“Seven Churches of Asia”


BIBLE READING: Revelation 2
                                                                                                                   
                Revelation chapter 2 begins the address to the seven churches of Asia.  These seven churches were located along a well-established circular trade route.  John’s writings would have touched the most amount of people by being addressed to these churches.  More importantly, though, these seven churches can represent the church that Christ established in many different ways.
Sometimes we may be like Ephesus.  Sometimes we need a wake-up call to remind us that we have left our first love.  That we need to remember the things we did when we first became Christians, and that we need to do them again.  It is a reminder of God’s love for us and our need to not be sidetracked by the things of this world.  It is a reminder that we need to “repent and do the first works.” (v5)
Sometimes we may be like Smyrna.  We may be going through trials and tribulations.  We may be persecuted by the world around us for being Christians.  Simply, we need encouragement.  We need to be reminded to “be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (v10)
Sometimes we may be like Pergamum.  We may let things of this world compromise our Christian judgment.  We may be tempted to compromise our morals and allow the world to cloud our vision of what is Truth.  Jesus, Himself, gives the instruction to “Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.” (v16)
Sometimes we may be like Thyatira.  We have fallen prey to false teachers who intend to lead us astray.  We have been warned repeatedly about fighting against the false teaching of those who support their own interests, but we have failed.  “But (we need to) hold fast what you have till I come.  And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations” (v26).
Keep these churches in mind.  The reminder of what they did may benefit us in our spiritual walk.  But remember the theme of the book of Revelation: God wins!


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