After the Lord’s church began in the city of Jerusalem, it expanded throughout the Roman Empire until it reached the capital city of Rome. The inspired history recorded by Luke ends here (Acts 28:16, 30-31), but the message of the gospel continued to spread throughout the world. Wherever it was preached, and people were converted, local churches were formed, made up of those who were turning to the Lord.
The last book of the New Testament, Revelation, was written in order to encourage Christians to remain faithful to the Lord as they endured suffering and persecution, knowing that the Lord would judge His enemies, punish the wicked, and reward the faithful. Anyone who reads the book of Revelation can profit from it (Revelation 1:3), but it was initially written to seven churches in Asia: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
These seven cities were located in a relatively small geographical area, yet the challenges the brethren faced varied. Most of the churches received some commendation (only Laodicea received criticism without any praise). Most received some condemnation (except for Smyrna and Philadelphia). There were a few things that all seven letters had in common:
- They were reminded about Jesus – Each letter began with a description of Jesus. Whether they needed to continue doing good or correct where they were falling short, they needed to remember that He was worthy of their service and devotion.
- They all faced challenges – Some of their difficulties were self-imposed (they were not serving God as they should have). Some of the problems they faced were directed toward them from the outside (either from false teachers, sinful influences, or persecution).
- There was a reward for the faithful – Even the church in Laodicea, which received only rebuke and no praise, was reminded of the Lord’s promise for them if they would repent. Whether we are in a congregation with no obvious problems or one that needs to make many changes, we have hope.
Each of the seven churches was addressed at the beginning of the book with a message that the Lord sent personally to them. However, even though Jesus sent a letter to each church, they were all part of the book that the inspired apostle wrote. In other words, these letters were personal but not private. Each church’s letter was shared with the other six churches and with us as well. This was not a mistake. No matter what a congregation’s circumstances may be (then or now), there are lessons that we need in each letter.
As we study the letters to the seven churches today, every congregation can find encouragement and warnings that apply to them. We are going to notice these as we go through our study.
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