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November 03 Devotional
Daily
Devotions for November 2003
THEME - Churches
of Revelation: Their Names, History, and Creeds
Please click on the
current date # above to read the devotional for the day!
May God richly
bless you this day!
These devotionals are written by the following men:
- DW - Senior Pastor, Dan Wilkenson
- RJS - Retired Pastor, Dr. Bob Shifflett
- DM - Associate Pastor, Dave Most
May God richly bless you this day!
Saturday,
November 1st
Ephesus, A Church Full of Labor
without Love
Revelation 2:1-7 and Matthew 7:21
23
All seven churches
mentioned for the first 14 days of November
were in Western Asia Minor
and were in the Roman Colony or state of Phrygia.
Ephesus
was built beside the delta of the Cayster
River, also
known as the Meander
River,
and a man-made sea port on the Aegean
Sea. It was the city of the Temple
of Diana,
one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Diana was the goddess of fertility and therefore
a wicked and licentious city.
The Apostle
John, in our text from Revelation 2, tells us that they had lost their
first love. Many Christians start with a sweet, sweet love that exudes
from them like perfume or incense that permeates the room where they
are. They are so much in love in their new relationship with the Savior
they tell everyone they meet about their salvation; but then as time goes on, they grow cold and indifferent, they never
talk about anything new in their relationship with Christ. What
happened? They have lost their first love. Another illustration: A
young couple is on their honeymoon and all they can talk about is their
spouse. They have nothing bad to say about them, but as the years go
by, it's the old woman or the old man, the burning love they had at
first has grown cold and the fire has gone out. Oh yes, the husband
brings home the paycheck, the wife cooks and cleans house, but they
never tell each other that they love them. They have forgotten their
honeymoon. This is where the Ephesian church
found itself. What bothers this writer is that a family attends a
fundamental church and then gets their noses out of joint and attends a
church that is exactly the opposite of what the former church stood
for.
The Lord found
ten things wrong with this church, (count them) but He did find one
good thing about them, they hated the Nicolaitanes.
It seems these were people who were following the teaching of a man
named Nicholas who was teaching immoral doctrines. Such as community
wives, adultery, fornication, and it was acceptable to eat meat or food
offered to idols. This was very close to the teachings of Balaam that
was condemned in Jude 11. Let's return to our first love! RJS
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Sunday, November 2nd
The Church
at Smyrna
Revelation 2:8-11
As the apostle John
writes the church at Smyrna,
he is in bitter exile on the island
of Patmos.
All of the apostles, except Judas, were faithful
to death and suffered greatly for the sake
of the Gospel. It is interesting to note that
only the churches of Smyrna
and Philadelphia
receive no words of criticism from our Lord.
I am sure that these churches were not perfect.
As sure as they were made up of less than
perfect people, they were not perfect. However,
they were good enough not to warrant criticism.
When the harbor at Ephesus
silted up Smyrna replaced Ephesus
as the center of commerce in Asia Minor. This
area would be Turkey
on our maps today. Smyrna
is 33 miles north of Ephesus.
The people called Smyrna
"the beauty of Asia" and "the
city of life and strength". The leaders of this city possessed
unique political skill and had a keen ability to side with the winner
in any controversy. It was a free city with the rights of self
government and tax exemption.
Smyrnahad many pagan
temples. In this city, stood temples to Zeus,
Apollo, Aphrodite, Cybele,
Strabo, Asclepius
and one to the Roman genus as manifest in
Tiberius. The temple to the Roman genus honored
Roman strength and nationalism. The record
reveals that every citizen was required to
worship at this temple annually. As a part
of this worship, the people were to confess
that Caesar is Lord.
Christians from Ephesus
started the church at Smyrna.
It was a church in persecution. Consequently, their works did not
appear impressive. Our Lord notes that this church was rich. This is a
reference to spiritual wealth and not material wealth. Persecution
always purifies God's people. What they lacked in numbers, buildings
and gold, they more than made up for in spiritual substance. When death
can be the result of identifying with Christ, false professors and
shallow professors are hard to find. The text states that this church
was poor. They suffered financial need. Our Lord tells them that some
of them will die and they will suffer persecution 10 days. Ten is the
number of completion. Their lot is to be tried thoroughly. He tells
them to stop fearing and look to their eternal reward. All those who
are faithful to death will come to find eternal reward. The message is
not just to those in persecution, but all that believe. We need to live
in light of eternity. DW
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Monday, November 3rd
The church at Pergamos - Confessing, yet Compromising
Revelation 2:12-17
The church at Pergamos
"claimed to be Christian," interestingly, just like so many
people and churches do today. The name pergamos
means citadel and is the word from which we get parchment, a writing
material developed from animal skin. Pergamos
(modern Bergama)
was built on a 1,000 foot hill about 20 miles inland from the Aegean
Sea. It had served as the capital of Asia Minor
for over 250 years. It was an important religious center for the pagan
cults of Athena, Bacchus, (the god of drunkenness,) and Zeus. It was
the first city in Asia to build a temple to
Caesar (29 B.C.) and became the capital of the cult of Caesar worship.
