. We know that the Word of God says,

Freedom of Praise Pt. 1

We had just finished our series on “Know Who You Are Following” and I didn’t have any direction as to where to go after that until this past Sunday. I was praying last week and this week for direction. God gave me the direction at the end of service on Sunday.

I want to talk about praise and worship. Sometimes in our Christian walk we get to the point where we come into service and we kind of just go through the motions. We know that we open the service with a song, we pray, shake each other’s hand, then we move on to the tithes and offerings, then our 3 or 4 songs for worship. It becomes mundane. It becomes protocol. If we are not careful it can become mechanical. Where we come in and just do what we always do. Sing our songs then sit down and listen then go home. I don’t believe this is how God intended it to be. Praise and worship is part of our relationship with God.

Know Who You Are Following Pt. 5

2^nd Peter 1-3
For the past 5 weeks we have been looking at a series entitled “Know Who You Are Following” where in 2^nd Peter 2, Peter gives us a warning about false leadership that will rise up in our churches and he also gives us an outline to follow, or a check list that we can follow to check those who are in our lives that we are following. It is important that we know who we are following. The people that are leading us need to be leading us towards Christ and not away and the only way you will know if they are leading in the right direction is to know the map. The map meaning the Word of God.

Know Who You Are Following Pt.4

2nd Peter 1-3
WARNINGS have many forms: lights, signs, sights, sounds, smells, feelings, and written words. With varied focus, their purpose is the same—to advise alertness and give notice of imminent danger. Responses to these warnings will also vary—from disregard and neglect to evasive or corrective action. How a person reacts to a warning is usually determined by the situation and the source.

Know Who You Are Following Pt.3

2nd Peter 1-3
We are continuing into our study of false leaders that will rise up and have risen up in our churches today. We need to know who we are following. 2^nd Peter gives us an outline to look at and descriptions to know to spot these fake leaders and expose them in our lives, so we do not end up following someone down the wrong path, so we don’t end up losing sight of Jesus and we move away from Him rather than to Him. I had asked you to ask yourself a question, “Is the person that is leading me, leading me towards Christ or away from Christ?” If they are not leading you towards Christ then they are leading you away.

Know Who You Are Following Pt. 2

2nd Peter 1-3

Last week we started a study on false leadership that is not only in the world today, but in our churches as well. We must know who we are following as Christians. Make sure your “call & election are true”. Meaning we need to make sure that the ones that we are following are bringing us closer to God and not leading us away and the only way you will know that is if you are in the Word of God. If you are not in the Word of God then you will fall for whatever comes your way. You are listening to man’s opinion on the Word of God rather than listening to the author of it. Christian leadership has to line up with the Word. It cannot go against the Word. If you are leading someone, which we are all called to do, make sure you are in the Word of God otherwise you are going to lead people down the wrong path.

Know Who You Are Following Pt. 1

2nd Peter 1-3
For the next few weeks or so, we are going to be looking at 2^nd Peter and we are going to see how he has given to us a description of those who are not of God. Those who are in our lives who will try to lead the people of God away from their first love Jesus Christ.

Finding God’s Will Pt.5

Review of Past Lessons

· All to be saved
2nd Peter 3:9b
“He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” – NIV

· Evangelism
Matthew 28:18-20
“¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” – NIV

· Being Spirit Filled
Romans 8:9
“ ⁹You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” – NIV

Finding God’s Will Pt. 4

Review

· Colossians 3:1-17
· Verse 2 - ²Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
· When you allow your mind to detour away from the things above, meaning God – His way of living, His standard of living – you are no longer being led by the Spirit.
· Verse 3 & 7 - ⁵Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature…⁷You used to walk in these ways.
· Too many Christians have not put to death their old nature, their old attitudes, their old way of living, their old thought process. We are supposed to be new creatures or creations through Christ.

We are Chosen

Colossians 3:12-14
“ ¹²Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” – NIV

Finding God’s Will Pt. 3

Review

Last week we were talking about how it is God’s will to be filled with the Holy Spirit. When we accept Christ into our lives we are then filled with the Holy Spirit. We know that according to Romans 8:9 that we are to be controlled by the Spirit of God. That we no longer live our lives according to the flesh. It also says that if you are not controlled by the Spirit then you have no part in Christ.

Spirit Filled Life

Continuing into living a Spirit Filled life we can see how it is we are to live. There is only one way that we are able to be Spirit Filled Christians, and that is God’s way. Colossians 3 gives us a list on how to live a Spirit Filled life.

Finding God’s Will Pt. 2

Review

· Jeremiah 29:11
“¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – NIV

Finding God’s Will Pt.1

I truly believe that the Jeremiah 29:11 is a word for today’s people.

Jeremiah 29:11
“¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – NIV

I truly believe that God has a plan and a purpose for every person who is living today.

Tabernacle of Moses Pt. 3

We are continuing our study on the Tabernacle of Moses in the book of Exodus. The Tabernacle was a structure built by the children of Israel under the direct supervision of Moses. The layout of the Tabernacle, its general construction, supplies and materials were specified in the greatest detail to Moses by the Lord at Mount Sinai during the time of the Exodus.  So what exactly is a Tabernacle? A "Tabernacle" according to the Hebrew language simply denotes "a tent", or more appropriately "a place of residence."

We know for a fact that God desires a relationship with His people then and even today God desires a relationship.

JOHN 1:14
“14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,[d] who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” - NIV

Tabernacle of Moses Pt.2

We know that God has wanted a relationship with His people from the beginning of time. That is why He created us. According to Scripture we see the Children of Israel we being held captive as slaves in the land of Egypt. Out of Egypt God had raised a leader by the name of Moses who’s life in and of itself is a testimony of how God has a plan for us. We see Moses was born and raised in the care of the Egyptians in Exodus 2.
We see that when Moses was born the Pharaoh had issued a command to kill all the baby boys as soon as they were born. But God had a plan just as He always does. Moses mother hid baby Moses until she wasn’t able to hide him no more (Exodus 2:2). So she made a basket and placed him into the Nile River and placed him into God’s hands. Now the God we serve always looks out for his children. The Pharaoh’s own daughter seen the child and took him in and wanted to raise him. What is interesting here is that Moses’ sister seen Pharaoh’s daughter take her brother and look what she did:

Tabernacle of Moses Pt.1

We sing a song called “Take Me In” in our worship services, but I don’t think we really understand what we are singing about. This song says this:

Take me past the outer courts
Into the Holy Place
Past the brazen altar
Lord I want to see your face
Pass me by the crowds of people
And the Priests who sing your praise
I hunger and thirst for your righteousness
But it's only found in one place
[Chorus:]
Take me into the holy of holies
Take me in by the blood of the lamb
Take me into the holy of holies
Take the coal, touch my lips, here I am

This song is talking about the Tabernacle where God dwelt among His people. There is significant meaning behind this song and this Tabernacle of Moses. You see it is an order that God had specifically set up in order for His people to come close to Him. The Israelites (God’s people) could not just go into the Holy of Holies (where God was) whenever they felt like, however they felt like, there was a order in how they were to go before God. Even then they themselves could not go, a priest, the high priest, was allowed to go in, and that was only one day a year during a time called the “Day of Atonement” or as we know it today as “Yom Kippur”.