Which of the 7 churches does yours look like?

This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands.

Revelation 2:1 (NLT)

I find it very ironic that the seven gold lampstands in Revelation are supposed to signify the seven churches of Asia Minor. Now we can argue that these messages to these churches was for a specific place and time in history or we can make a case for these messages being a generic implication to all churches everywhere. One thing you can’t dispute is the fact that a lampstand should give off light. It should brighten a darkened room and make things clear to see. If you are afraid of the dark a flick of a light switch (or in this case a lampstand) can bring light which will calm your fears and bring peace to you.

Now let me ask you this, does this sound like any church you know of? Does your church give off light in a dark world? Does your church brighten the lives of those in the surrounding community? Does your church bring calm and peace or is it more likely to bring about quarrels and divisiveness? A pastor of a church I attended once said that churches do a great job of shining light all over the inside of their building but very often the outside world never sees it. Why is that? Why do we go to church to be filled up and edified but often do little to pass some of that goodness on to others?

Is it because we are too busy or too stressed? Are there too many other demands on our time, resources, and energy? When was the last time your church fed the hungry or clothed the poor? Does your church make it a once-a-year effort to clean up the surrounding neighborhoods or are there believers in Christ consistently meeting the needs of others in their communities? When a brother or sister in Christ needs money or just help cleaning their yard do they turn to the church first? Is love and light bursting from the churches and into the lives of those that live and work around them?

Or is the church ridiculed and avoided because all that comes out of it are arguments and disagreements over doctrine or policy? Do people not want anything to do with the church because nothing but bias, prejudice and hatred come out of it? We really need to take a hard look at how we “do church” here in America. Too often church becomes big business with big staffs, big payrolls, big bands complete with lights and smoke machines, and big agendas that really have nothing to do with loving and caring for those around them. Too often the lights are on extremely bright inside the four walls of the sanctuary while being nonexistent or dim at best to the world around it. This is NOT what Jesus had in mind. This is NOT the church that He died for.

In chapter two Jesus calls out the churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, and Thyatira and in chapter three He has words for the churches in Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. He commends the churches for their hard work, endurance, suffering in the midst of persecution, remaining faithful, loyalty, love, and service. He rebukes them for losing their zeal, tolerating and compromising on their ideals, allowing immorality into their midst, becoming superficial, and maybe worse of all....becoming lukewarm. He tells these churches that they need to remember, not to fear, wake up, hold on, be diligent and over and over again repent, repent, repent.

Jesus would commend, rebuke, and call to action the many churches and denominations of today the same as He did 2000 years ago. Jesus; The Son of Man, The First and the Last, The Lion of the tribe of Judah, The Christ, The King over all kings and Lord over all lords, the Alpha and the Omega, The Beginning and the End, has the same expectations for the churches of today. He wants better for us. That’s why He revealed Himself in the manner that He did and had John write these things down. Jesus walks among the lampstands and He knows them intimately. He knows each situation that His churches go through and He wants them all to reach their maximum potential.

In closing I want you to think of this; the group of believers that you worship with each Sunday is God’s vehicle for changing the world. Take it seriously........Jesus does.