It was also the headquarters of satanic opposition and a Gentile base
for false religions. On the acropolis was a huge, throne-shaped altar
to Zeus. In addition there was Asklepios, the
god of healing, whose snake-like form is still the medical symbol
today. One false prescription called for worshippers to sleep on the
temple floor to allow snakes to crawl over their bodies and infuse them
with their healing power.
Our text in verse 13, also mentions Antipas,
who was probably the pastor of the church there. Tradition says that Antipas
was burned to death. During that time, there were many people who were
faithful to witness for Christ, even to the point that they laid their
lives on the line as martyrs. Then God mentions the fact in verse 14,
that there were a lot of people who were living in the ways of Balaam
and his false doctrine, just as the Nicolaitans.
They were followers of Nicolas, a deacon apostate from Acts 6, who were
involved in immortality and sensual temptations. They abandoned
themselves to a life of self-indulgence and perverted grace and
replaced liberty with license. Sadly, there are many self-indulgent
(Christian) apostate people who live the same way today.
God gives us a better plan in the last 2
verses. Repent or face God's wrath. Pay attention now. Listen up. We
are to be Overcomers. God will give Overcomers hidden manna, (the spiritual bread that
the world cannot see) and a New name, which serves as their admission
pass into eternal glory with Christ! Have you repented of your sins and
fully trusted Christ to save you? He who has ears to hear,
let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
"Dear Heavenly Father, help us to repent.
Help our ears to hear, and our hearts to obey! In Jesus Name,
Amen." DM
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Tuesday,
November 4th
The Church at Sardis,
Commendable, but Counterfeit
Revelation 3:1-6
Sardiswas a thriving commercial and trade center.
Within its area is the largest Jewish synagogue
ever discovered.
The Turkish government has encouraged excavation
and restoration of this massive and impressive
building. The floor of this synagogue is made
up of mosaics not duplicated in our age. The
ravages of earthquakes and time have taken
their toll on the structure and the final
warning of John in Revelation 3:3 has come
upon this city and church. If therefore
thou shalt not watch,
I will come upon thee as a thief, and thou
shalt not know what
hour I will come upon thee.
The Lord told John to write of several things
wrong with this church and they are as follows: 1. They had many
works, good or bad, they were a working church, 2. But they were
dead. It seems they were depending on works to get to heaven. If we
depend on works to get us to heaven, how shall we know when we have
done enough good works to get us there? It would be a terrible thing to
count on heaven because of works and find out that you had missed
heaven by just one good work. 3. They had a few godly members.
They had a few, does that mean that the majority
of the membership was ungodly and lost? What a tragedy!
The Lord commanded this church to "be
watchful, strengthen the believers, remember the teachings that you
have had, hold fast to your faith and repent of your sins". Seems
we could use these same admonitions today in our church and every
church in the nation. If such were the case, we would see a revival
that even the ACLU could not, with all the courts in the land, defeat.
This is what America
needs more than any other thing today. Yes, an old fashioned Holy
Spirit Revival where men and women get on their knees, confess their
sins and put them away.
One last thought from this church is this: In
verse five the Lord says, I will not blot their names out of the
book of life. If we live in the midst of a wicked society and
remain steadfast to Him, we will not be judged with them; rather we
will be given a white garment and be with Him throughout all eternity. RJS
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Wednesday,
November 5th
The Church at Sardis
Revelation 3:1-6
As we move
north up the coast of modern Turkey
we find Ephesus, Smyrna,
and Pergamum.
Thyatira is about 40 miles south and east of Pergamum.
It was closer to Pergamum
than Smyrna. Sardis
is about 50 miles east of Smyrna.
This city dates back to 1200 BC and in 17 AD an earthquake destroyed
much of the city. This city was a fortress located 1500 feet above the
valley below on three sides of a mesa. It was at the hub of a wheel of
Roman roads, and because of commerce, it became wealthy.
Our Lord
presents Himself to the city as one that holds seven stars and has
seven spirits. In other words, He knows all and it is only by His power
and purpose that there is any spiritual blessing. Outwardly, this
church had every sign of spiritual blessing, but that was not
sufficient. This church even had a good reputation among the saints,
but this was not sufficient. We might think of this church in this way.
