INTRODUCTION
The dramatic years of the persecution had arrived. The church was cornered, entrenched by hostile forces, inhuman violence. There were massacres and bloodshed throughout the Roman Empire, where various believers were killed and massacred. They were burned in a public square, eaten by lions and trampled by bulls. The emperors died and were succeeded, one by one, but the persecution did not stop. Were all the apostles already dead when the apostle John was deported, in old age, to the island of Patmos? perhaps an attempt to eliminate the last representative of Christianity. While the emperor tried to destroy the Church, God was building it. While John was surrounded by water, isolated, reduced to an imperious solitude, while all the doors were closed for him, God opened a door for him in heaven. It was a Sunday that he saw the vision. A voice sounded like a trumpet behind him, saying “what you see written in this book. ” When she went to see who it was, she did not see who was speaking, but she saw 7 lamps and 7 candlesticks and one similar to the son of man. The only way the world can see Jesus is through the Church. The Church is the body of Christ. The Church reveals Christ. This is why conventions like this are so important, because they show the unity of God’s people and the beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
- If we do not perceive christ’s presence of glory among us.
- A conference is nothing more than a religious encounter.
When John sees the son of man, he realizes that he is no longer the weak Christ of Calvary, his face bloodied, a voice suffocated by thirst, swollen eyes, hands torn by nails and feet nailed to the rough cross. glow like flames of fire, his face glows like the sun, his feet are like polished bronze. He is Victor Christ, who won the motto of his resurrection, who leads the Church and holds it in his powerful hands. Scripture says that John fell as dead at his feet with this vision. But God resurrected him and said he was dead, but now he’s alive!We worship a living Christ who reigns for ever and ever.
The Bible says that Jesus is not only in the Church, but walks there, travels through the churches to teach us, comfort us, exhort, watch over and make great promises to us, if we do not perceive the presence of the Christ of glory among us, a conference is nothing more than a religious encounter, are they not the illustrious people, the speakers chosen with such affection, or the orchestras and groups that give us such good music?We are attracted to events like this by the only awareness that Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory, is among us.
In the seven letters, Jesus always repeats, “I know Him. “He walks among us to know our works and our lives. Know your actions, know your life, your marriage, the way you treat your husband, your children, and your parents He knows what His church doesn’t know. He knows the intimacy and secrets of your heart. And do not be fooled by the performance and beauty of our gestures, He knows the intimacy of our soul and the secrets of our hearts.
For the church of Izmir, he says he knows his tribulation. Jesus knows his pain, his tears, his pains, his anguish, his need and his challenges. As for the church of Pergamon, he says he knows where they lived, where Satan was. There was the temple of the god of healing, represented by a serpent. In this first century, healing was not attributed to God, but to this so-called deity. In addition, it was the first city to establish the worship of Emperor The Lord knew where they lived. Jesus knows where you are.
Jesus rents only two churches, and the poorest, like Jesus and different from us. He walks in the middle of his church and sees him as we don’t. “You are poor, but in my eyes you are rich, ” said the Lord. A church can be considered despicable in the eyes of the earth and rich On the other hand, it goes to Asia’s richest church and says, “You are poor, blind, and naked. “God is not impressed by what impresses man, the heavens are not impressed by what impresses the earth. Praise Philadelphia, saying, “You have little strength, but I opened a door for you. “There are always few resources for us to always depend on the divine arm, not the strength of the flesh.
Jesus praises and criticizes several churches, but only Laodicea Jesus has no praise, only criticism. Let’s look at the style figures used by Jesus. Because Jesus reads the text and context, sees people and culture. We need to know the trade of our city, the economy of our city, the culture of our city to answer the relevant questions.
First, Laodicea was in the valley of a thermal river; people from all over the world came to be treated for the warm waters coming out of the spring of the nearby town of Laodicea. The waters of the other nearby city had a cold and therapeutic effect. The waters of Laodicea came from a pipeline, which were dead, unpleasant and useless to medicine. Jesus applies this: I wish you were as cold as the waters of the Colossus or warm as those of Hierápolis, but you are lukewarm, I will vomit you.
Second, Laodicea was the banking center of the time, which processed all the gold in Asia. Jesus said unto him, Thou art proud of thy gold, thou art spiritually poor.
