Christianity today--and not simply American Christianity--has been defined (whether by design or by default) by four megachurches whose collective influence has dominated the landscape for the past forty years. These include Hillsong United from Australia, Bethel Church of California, Elevation Church from North Carolina, and Passion City Church from Georgia. If we were to characterize these churches, the features would be essentially the same--thus, the possibility of lump

The Church at Laodicea: Revelation 3:14-22 Introduction We say perception is reality, but that depends upon whose perception. Jesus knows the difference between appearance and reality when the whole world has gone insane. When moral blindness calls light darkness and darkness light, only Jesus can end the scam. The Church at Laodicea is the second among the Seven Churches of Asia to have a reputation that is unwarranted. Sardis had a reputation of being alive but Christ

The Church at Philadelphia: Revelation 3:7-13 Introduction What a breath of fresh air this little church is amid a sea of corruption claiming to be the Bride of Christ! If your church is tiny but alive, this is one of the rarest blessings you will find this side of heaven. What makes your church alive? Everything that our Lord Jesus did not find in the churches He lovingly chastised in first-century Asia: unconditional love and devotion to Christ Himself; love for and f

The Church at Sardis: Revelation 3:1-6 Introduction How can a church be sordid? Isn't that the ultimate oxymoron? And yet of the Seven Churches of Asia, two were very bad--so bad that Christ had almost nothing good to say to them. Unlike His uniform greeting, "I know your works," in which He first commends what He finds worthy in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, and even Thyatira, He greets Sardis with a definitive thud: "I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou liv

The Church at Thyatira: Revelation 2:18-29 Introduction Christ's shortest letter to the Seven Churches of Asia addresses the suffering Church of Smyrna, for whom He has nothing but words of commendation, comfort, and courage. His longest letter, however, goes to the Church at Thyatira, the worst case of spiritual adultery thus far. One of five churches whose false teaching Christ condemns, Thyatira is also one of three who receive words of praise and affirmation. The tho

The Church at Pergamum: Revelation 2:12-17 Introduction Imagine pastoring a church in Salem, Massachusetts--the international headquarters of the Satanic Temple and the historic hotbed of the Salem Witch Trials. Also the cultural center of American Wicca, Salem has renounced its Puritan past by opening its apostate arms to the witchcraft its forebears routed with ferocious zeal. Now picture the world of Pergamum, which Christ identifies as "Satan's seat" in Revelation 2

The Church at Smyrna: Revelation 2:8-11 Introduction The Church at Smyrna in Revelation 2:8-11 is one of only two of the Seven Churches of Asia that Christ does not censure for sin and warn with impending judgment. This by no means, however, guarantees this church smooth sailing. On the contrary, the Church at Smyrna, unlike the Church of Philadelphia, is told some very bad news: it will continue to suffer. But is this really bad news, after all? To an escapist staking

The Church at Ephesus: Revelation 2:1-7 Introduction It has often been joked that those looking for a perfect church will render it imperfect the moment they set foot inside. Without a doubt, any church is made up of imperfect people, and if we can't accept this, we will no longer have a church. While some consider it their sacred duty to size everyone up and boot out all the people who have problems, others see this type of compulsive "sorting" as one of the dangers of a

Begin with the Facts Any honest study of a text from God's Word must begin with the facts. A command of the facts must include a careful examination of the words used in the text, not only in a reliable translation but in the original languages. The facts of the text must then be placed in their proper context --not only the circumstances surrounding the composition of the text but also the intended audience and the author. In the strictest sense, all of Scripture is w

Reclaiming Fact from Fiction If ever there were a time to exercise the discipline and devotion due to God's Word, it is now in these days of popular obsession with the Rapture, the Tribulation, and the Second Coming of Christ. When, with the help of the Holy Spirit and an obedient heart, we apply to the biblical text reliable reading strategies that separate fact from fiction, we will see that the Book of Revelation is not a riddle but exactly what it says: a revelation.

A Gift Still to Be Opened The New Year teases like a bright green Christmas package still waiting to be opened. What does it hold in store? We want a new beginning, but we don't want things to change. We pick up a blank journal, turning hope into history with a deep resolve to meet our destiny unafraid. Some people take Christmas with them, leaving up tiny twinkle lights all year. What if we all kept candles burning out of holy expectation? A Revelation to Behold A r

Narrative Arc and the Biblical Worldview When Jesus likens the days before His return to the days of Noah, He shows that human history moves in a circle. And yet this circle is intriguingly different from the wheel of time found within the Eastern worldview. Rather than merely revolving in an eternal rotation of birth, death, and rebirth, human history in reality repeats itself in successively worsening degrees. Jesus makes this clear when He warns that it will be easier

The Ark Encounter Two years ago, I got to visit the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky. I had wanted to go for a long time, and it finally worked out. The entire experience surpassed my expectations. The late-June day was overcast and cool, so it was easy to imagine a looming storm. If you have been there, you remember your very first impression. Mine was fear wrapped in safety. You enter semi-darkness amid ominous thunderbooms as you inch your way through the