The church had property, buildings, programs and all the outward signs
of a good church, but it was void of the Spirit. Most importantly, the
church is a spiritual organism energized by the Spirit of God. Without
the Spirit of God, there can be no spiritual life. Sadly, this church
was spiritually dead. A body without the spirit of the person is dead.
It has all the outward form of life, but is dead. The same can be true
of a church or an individual spiritually. Without the Spirit of
God, there is no spiritual life, regardless of what else we may see.
Our Lord tells
the church to wake up and strengthen those things which have not yet
died. In other words, they were blind to their condition. In spite of
the overall state of this church, there was a faithful remnant in this
church. They had a few worthy folk. Their works as a whole, however,
were flawed. Only works in harmony with the teaching of the Bible,
prompted by the Holy Spirit and directed to the glory of God are
acceptable to God. All other works are flawed. This church needed to
see the truth and repent before it was too late. Most of the folk in
this church had never been born of the Spirit. If they died in this
state, they would be lost for all eternity. It is not enough to profess
truth and associate with Christians. We must be born of the Spirit of
God. DW
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Thursday,
November 6th
The Church at Philadelphia
- Feeble, but Faithful
Revelation 3:7-13
Philadelphiawas located on a hillside about 30
miles SE of Sardis and the city, (modern Alahehir)
was founded around 190 B.C. by Attalus II, king of Pergamos.
His unusual devotion to his brother earned
the city its name, "brotherly love."
The city was an important commercial stop
on a major trade route called the Imperial
Post Road, a first
century mail route. This church was probably
the fruit of Paul's extended ministry in Ephesus.
John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
writes for us a very detailed account of this
church and starts in verse 7 by mentioning
Jesus Christ, Who is Holy and True and who
holds the keys of David. It is Jesus Christ
who shares His holy and sinless nature with
those who will trust Him. It is Christ who
has the sovereign authority to control entrance
into the kingdom of heaven. It is Jesus who
is pictured holding the keys to death and
hell, and here, the keys to salvation and
blessing.
In verse 8, we notice that God sees
everything. He sees the church's works and He has given them an open
door of opportunity for service. That brings up a question. How does
God see us? Has God not also given us that same opportunity?! The
obvious answer is yes! The doors have never been wider. Yet, just like
the church in Philadelphia,
there are both true Christians and also false Christians. In verse 9,
we also see the mention of the synagogue of Satan. These people
literally are those people who come to church week after week, but do
not and will not obey God. God doesn't beat around the bush here. He
comes right out and says that there are true Christians
who love and obey Him, and then there are those who only claim to be
Christian, but are really followers of Satan, who are also in the same
church building.
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Friday, November 7th
The Church at Laodicea,
Wealthy but Wanting
Revelation 3:14-22
Laodicea at the time of John's writing these letters,
was a city of 100,000 to 150,00 inhabitants.
Today portions of the original walls stand as mute evidence of a
civilization that no longer exists. The ancient city is built over by
twentieth century generations and excavation is not permitted. On the
outskirts of the old city you can still see a Roman water aqueduct and
spreading from it are remnants of terra cotta pipes that carried water
to the homes of the first century. Laodicea
was a wealthy church in the finances of this world, but spiritually
dead and didn't know it. The Lord was so disappointed with this church
that he said, So then because thou art
lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spue
(vomit) thee out of My mouth, Rev. 3:16.
It is interesting that in each of the seven
churches mentioned in this study that there was a few that remained
steadfast and true. Also, that as the Lord speaks to each of the seven
churches the following quotation is found, He that hath an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches. Isaiah said to the Jews centuries before John told us
to hear, or listen to what the Lord has for us, 9And
he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not;
and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10Make the heart
of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand
with their heart, and convert, and be healed, Isa.
6:9-10. Is the Lord speaking to today's Church? YES!
We see and we hear, but we do not comprehend.
In our day of the modern media we are so consumed with the electronic
age that we are dependent upon others to do our thinking and hearing
for us. We are more interested in being entertained than learning by
reading the Scriptures. Dole it out to me in a small spoon full because
I do not have the ability to mentally digest it. Our attention span is
so limited that anything longer than the program between commercials is
almost impossible for us to assimilate. RJS
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Saturday,
November 8th
The Apostolic Church
II Corinthians
12:11-14
These
seven churches were literal churches in Asia Minor
as John writes, however, I believe they represent
the character of the church age beginning with the apostolic age. There
are no apostles today. An apostle was an eyewitness of the teaching
ministry of Jesus Christ. An apostle had to be personally called by
Jesus Christ.
Our text
talks about the signs of an apostle. God works with the nation Israel
through signs. When Moses went to the people, God gave him certain
signs whereby the people would receive him as the messenger of God.
