The First Martyr
Read: Acts 6 They could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. (v. 10) The Greek word for “witness” is martys. Originally, a martyr was someone who was able to testify to the truth about something. A Christian martyr was anyone who could witness to the meaning and reality of Christ’s […]
Buoyed by the Stories of Faith
Read: 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. (v. 7) I haven’t experienced the suffering of which Paul wrote. This suffering is not the stuff of natural disaster, war, illness, and loss, which are common to us […]
November Prayer Guide 2020
INDONESIA — Pray for radio program outreach in Indonesia. Words of Hope broadcasts in a variety of small local languages. These localized programs foster a sense of pride in the listeners, who are then more likely to repeatedly listen, watch, and even share the programs with family and friends. We believe that preserving local cultures and […]
Ears to Hear
Read: Matthew 13:1-9 He who has ears, let him hear. (v. 9) Every letter in Revelation 2–3 concludes with this: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Jesus added something similar to his parable of the sower. It’s not enough simply to hear the Word of God; the […]
Faith is the Victory
Read: Revelation 3:21-22; 12:10-17a [To] the one who conquers . . . as I also conquered. (v. 21) Seven times over in his letters to the churches the Lord makes promises to “the one who conquers.” These concluding promises are variations on a single theme: eternal life. But they are only for those who stay the […]
Laodicea: Knocking at the Door
Read: Revelation 3:14-20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. (v. 20) If you remember any of the seven churches, you probably remember the one Jesus threatened to spit out of his mouth. “Laodicean” became a synonym for half-hearted Christians. The lukewarm temperature of the church probably referred as much to its spiritual usefulness as […]
Pillars of the Church
Read: Revelation 3:12-13 I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. (v. 12) The phrase “pillars of the church” calls up faces and voices out of my past—from the church I grew up in, from the churches I have served. It’s how we describe those members on whom every church depends—faithful Sunday […]
Philadelphia: Church of the Open Door
Read: Revelation 3:7-11 Behold, I have set before you an open door. (v. 8) Of all the churches, this one seems to have been the Lord’s favorite. It’s the only church of which he has no words of either criticism or warning. The same formula (“I know your works”) that introduces Christ’s judgment on churches like […]
Dressed in White
Read: Revelation 3:5-7; 7:9-17 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments. (3:5) Revelation 7 describes the church in two different but equally dramatic ways. First is a carefully numbered community of 144,000, drawn equally from the twelve tribes of Israel. This does not mean that only those descended from the original […]