“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:7).
What would it have been like to receive a letter like the one received by the churches in Asia? At the end of the first century, Jesus Christ sent a letter to each of the seven churches in Asia. (Included in the second and third chapters of Revelation, which went to all the churches, each letter was read, it seems, by all seven churches.) Each message reflected the condition of that congregation as seen by the Lord, providing a personal diagnosis of their health from the Great Physician Himself. Some of these groups were in better shape than others, but each letter ended the same way: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” If the church paid no attention and made no changes, it would do it no good to receive healing from the Lord.
Churches (by which we mean congregations or local gatherings of Christians) can fall away from the Lord just as individual Christians can (Galatians 1:1-7). So collectively and individually, we need to make frequent corrections and realign ourselves with the intentions of Christ.
Today, the Lord is not going to send individual letters to any congregation, but in a sense, that is what the entire New Testament is about. When we read what was happening in that era, when the affairs of the churches were being directed by the authority of Christ’s apostles, we are wasting our time if we do not apply what we read to our congregations today. Christ will say to us the same thing he said to those churches: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Of course, a diagnosis can be painful news to hear, whether it comes from a medical doctor or from Jesus Christ. But if we are truly committed to being saved, we want the truth and nothing but the truth – to act on it and change our practices.
The ability to “listen” is a resource with some serious responsibilities attached to it. Given our tendency to turn away from Christ, our only hope is upon us Desire to warn. Christ loves us very much and does not call us back to the right path, but His call will not help us if we do not see that it applies to us personally.
“Talk to God before the service. Let God talk to you during the service. Talk to your neighbor after the service” (old proverb).
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com AreYouaChristian.com
