We often tend to think that God only wants us to talk with Him (and He does!), but God also wants us to listen to HIM when He speaks. And what we discover is that there are times when God speaks and He expects us—especially those of us who are part of His church—to listen to Him. When God speaks to the church, He is specific, to the point, and says exactly what needs to be said.
You’re invited to join us at Journey Church as we go through the very first part of the very last book in the Bible, and read seven letters that God Himself wrote to seven specific churches in the 1st Century…letters that God intends for the church today to read. Starting on February 12th, Pastor Rob will walk us each week through these letters to these seven churches, and we’ll explore the good, the bad, and the (very) ugly things that God had to say. In the process, we’ll learn how God wants to speak to OUR church in a series titled Dearest Church…Letters from God to His Church.
Jesus is the Head of the church. The church is God’s idea. God cares specifically about what a church does and what a church is…and who attends personally.
Week Two—February 19
This Is Why the Church Hasn’t Been Working for You Lately
The Church at Ephesus, the Church That Slid Backward
The Ephesian believers were so busy maintaining their separation that they were neglecting adoration. Labor is no substitute for love; neither is purity a substitute for passion. The church must have both if it is to please Him.
Week Three—February 26
The Crown Is Worth the Cost
The Church in Smyrna, the Suffering Church
The church in Smyrna was one of two churches that were not rebuked at all, but this church was under intense persecution because they refused to yield to emperor worship. This letter was an invitation for them to hold on and receive the crown of life.
Week Four—March 5
You’re Strong but Not Invincible
The Church in Pergamum, the Church That Made Exceptions
The church in Pergamum was commended for their strength—they remained faithful to God during some intense opposition, but still, God was fed up with their continuing in sin and doctrinal error. There was the idea that they were “strong enough” to handle things that God expressly forbade, very much in the same way that we do today.
Week Five—March 12
Your Business Is My Business
The Church in Thyatira, the Church Kept Church at Church
The church in Thyatira was a busy church, involved in the city greatly impacted by the culture within which they lived. Because of the presence of guilds and unions, this city was a place where tradesmen had to yield to certain practices in order to carry on business, a “go along to get along” mentality, or “what happens outside of church stays outside of church” approach. This approach led this church down the path of moral compromise for the sake of business success, and people accepted this dichotomy…but God didn’t.
Week Six—March 19
Fear the Walking Dead
The Church in Sardis, the Church That Made the Secondary Primary
The church in Sardis was one of the hardest letters because what we learn is that they were an active church with a good reputation in their city, but mostly, the church was spiritually dead. The Gospel that had been preached and taught was no longer, and their social activism replaced the spiritual life of the church as what was most important, and it killed the spiritual life of the church.
Week Seven—March 26
Being Impressive Isn't What Impresses Me
The Church in Philadelphia, the Church That Held On
The church in Philadelphia receives only the 2nd letter with no condemnation but only commendation—it is a letter of hope for a small church that was enduring opposition, a letter inviting them to hold on and informing them that great things lie ahead. It is the church we all desire to be part of, and one of its big characteristics was that it was faithful to the message it had initially received and to Jesus Christ.
Week Eight—April 2
Won't Someone Let Me In?
The Church in Laodicea, the Church That Was Just Fine...Until It Wasn't
The church in Laodicea received perhaps the harshest letter, as Jesus exposed this church for its indifference and lack of desire to make an impact that the church resembled a social club, not a church of Jesus Christ. In this letter, we see the harshest rebuke: “I’ll vomit you out,” which tells us that there are times when God would rather NOT be represented than be misrepresented. And the saddest words representing that Jesus had been shut out of the church are also the most encouraging because there is hope—the words, “I stand at the door and knock.”
➔ We look forward to seeing you either in person or online!