Jesus' Last Words to Us

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Revelation 2:7 (NIV)

If you had one last opportunity to share some final words with your loved ones, what would they be? Wouldn't you want them to be the most meaningful, most important things you could think of? Wouldn't you want to warn them if they were headed down the wrong path? Jesus' last words to the seven churches in Asia can be found in the book of Revelation (chapters 2 and 3). He wrote a letter to each one and commended them for the good they had done. One thing about Jesus, though--He sees everything. In five of the seven letters, He gave them the same advice--"Repent". These letters are written for us--that we might see ourselves and our churches as Jesus sees them. We need to take God's word seriously. I think Jesus wants us to get ready for His return, but most of us are too in love with the world to care. We are the "Bride of Christ"! He expects her to be spotless and without blemish. How will it be if He returns for His Bride, only to find her with her hair disheveled, her veil ripped,and her gown and shoes muddy?

Jesus said, "Repent".

What Revival Is--What It Is Not

"Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?" Psalm 85:6 (NIV)

Many think of revival as a week of church meetings with a guest evangelist, scheduled far in advance and focused on reaching the lost. Some do get saved. The rest of us are fired up for a few weeks, then things settle back to "normal". This is not what revival is. Most of the people I know, myself included, have never witnessed the real thing. The fact that the word itself starts with "re" should tell us something--bringing back to life something that was dead or close to it. Vance Havner says, "Revival is a work of the Spirit among God's own people whereby they get right with God and with each other." This is not the same thing as evangelism, although salvation of the lost should result from revival. It starts with God's people--maybe in the heart of just one person--realizing just how far from God they have drifted. God has so much more for us than we typically experience--we are content with crumbs, when God wants to invite us to a banquet! Prayer plays an essential role--it's been said that no great movement of God takes place without it. When people get things right with God, they will get right with others: marriages and family relationships are restored, forgiveness is asked for and given, genuine love for each other overflows. When the church looks nothing like the world, people of the world will be drawn to God. That is revival!

Pray

“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4 (NLT)

Our country is deeply divided over many issues. Our default behavior seems to be to criticize anyone we don’t agree with, but what does that really accomplish? Is that approach leading to ‘peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity’? Praying for all people, even those we don’t agree with, pleases God ‘who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.’ Paul’s advice to Timothy was inspired by God—why not try it?

Our Love Affair with the World

“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” James 4:4 (NIV)

This is the church in America. We love the world and all its toys. But let’s get personal. What consumes the majority of our time? Is it reading and studying God’s Word? Are we ministering to the widows and orphans? Are we caring for the needy, setting the oppressed free? Are we showing love and compassion to a hurting world?

God doesn’t want us isolated from the world—He wants us to be in it, but not defined by it. Is our allegiance to God or to our own selfish desires? Would we skip church to attend a sporting event? Do we waste time doing mindless things on the computer? Are we caught up with having the latest toys and gadgets that are so prized by the world? I confess to you that these questions are convicting to me. It’s easy to get caught up in the attractions of this world, but when we do, we are investing our time and money in something that is perishable—it will have no lasting effect on anyone. And, it is seductive. We cannot play around with it—it leads to adultery. God takes it seriously, and so should we.

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1John 2:15 (NIV)

Repentance

“For this is what the high and lofty One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy; ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.’” Isaiah 57:15 (NIV)

Repentance is the message for the church in America. Why is it not being preached? I believe we are like the frog in the pot of warm water. The water is gradually getting hotter, but we haven’t noticed—in fact, it feels pretty good. We have become comfortable with our little sins to the point that we don’t even recognize them as sins. We think that some of the things in God’s word are optional. Do we realize it is sin…

To worry—“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…” (Matt. 6:25).

To speak carelessly—“But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.” (Matt. 12:36).

To not show mercy—“judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful” (James 2:13).

To prefer the things of the world over God—“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God?” (James 4:4).

Vance Havner once said, “The times are desperate, but we are not.” The church is worldly and lethargic—we do not take God, or His Word, seriously. James 4:17 says, “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” We will not see revival until we are broken over our sinful condition.

Isaiah 57:15 says that God lives in a high and holy place, but also with the contrite and lowly in spirit—to them He will bring revival.

True Worship

“No, this is the kind of fasting I want:

Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;

lighten the burden of those who work for you.

Let the oppressed go free,

and remove the chains that bind people.

Share your food with the hungry,

and give shelter to the homeless.

Give clothes to those who need them,

and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

Then your salvation will come like the dawn,

and your wounds will quickly heal.

Your godliness will lead you forward,

and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind.

Then when you call, the LORD will answer.

‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

Going Through the Motions

“Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast.

Shout aloud! Don’t be timid.

Tell my people Israel of their sins!

Yet they act so pious!

They come to the Temple every day

and seem delighted to learn all about me.

They act like a righteous nation

that would never abandon the laws of its God.

They ask me to take action on their behalf,

pretending they want to be near me.

‘We have fasted before you!’ they say.

“Why aren’t you impressed?

We have been very hard on ourselves,

and you don’t even notice it!’

‘I will tell you why!’ I respond.

‘It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves.

Even when you fast,

you keep oppressing your workers.

What good is fasting

when you keep on fighting and quarreling?

This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.

You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance,

bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind.

You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes.

Is this what you call fasting?

Do you really think this will please the LORD?

Isaiah 57:1-5 (NLT)