He Who Has an Ear, Let Him Hear...

Revelation 2:7 - "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."

In my last blog I mentioned words that are hard to hear...especially God's words about certain things. I have spent nearly a week pondering what thoughts were racing through my head. I thought of seven churches that God spoke to the Apostle John about. Each church describes those we have today. Some of the churches overlap in their type of unfaithfulness toward God. The words to six of these churches were difficult ones. 

There was one church that lost their first love. It was a backslidden church. Today it is a hard-working church, persevering in doing good deeds in the name of the Lord. They do not tolerate wicked men, false prophets or those who have committed distainful practices, yet they left their first love, Jesus. They have forgotten where they came from, perhaps have become a bit proud in their "religious" accomplishments. They no longer give God the credit.

The persecuted church is one which we might see in the mission field. They are financially poor but rich in the Lord. However, they have become somewhat weak and fearful because of their suffering.

The third church I believe is becoming a prominent one today...the church of compromise. They are true to the name of Jesus and the faith; however, they are allowing world view to enter in: idolatry, sexual immorality, a worldly type of doctrine. I see a watered down version of the Gospel in this church in order to bring in and hold on to people in their congregation.

Then there's another version of a worldly church. It is a church of love, faith and service to God. They persevere in their work, even more than before, but they have allowed a Jezebel spirit to enter into their church. They believe a false doctrine. Jezebel worshiped the false god, Baal, who was the god of prosperity and harvests as well as fertility and sex. They have in some ways turned from truth to lies. This church would teach a prosperity gospel, one that says we should not let anything get in the way of what we want. This is a false doctrine.

The dead church has stopped "doing" for God. The spirit is gone. There are no longer any redeeming qualities. They have worked for their own fame and fortune and have not given God the credit for what He has done all along.

The lukewarm church has no strengths at all to speak of. Societal attitudes have infiltrated the church. The worldly influence has caused them to become blinded because of their wealth...and they have become spiritually poor and blind, with materialism at the forefront.

The only church with redeeming qualities was the church of brotherly love. This church keeps God's word and never denies Him. They do not compromise the truth. All trials are endured. Because of their love for God they are strong.

The Church is beginning to take on the characteristics of most of these churches, although there will continue to be a remnant, which I choose to believe I am part of, that will not receive these ideas. That remnant will stand up against what is called the emerging church, which is mainly a liberal view of God, one that says that all religions lead to the same god/God, relaxing God's standards, changing His Words to suit the lifestyles of congregants or being seeker friendly for the sake of larger numbers. Some say there is no heaven and hell, that tolerance and political correctness is what should be the practice in this world. They are allowing the ideas of the world enter into a holy place only to try to destroy what God has built up. Thankfully, we have a God who is stronger than any of these things and although He may allow it to happen, it will be to show Himself as victor in the end.

We were told these days would come. They are here. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables, 2Timothy 3:3-4 tells us. We've also been told there will be scoffers in these last days. God is watching and He will judge.

Sometimes the truth is a hard word. It may be one reason why people are turning from God or not wanting to go there...because God has told us something we don't want to hear and to some it seems offensive. It goes against their thinking that if God is a loving God, how could He tell us difficult things or allow us to go through trials. God set up certain commandments a very long time ago and had they not been broken we would not be faced with these problems in our society. 

Even in Acts 17 we are shown the criticism that Paul went through when he said, "This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ." (vs 3). Some believed him, some chose to stir things up (the Jews). Paul and his followers were there, according to these opposers, to "turn the world upside down." Why? Because it went against their thinking. These were hard words others did not want to hear. Paul was saying there was another king...Jesus (vs. 7). There are many today who want to believe what they want to believe. 

John MacArthur, a seventh generation preacher, states: "We can't change the message; that message isn't ours--it belongs to God." The Bible states in Deuteronomy 4:2 that we should not add to or take away from the word that God has commanded us. And some of those commands will be hard to hear. Jesus was was not politically correct. He only spoke the truth, the words that God, His Father, had Him speak. This includes hard subjects such as abortion, homosexuality, idol worship, lying, stealing, cheating, adultery. All hard words for some and even identified in 1Timothy 1:10: immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching.

I want a church that follows only God's direction. Will some good churches allow bits and pieces of the world enter in? Is that why we are told to seek God ourselves, so that we might know Him in our own hearts... Isn't this whole relationship with God a personal journey after all? It starts within each of us. Then we are called to gather with like-minded individuals. I'll tell you, there is quite a struggle going on within my spirit. Only God can provide the guidance here. If He has taken me to a place of discomfort, He will continue to move me until I absolutely recognize what truth is...and demand, if necessary, that wrongs be made right.

2Timothy 1:13 - Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.