Signs were associated with the coming of the Messiah. When John the
Baptist became discouraged and questioned who Jesus was, Jesus pointed
to the Biblical signs. In Matthew 11:4, 5 we read where Jesus said, ... Go and shew
John again those things which ye do hear and see: 5 The blind receive
their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf
hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to
them.
The
apostolic church lost its first love. They did the right things, but
were lacking in heart. When we serve God without heart, we open the
door to persecution. It is not enough to make the message clear. There
must be a heart of love behind the message. If we say the right words
without heart, the message is compromised. Love without truth is
compromise. Truth without love is harsh. In the end, you cannot have
love without truth or truth without love.
It is
interesting to note that the city of Ephesus
ceased to exist. Just as the Ephesian church
ended, the apostolic age ended. History makes it clear that the
apostolic sign gifts including speaking in tongues ceased after the
first century. As we see these gifts today, we need discernment to know
whether they are a latter day spiritual awakening or the great deceit
that Jesus said will surround the end of the age in Matthew 24:5.
In our Lord's description, he spoke of false Christ's, and spiritual
deception through signs and wonders. It is not enough to worship in
truth alone. We must worship in Spirit and truth. The Spirit that is
essential to proper worship is not the manifestation of sign gifts, but
the manifestation of the very love of Jesus Christ. DW
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Sunday, November 9th
Smyrna- The Persecuted
Church (100 - 316)
Revelation
2:8-11
"Smyrna
was a city, of course, but its name is derived from "myrrh,"
a valuable spice used in the process of embalming. Myrrh symbolizes
death and yet is a sweet fragrance. This is an appropriate word picture
for the period of church history characterized by martyrdom. This
period lasted from approximately 100 to 312 AD when Constantine
established Christianity as the state religion of the empire. During
these two centuries there were ten definable periods of persecution of
Christians under ten of the Emperors of Rome.
To these believers, Jesus identified Himself as the resurrected One!
There is no warning to this church, since it
was a church constantly purified by the rigors of persecution. To put
it simply, only a strong, dedicated Christian would be willing to die
for Christ. A hypocrite would quit the church long before he would risk
losing his life. True believers would be faithful unto death and they
would receive a crown of life. This is one of the special believers'
crowns mentioned in the Bible. Faithful believers will be able to lay
these at the feet of Christ in the future to prove their love for Him
(Revelation 4:10). Jesus had
taught earlier, "Nothing is covered up that will not be
revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have
said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have
whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
"I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and
after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to
fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has power to cast into hell;
yes, I tell you, fear him! (Luke 12:2-5)"
The promise to overcomers
of this period is that though they might need to die physically, they
would not be hurt by the "second death." This subject is
revisited in Revelation 20:12-15 where it is equated with
eternal punishment and being cast into the Lake
of Fire. The Biblical
concept of death is not annihilation, but separation. When a person
dies physically, the material part (body) is separated from the
immaterial (soul and spirit). The person does not cease to exist.
Spiritual death is seen in the Scriptures as separation from God. Those
who are spiritually dead may be brought back to life, that is, be born
again.
" Heavenly Father, help us
to be overcomers! Amen. DM
Notes are from www.ldolphin.org/kingdom/ch3.html
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Monday,
November 10th
Pergamos, The World in the Church
Revelation 2:12-17
Pergamos is now known as Bergama.
Pergamos was on
a mountain side northwest of the present city
of Bergama.
It was a fortified city over- looking the
Valley of Caicus.
This church is outlined as the third period
of the church, from 316 to about 500 A.D.
Another way to say it is from Constantine
to the beginning of the dark ages. It was
during the reign of Constantine
that the church was recognized and under the
protection of Rome.
In 313 A.D. Constantine
gave the edict of toleration and the Roman
Government's persecution was a thing of the
past.
In verse 13 we have the mention of Satan's
seat or throne. This writer has seen the temple site built to worship
Satan. The British government sent a small army to Bergama
in the late 1800's and they removed most of
the temple and rebuilt it in the British
Museum in London.
Pergamos is also the first city where the
serpent on a pole became the sign of the medical profession. Many
ancient kings and emperors came to Pergamos
to be healed of their diseases.
It is during this time period that Satan
realized he could not destroy the church with persecution so he decided
to bring the world into the church. Almost all the gods and goddesses
of the pagan religions were incorporated into the church and given
Christian names. This was done to appease these pagan religions. The
statues and later icons lead to saint worship and praying to the saints
for special blessings.
