LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES

Text: Revelation 1:1-end

The relevance of the study of the letters to the seven Churches cannot be overemphasized. In living our lives and in everything we do, we need proper knowledge to guide us. Studying the Word of God helps guide us in our activities and helps prevent us from drifting away from the truth. Thus, this study of the seven letters to the seven churches is very relevant to the Church of this day. Even blessings were pronounced unto those who read, hear and keep the words of the prophecy written therein (Revelation 1:3).

The last part of Revelation 1:3 told us that the time of the prophecy of the things written is at hand. If at that time, it was said that the time is at hand, then you can imagine how close we are now. Many times, we live our lives as if the day of our Lord will never come. Satan keeps us so busy with so many things that we hardly think that our Lord will return one day. We must endeavour to live our lives ever ready and never fall for this ploy of Satan. Those who died and did not miss it are those who while they lived, were conscious of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are kings and priests unto God in Christ Jesus. A king cannot function effectively without a priest by his side. Most times, we are quick to exercise our authority as kings but we are not ready to make the sacrifices expected of us as

priests. For us to effectively exercise our authority as kings we must also be ready to play the role of a priest. A priest consecrates himself to God and denies himself of anything that can draw him away from God; he is a person that sets himself apart to God; he purifies himself from any filthy thing that defies.

Anybody that wants to be used of God can make himself available and God will use him. But the challenge is that most times, we are not ready to make the sacrifice to wait on him, rather we envy those who are spiritual giants. You can also be a spiritual giant who can hear and understand the voice of God clearly. All it takes is to pay the sacrifice of waiting on him; being committed to him no matter your circumstance; remaining a worshipper even in good and bad times.

Your ability to understand revelations or things shown to you by God can be enlarged when you become more mature spiritually. Just like a child understands the events of life better as he gets older, so also our understanding of spiritual matters increases when we become more mature spiritually. We are doing harm to ourselves when we refuse to give attention to the word of God, read, study and meditate on it. The more we read, study and understand the word of God, the more we become mature spiritually and the more we will be able to have answers to the mysteries of the Kingdom and understand more clearly the revelations God is bringing our way.

The seven Churches that these letters were written to are:

-          Ephesus: The name means something that is longed for, something admired and loved.

-          Smyrna: This name is from the word myrrh. This was a church under persecution.

-          Pergamos: The name means marriage; this church was typical of the middle age church mixing with the world; the compromising church.

-          Thyatira: Means continual or unending sacrifice; it was typical of the Roman Catholic Church; It emphasized the things of the world and idol worship rather than God. The corrupt church.

-          Sardis: This name means remnant. It was seen as a dead church which still had a few men and women that did not compromise. The Reformation church.

-          Philadelphia: signifies brotherly, it was regarded as the faithful Church.

-          Laodicea: This name means people’s right. It illustrates the final stage of apostasy; where people will claim to be Christians but abandon the very principles of the Kingdom.

There are four (4) fold applications of the study of these letters to us:

ð It has a local application to the Churches in John’s days. It revealed the actual state of these churches in those days.

ð  The second application is to the Churches in this day in preparation for rapture. It can help us see our individual state as a Church preparing for the coming our Lord Jesus Christ.

ð  It has an individual application in our lives so that we can be changed by virtue of the Word.

ð  It is prophetic and discloses the spiritual history of the Church.