Thirdly, why are you talking about white clothes?This is because they were the largest textile center in Asia. There the famous black wool was made and exported to the rest of the world. Jesus said, “I advise you to dress in white. “
Fourth, why are you talking about eye drops? Because they were the largest ophthalmic center in Asia Minor, where a dust was produced that looked after the eyes, but Jesus says they can have the science to treat the eyes of the body and be blind to see with the soul.
There is no way to simply be a gospel friend or a regular visitor. Either you are wholeheartedly involved with God, or you prostrate before the Lord of Lords or your life will make Jesus nauseous.
Jesus identifies a lack of spiritual fervor, but first there were no allegations of heresies in this church, they were Orthodox, there is no plea of immorality in this church, they were very moral, third, there are no words of persecution, they lived in peace on their borders. There is no indication of material poverty in this church, they were rich, perhaps we would be very proud to be part of Orthodox, rich, ethical and peaceful churches, but the greatest censorship was for them, what was lacking was spiritual fervor. And the text begins by talking about the fervor of the church.
We are going through an unprecedented crisis in Brazil, liberalism is growing, mysticism, syncretism, prosperity theology, anointed water cutting, anointed mystical rose and everything that prevents people from knowing the truths of Scripture, but on the other hand, there is a serious risk that orthodox, rich and peaceful ethical churches will live a dead orthodoxy , lifeless, no enthusiasm, no warmth. Things just happen. You come and leave the church, you evangelize, you preach, but you have lost your fervor, your first love, you no longer know what it is to cry for your sins or to see the glory of Christ crucified and risen in your midst. We must pray that God will once again light his church. We must turn to the Bible, but also turn to the God of the Bible to experience an awakening in our Brazilian nation.
As I walk throughout Brazil, I know that we desperately need a revival in our nation and that there is no need to use slogans, we need prayer that God’s warmth will warm our souls again. I look at the history of the Church, and I see men like George Whitefield and I can’t understand. I see the biography of Moody, an uned educationed and uned educationed man, but he was crossing New York and the Spirit was upon him. I need the fervor of these men. We need God to give us this fervor. All we can say is that in the past, crowds have followed Christ, but today we can think very little about what God is doing. We need a restoration of our fervor. There is a lot of strange fire out there, but God’s fire must spread upon us.
In the biblical text, Jesus continues to give counsel to the Church, presenting himself as a merchant. It says, “Buy me clothes and eye drops. ” The solution to the Church’s lack of fervor is not to pursue the latest news, but to return to Jesus. Jesus is the one who has the remedy for the Church, the one who restores the Church, who can bring an outpouring of the Spirit to the Church. We have to get back to him.
In verse 19, Jesus makes a statement and a command. He says that despite our lukewarmness and lack of fervor, he says that he loves us and does not abandon us. He doesn’t want to put out the smoking wick, but he blames us for why he loves us and died for us. He said, “Be jealous and repent. ” There is no way to be just a gospel friend or a regular visitor. Either you are wholeheartedly involved with God or you bow down to the Lord of Lords or your life will make Jesus nauseous. We were saved to the pleasure of God, but if we live without fervor, we will make Jesus nauseous. So in verse 20 he is knocking on the door. He hits and hits and hits. Insist that you drop those crumbs and go to the banquet. What he wants here is intimacy with you, at his table, in a place of intimate communion, without projectors, without an auditorium, without a stage. He’s in your room, on his knees. He wants to dine with you, look into your eyes, give you the freedom to rest your head on his chest and let you share your most intimate needs.
What answer are you going to give?We can have great clothes and guests, but the most important one can be excluded. Jesus is at the door and knocking, if you hear the voice and open the door, He will eat with you.
In the end, he makes promises. He said it is Amen, the testimony of God, the beginning of God’s creation. He is the word of God, he can make promises. He’s the first of them all.
He says the victor will let us sit on the throne with him. We will leave the complicity of the table and go to public exaltation on the throne. He loves you not only heaven, but also the throne. Laodicea’s wealth was nothing given the greatness of these promises. The riches of the earth are a total rarity before the riches of heaven.
Today, where these churches existed, there are only ruins, they did not hear the voice of the Spirit, and they did not respond to the voice of Jesus, we cannot allow our churches to become museums or mosques, we need to listen to what the Spirit says. churches.
We have been saved for God’s pleasure, but if we live without fervor, we will make Jesus feel nauseous.
By Hernandes Dias Lopes in the XIV Christian Consciousness
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