It may surprise you that even in this strong
Roman church period, there were believers that did not adhere to the teaching
of the church and became separated believers under many and varied
names. These Christians were not Protestants, but just believers, and
for the next 1000 years built up a rather large following in Western
Europe. It was during this time that a new kind of
persecution came into vogue. Instead of the government being the
perpetrator of persecutions it was the church leaders that persecuted
the believers who were outside the Roman Church. Persecution is still
going on today in many areas of the world and the fundamental and
evangelical churches in America
are beginning to feel modern antagonism toward the faithful. RJS
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Tuesday,
November 11th
The Church of the Middle Ages
I John 2:15-19
One of the sad facts
of the Middle Ages was illiteracy. From the height of Greek and Roman
civilization, we find the ignorance and brutality of feudalism. During
this time, the church used pictures and rituals to seek to communicate
a spiritual message. Sadly, the people had a tendency to worship the
pictures and the leadership went too far with the rituals.
Our Lord recognizes
the heart of this church in love and service, in faith and endurance.
Because of this heart, the Gospel moved forward. Yet, spiritual
corruption moved forward, as well. As art and ritual were used in place
of the Bible, there was a great tendency to miss the spiritual message
and substance and look to the material and physical. The church gave
way to idolatry and spiritual corruption.
This idolatry
and corruption are depicted in the most graphic
terms. Our Lord speaks of Jezabel
teaching. Jezabel brought Baal worship into Israel
in great numbers. She was also an immoral
and wicked woman with a weak husband. The
corruption is described in terms of the depths
of Satan (Revelation 2:24).
In other words, it is about as bad as it can
get. A study of the church in the Middle ages
reveals the extent of this corruption.
It is
interesting to note here, that our Lord has more patience with this
corrupt church than the loveless church. There is space given to
repentance. There were faithful folk in this corrupt church, but God
was not going to allow the corruption to continue unchallenged. The
church belongs to Jesus Christ. Just as God would only allow the
corruption of the ancient world to go only so far before He destroyed
the earth with a flood, so He will allow the corruption in the church
to go only so far.
What can
faithful people do in the face of such corruption? Our Lord admonishes
the faithful to stand firm. As there were those who
stood, things changed dramatically and the Reformation eventually came.
God uses war, disease and famine in dealing with people. We find all of
these during the Middle Ages. Thank God churches today are not
dominated by Rome. The norm
today is religious liberty, and we ought to be grateful for this. DW
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Wednesday,
November 12th
Sardis- The Church of the Reformation (1500 - 1800)
Revelation 3:1-6
"The Sardis
church represents the Reformation church from 1517 until the mid-1700's when the great revivals and modern
mission's movement began. This was a time when the church had a
reputation for being alive, but as God saw it, they were really dying.
History reveals that, though the churches of the Reformation did break
away from problems in the Roman Catholic Church, they still did not
return to thoroughly Biblical practices and had many problems of their
own, including the union of church and state and the persecution of
other reformers such as the Anabaptists who practiced believer's
baptism and were pacifists. The Reformation churches did not, in
general, deal with the faulty eschatology held by the Roman Church
since early times.
Jesus reveals
Himself to this church as the one who holds the Seven Spirits and the
seven stars, identified earlier as the angels of the seven
churches. These images indicate His sovereignty and His right to tell
them to repent and change their ways.
The overcomer will be given white garments and his name
will not be blotted out of the Book of Life.
It seems that each person's name is already
in the Book of Life, but those who are not
true believers will have their names blotted
out. This book is also mentioned in Revelation
20:12where those not found in it are cast
into the Lake
of Fire."
These notes were used from www.ldolphin.org/kingdom/ch3.html.
Over the years,
it is interesting to find the different traits of the different
churches mentioned in Revelation, becoming more entrenched throughout
the various churches today. Why is that? Well, we are sinners who
basically already have our minds made up and we are not about to let
any one, including God and His Holy Word, influence us toward something
that we do not really want to do. In other words, God really does not
have most folk's hearts. There are a lot of people who have an
intellectual knowledge of God and His Word as is evidenced by their
good morals and attendance to church. They are basically good people by
their own standard but by God's standard, they are lost and will spend
an eternity in Hell, unless they repent and turn from their wicked
ways. The important question today is this. What about you? Where do
you stand? Does God really have your heart? Amen. DM
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Thursday
November 13th
Philadelphia, The Missionary
or Professing Church
Revelation 3:7-13
The church of
"Brotherly Love" or the Church with an Open Door: I
have set before thee an open door that no man can shut: for thou hast a
little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name, Rev.
3:8. In Pergamos we saw that there
was a temple wherein was Satan's throne. In Philadelphia,
we see that there was a synagogue of Satan in Rev. 3:9. Satan was
opposed to churches and missions because they both infringed on his
kingdom. The Apostle Paul was the first missionary to the Gentiles and
set the example for us to follow.
