A Look in the Mirror

"Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." Revelation 1:3 (NIV)

Let's take a look in the mirror. Even though the letters to the seven churches of Revelation were written almost 2,000 years ago, the same problems exist in our churches today. We can zoom in a little closer and say that we, as individuals, have some of those very same problems. We may not worship at the altar of Baal, but many of us worship jobs, possessions, children and grandchildren, even our leisure pursuits. Is our church focused on building a monument to itself instead of serving the poor? Do we spend liberally on ourselves while robbing God of His tithe? Does our church, or do we, tolerate false teachers or look the other way instead of confronting sin? Is the love of The Lord waning in our church or in our own life? Worse yet, are we among the living dead? Is the Holy Spirit missing from our church?
I encourage you to read the Book of Revelation--especially chapters two and three, where Jesus addresses the churches. Do you see your church? Do you see yourself? Ask God to show you what needs to be changed in your life and in the life of your church. Repent. Don't criticize--pray for your church and your pastor. Jesus concludes each letter with the admonishment, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." We need to get our house in order--He is coming soon.