The Word of the Lord is Alive and Active

When I found out I could go on the 7 Churches of Revelation trip, I was excited to visit the places where the apostles had walked and where the early churches were established. In preparation for the trip, Pastor Kenny asked us to pray that the Lord would reveal something unique for each of us. I was thankful that he encouraged us to pray this way because it reminded me to look for what God would show me. Throughout the trip, God showed me how His Word was intimate, alive, and active.

The letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor can be found in Revelation chapters 1 through 3. One of the first things that John saw in his vision was the risen, incarnate Son of Man. In Revelation 1:12-13, it says, “Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.”

Revelation 2:1 says, “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.’”

As we know from the beginning of Revelation, the lampstands were the churches, and in these verses, we see Jesus in the midst of the churches and walking among them. The trip showed me that Jesus was clearly walking among them because the commendations and warnings He gave were precisely the issues they faced. Jesus could speak words of truth to the churches because He had intimate knowledge of them and their situation.

For example, in His letter to the church in Ephesus, the Lord commended them for their hard work and rejection of false apostles (Revelation 2:2). As we walked through Ephesus, we saw how large the city was and the commanding presence of pagan gods all around. For the early Christians, there was a constant battle against Rome and the Ephesians' pagan beliefs, but in the midst of this battle, they had lost their first love (Revelation 2:4).

In Smyrna, Satanic occults were prevalent, and we saw multiple sites that could have been considered “the throne of Satan”. These cults brought intense persecution to Christians, and the Lord knew what was to come. He encouraged them not to fear what they were about to suffer or to grow weary (Revelation 2:10).

Thyatira had trade guilds unlike any other city. On our tour, we learned that these trade guilds required the worship of pagan gods and participation in their celebrations, which included acts of sexual immorality. If you were a believer and in a trade, you had to choose whether you were going to bow down to the pagan gods and keep your job, or be obedient to the Lord and not have any other gods before Him (Exodus 20:3). Under this immense pressure, many believers compromised their faith. Therefore, Jesus commanded them to repent (Revelation 2:22). Jesus had an intimate knowledge of the situations that the believers faced in each of the churches.

Another thing I found fascinating was the way Jesus described their faith or His attributes, which directly correlated to geology, culture, or customs. For example, Jesus said the Laodiceans were lukewarm. Laodicea is located near hot thermal pools, but it’s also near mountains where cold, fresh water streams down. Laodiceans had access to both waters and could make their water lukewarm, just like their faith. Another example of this is in Revelation 2:18, where Jesus describes His feet as “burnished bronze” when addressing the church in Thyatira. As it turns out, bronze was one of the main industries of that time.

Finally, I was amazed at how the concerns Jesus had for the churches of Asia Minor are still the concerns of today. Being a country that is 95% Islamic, the entire region holds to the teachings of Allah, just like the early believers in Pergamum held to the teachings of Balaam and the Nicolaitans, and those in Thyatira who tolerated Jezebel.

These warnings are not just for first-century Christians but for all of us. Have we lost our first love? Are we holding to false teachings? Do we tolerate sin that has seeped into our lives? Do we need to be awakened by truth. Are we in danger of being lukewarm? If so, may the Holy Spirit search us and convict our hearts to turn from our ways and repent, so that we may experience all that the Lord has for us.

As I have pondered my time in Turkey, I am thankful the Lord had something specific to show me on the trip. He opened my eyes to see His intimate knowledge of us and how He is alive and active in our lives today, just as He was in the first century. My heart rejoices that He cares so deeply for us.