William Carey
is considered to be the Father of modern missions. Born in 1761
and a shoe cobbler by trade, William proposed to go to India
as a missionary. In a ministerial meeting in Nottingham,
England he was
rebuked by a minister who said, "Young man when God pleases to
convert the heathen, he will do it without your aid or mine," but
William Carey and J. Hudson Taylor became the founders of Mission
Boards and had the vision of reaching the lost around the world.
The modern
missionary movement was born in the middle 18th century, and
was in full bloom in the 19th century and began to wane in
the middle 20th century. In the mid-twentieth century it was
very difficult for the missionary candidates to raise money, and in the
last half of the 20th century doors began closing all around
the world. In most countries where missions were accepted a hundred
years ago the doors are closed and a missionary must be a teacher,
doctor, or have some other vocation to get a visa and minister in
secret rather than through building churches. Doors are closing and
many local churches no longer have a missionary vision.
In between
every historical church period and the next one we have seen what we
call a transition period in which the church attitudes or doctrines
change. It is this writer's contention that we are now in the closing
days of the missionary or Philadelphian age and at the threshold of the
Laodicean or luke-warm
church. The next event on God's calendar is the rapture and "The
Saints go Marching In" with their Lord to the marriage supper of the
Lamb, prepared in heaven for us. RJS
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Friday, November 14th
The
Church in Apostasy
Hebrews
10:23-29
In this
study, we have taken the position that the seven churches mentioned in
chapter 2 and 3 of Revelation reflect the general character of the
church age. As we come to the church at Laodicea,
the text presents Jesus Christ outside the church seeking fellowship
with individuals. We read in Revelation 3:20 where Jesus says, Behold,
I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the
door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
The picture of this church is one of outward prosperity and
inward bankruptcy. The people in this church are complacent and confident
of their security in Christ. Here we don't see any reference to
immorality or idolatry. Rather we see a picture of people who are
religious, but lost. Note that they are not clothed with the
righteousness of Christ, but naked. They are spiritually blind. They
are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold. The picture is that of those who
embrace the form of godliness, but have no real power. Note the
reference to chastisement. The Lord will only chasten his children.
Apostasy has been a problem in the church from the beginning,
but now the leaven of apostasy has leavened the whole lump. There is no
cure for apostasy. The Northern Kingdom never
recovered from apostasy. The tribes were never lost because at the time
Jereoboam set up golden calves at Dan and Bethel,
God's faithful people all moved to the southern kingdom. However, all
those who followed the path of apostasy from the truth never returned
and became absorbed with the nations of this world.
In the end, the Laodicean church will be absorbed with the church
of Antichrist and judged
along with her. It is a deadly and dangerous thing to turn from the
knowledge of the Truth. The Laodicean church
experiences peace and material prosperity. Because there is no
spiritual life, Jesus is not in her. He stands outside seeking
fellowship with the individual. There is no persecution. This church is
at peace with the world. It is a worldly church. It is void of all
spiritual value and life. It is a terribly sad end to a glorious age.
The enemy did not destroy this church. The people in it gave in to the
world one member at a time, until there was nothing left. I believe
this is what we are seeing all around us even as I write. DW
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Saturday, November 15th
Apostle's Creed (Most churches agree with this creed)
Jude 1-25
History
The basic creed
of the Reformed churches, as most familiarly known, is called the
Apostles' Creed. It has received this title because of its great
antiquity, NOT because it was written by the Apostles, but
because it contains their teachings in a concise form. It dates back to
very early times in the Church, a half-century or so from the last
writings of the New Testament; somewhere during the 400-500's. As with
all other creeds and confessions, the Apostle's Creed was used both to
refute heresy and establish basic Christian truth.
The Apostle's Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and
earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived
of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius
Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and
sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence He shall come
to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the
holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
Most churches have a basic
covenant, too. These creeds and covenants are NOT to supercede and DO NOT take the place of the
Bible. It is the Bible, God's Holy Word, that
we are to obey. The Bible IS God's written word for us, as His divine
power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,
through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by
which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises,
that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having
escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. True
Christians are to contend for the faith, as there are apostates within,
both old and new. Apostates are depraved and doomed, even though they
may be personal friends. We are to maintain our lives with God and
bring all the Glory to God.
Now unto Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you
faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God
our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power
both now and forever. Amen. DM
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Sunday,
November 16th
The Nicene Creed -- The Doctrine
of the Trinity Established
If you have trouble believing in the Divinity of
Christ and the Trinity, there are over 50 times in the Bible, both Old
and New Testaments where you will find the Godhead
mentioned. Time and space do not permit them all, but this
writer will give you a copy of these verses so you can search them for
yourself. In the early years of the church, there were heretics who
taught many and varied things about our Lord Jesus Christ. The Nicene
Council and the Constantinople Council in 381
established the final word on the deity and humanity of Christ.
