“John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne” (Revelation 1:4 NKJV).

      How would you like to get a letter from the apostle John, the seven Spirits who are before the throne of God, and Jesus Christ? We did! That’s the book of Revelation. It was a letter to the seven churches in Asia (Minor) that are specifically addressed in it, but it is also a letter to all who...

      Everyone who has faith in Jesus and His sacrifice as the atonement for their sin is redeemed and has the sure promise of eternal life. We can look forward to an eternity that will be far more wonderful than even the greatest earthly life. For this reason, we should consider every believer, regardless of spiritual maturity, to be a brother or sister in Christ with whom we will spend eternity. We should also consider unbelievers as potential brothers and sisters, as the Lord loves all and died for all.

      There are many mysteries in the Scriptures that will...

      The new covenant is a call to become citizens of another realm—the kingdom of God. This is not a realm of this earth but one far above it and above every other realm in heaven and earth. The kingdom of God is preparing to come and assume its authority over the earth as well. When we join this realm, we are committing to live for it by being joined to the will of the King, who is over all. When we join Him and His domain, we agree to put His interests above any others, even our own. 

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      To make some overall points about the seven churches Jesus addressed in Revelation, I began last week to address one of the most important factors in a successful life or church: the ability to listen to, and truly hear, what others are saying to us—especially the Lord. One of the most common statements the Lord made to His followers was, “He who has ears, let him hear.”

      He said to His disciples concerning the multitudes, “While seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand” (see Matthew 13:13). Are...

      After the Lord explained to John that what he was about to see was a revelation of Jesus, He gave John a message for each of the seven churches in Asia Minor. Why those churches?

      Together, the Lord’s messages to these churches were a message to the whole church, throughout the church age. These were messages given in advance for each period of church history. We will cover this in some detail. First, we need to look at how He delivered His message to these churches, as this is also a reflection of His nature.

      Jesus spoke...