The Nicene Creed
"We believe in one God, the Father
Almighty, maker of all things visible and invisible, and in one Lord,
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten of the Father, that is,
of the substance of the Father, God from God, light from light, true
God from true God, begotten, not made, of one substance with the
Father, through whom all things came to be, those things that are in
heaven and those things that are on earth, who for us men and for our
salvation came down and was made flesh, and was made man, suffered,
rose the third day, ascended into the heavens, and will come to judge
the living and the dead."
"The
Trinitarian controversy was clearly also a
Christological controversy. The discussion involved not only the true
deity and genuine humanity of Christ, but also the relationship of His
two natures. The pendulum swung back and forth: the Docetists
denied Jesus' humanity; the Ebionites denied
His deity; the Arians "reduced" His deity, while the Apollinarians "reduced" His humanity; the
Nestorians denied the union of the two natures, while the Eutychians emphasized only one nature."
The above
two paragraphs are quotes from The Moody Handbook of Theology.
This may
not seem too important, but there are still churches, cults and sects
that don't accept or teach the Trinity. We need to beware of these
false cults that abound even in our community today. A word to the
enlightened should be sufficient. RJS
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Monday, November 17th
The Godhead and the Person of
Jesus Christ
II Timothy 1:6-14
The
enemy, since the beginning of the age, has sought to corrupt the
doctrine of the church. In our text, the apostle Paul admonishes
Timothy to hold fast the form of sound words. A study of church history
reveals that those who depart from orthodox theology cannot reproduce
effectively and will pass away in time. The heritage of faith is very
important. As these doctrinal assaults come, church leaders respond
with creeds and important doctrinal affirmations of faith.
One of these early assaults involved the nature of the Godhead
and the character of the incarnation. Out of these controversies, came
the three great creeds of the church. They are the Apostles Creed, the Nicean Creed, and the Athanasian
Creed. According to the Athanasian Creed,
"Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man . . .
perfect God, and perfect man . . . who although he be God and man: yet
he is not two, but one Christ..."
There have been two great times of doctrinal conflict in the
church. One was between 325 and 451AD and another was during the
Reformation. During these times, orthodox theology became defined. Like
the cannon of scripture itself, it was essential that the church, as a
whole, embrace the truth. Error has always been limited to an
"enlightened few" who fail to reproduce over the long haul.
During these times it was evident that an emphasis on doctrine
coupled with a neglect of Bible Study, breeds heresy. Out of the
controversy, the Godhead was defined as being one in essence, but three
in person. This language has been the language of orthodoxy ever since, and universally embraced by the church.
Furthermore, Jesus Christ is humanity in every sense that we are saved
from sin, and God in every sense of the word. Jesus Christ was God come
in the form of human flesh. This statement rose out of a controversy
between different popular preachers of the day. Arius
contended that Jesus was not God come in the form of human flesh and
some contended that Jesus was not fully human. It is important that we hold
fast the form of sound words. Therefore, we have creeds and
statements of doctrine. Sadly, we live in a day that most people don't
care for doctrine. DW
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Tuesday,
November 18th
Heidelberg Catechism
(Calvinist
Church formulated in 1563 -
Reformed Church)
Psalm 105:1-8
"The
Heidelberg Catechism was written in Heidelberg,
Germany, at the
request of Elector Fredrick III in 1562. Fredrick ruled the Palatinate,
an influential German province from 1559 to 1576. With the assistance
of the entire theological faculty, especially Zacharius
Ursinus and Casper Olevianus,
the manuscript was composed. In January of 1563, the catechism was
approved by synodical decision. In subsequent
years, the Heidelberg went
through two additional amendments, until being finalized and was divided
into 52 sections, which were to be read each Lord's Day during
Worship. The custom was adopted so that by the reading and expounding
of each of the questions and answers of the Heidelberg,
the entire Doctrine of the Faith could be taught each year.
By this time, Martin
Luther's works and teachings had been widely spread and the Reformation
was well underway. At the time of the writing of the Heidelberg,
Luther had already died (1546) and his theological heirs were involved
in works of their own. One such disciple of the Reformation was
Heinrich Bullinger (1504-1575). He was at
work in Switzerland
on the Second Helvetic Confession, which was
an important Calvinistic statement of Faith. It was Bullinger's
Confession that influenced the final draft of the Heidelberg.
Catechisms were
a popular way of teaching, since it asked
theologically pertinent questions, which would
be followed by accurate answers. In this way,
the true teachings of the Christian faith
could be taught to both young and old alike
in a more memorable fashion. Since then the
confession has been translated into many languages
and spread throughout Europe,
Asia, Africa,
and the United
States."
2 Timothy 2:15tells us to,
Study to show yourself approved unto
God, a workman that needeth
not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word
of truth. What then are we to study?
2 Timothy 3:16, All scripture is
given by inspiration of God and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness, that the
man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped
unto every good work.
Dear Heavenly
Father, may we always be True to You! We desire to be used of You. We
pray that You would use us for Your glory! DM Notes from
www.hisglory.us/creeds/heidelberg_catechism.htm
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Wednesday,
November 19th
The Canon of the Scriptures
In
order to bring the Canon of the Scriptures to our readers, we need to
explain that the Old Testament was written over a period of 1500 years.
The Books of the O. T. are credited to their authors and this was
settled even before the New Testament was written. The principles operative
in the historical process of canonization are three: (1) inspiration by
God; (2) recognition by men of God; and (3) collection and preservation
of the books by the people of God. Historically, Moses wrote first, so
his books were the first to be recognized as canonical. The constant
reference to the "law of Moses" by almost every canonical
book after Moses' day demonstrates that the Law of Moses was
immediately received as authoritative and continuously recognized.
Joshua read from the Law (Josh. 1:7,8)
"which Moses commanded." David charged Solomon to keep the
statutes, commandments, ordinances, and testimonies that were
"written in the Law of Moses" (1 Kings 2:3). Solomon at the
dedication of the Temple, urged the people, saying, Let your heart therefore
be wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to
keep His commandments (1 Kings 8:6), which he had previously
identified as the works of Moses (cf. vv. 53, 56).
Kings,
Priests and Prophets all quoted from the Books
of Moses; Amaziah, Josiah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jeremiah-Daniel, Ezra and in Nehemiah's
day, the priests read aloud from the book
of Moses in the hearing of the people
(Neh. 13:1). Malachi,
the last Old Testament prophet, admonished
the people to remember the law of Moses
My servant, even the statutes and ordinances
which I commanded him in Horeb
for all Israel(Mal. 4:4).
The
New Testament was written in about 70 years and was accepted very early
in the Church as authentic. There have been critics down through the
past 1900 hundred years who have sought to remove several books, such
as Daniel, because they refused to accept the prophetic words of
Daniel. James was rejected by Luther. Others have sought to remove
certain passages because they did not accept the teachings, but all
have failed. The Word of God still stands as our rule for faith and
practice. The Bible claims Divine authorship and we accept that! RJS
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Thursday,
November 20th
The Westminster
Confession of Faith
II
Timothy 2:14-18
The Westminster
Confession arose out of the stormy political scene in England during
the reign of Charles I. Charles met with resistance when he attempted
to impose episcopacy on the Church of Scotland and to conform its
services to the Church of England's Common Book of Prayer. A civil war
erupted and Oliver Cromwell led the Puritan forces to victory. Charles
I was beheaded in the process. In 1643 the English parliament commissioned
the Westminster Assembly to
develop the creed of the Church of England. The 121 English Puritan
ministers met for 1,163 daily sessions from 1643 to 1649. The Westminster
Confession of Faith, completed in 1646, affirmed a strong Calvinistic
position and disavowed "the errors of Arminianism,
Roman Catholicism, and sectarianism."
Enns, Paul, The Moody
Handbook of Theology, (Chicago, Ill.:
Moody Press) 1996.
The reformation in England
took an unusual twist. Rather than develop along purely ecclesiastical
lines, it became intertwined with politics. When the pope would not
grant Henry the VIII another divorce he pulled the Church of England
out of the Roman Catholic Church declared himself the head and got his
divorce. Since many in the United States
are of English decent, the Church of England has had a tremendous
impact on the United States.
Evidence of this can be seen in the long-term popularity of the King
James Version of the Bible.
Most aspects of reformation theology are found
in this statement of faith. It is very orthodox. Baptists would differ
primarily with its view of baptism and church government. Some early
Baptist confessions of faith are very similar and patterned after it
with the previously noted exceptions. It is covenant rather than
dispensation in its view of theology. Of particular interest in this
confession is the way it views the Apocrypha. The Apocrypha is put on the same level
as secular literature. Calvin's Institutes also gained a foothold in
Britain
among the Puritans and the independent Presbyterians. Even some
Anabaptists, known as Particular Baptists to indicate their adherence
to particular redemption, followed Reformed theology. The Westminster
Confession of Faith became the doctrinal standard for British adherents
of the Reformed faith.
Enns, Paul, The Moody Handbook of
Theology, (Chicago, Ill.:
Moody Press) 1996. DW
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