by Pastor Daniel
 
Introduction
“What do you, Lord, want to say to your Church?”, was my constant prayer as a pastor.  What is it that the Lord has for His people in FCC?  It is both a challenge and a struggle in prayer seeking the mind of God.  It happened again at the end of last year, and it also happened in a prayer meeting, as some gathered to pray for the church and her leadership.  There at the meeting, I felt a prompting from the Lord, “I have already spoken.”  I asked, “Lord, where and what?”.  Then my thoughts when to the book of Revelation, “Yes, the Lord has indeed spoken in 7 letters.”
 
The Words of him....
In every letter to the 7 churches, is the introduction after the address, “the words of him .....” and in each is the key to what Christ has to say to the churches.  Today, all those 7 messages to the churches are very relevant to us too.

•     He holds the 7 stars and walks among the 7 golden lampstands: He holds fast to all these and we must be found holding fast the love of God
•     He is the first and the last, who died and came to life: He is faithful and persevering and so shall we.
•     He holds the sharp two-edged sword: He has the word of truth given to us, to preserve the truth
•     He who has the eyes like a flame of fire: He searches all mind and heart and deals accordingly.
•     He who has the 7 spirits of God and the 7 stars: He has the fullness of the Spirit and is also given to us.
•     He is the holy one, the true one who holds the key of David: He has the key to those who would enter into his kingdom
•     He is the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation: He is the absolute and resolved one, so shall we not be lukewarm, but resolute to be hot or cold.

 
Here lies the key to looking at the messages of Christ to the Church. 
 
He who has an ear, let him hear.....
To every church that the angel of the Lord speaks, the receptivity of the message depends on the churches and to us.  It is both a comfort and a warning.  We who have ears, may we hear what God is saying to us.  I trust that as we grow in Christ and desire to let the beauty of Jesus be seen in us, we will be found listening and obedient to him.
                                                                          
Two pictures came to my mind.  The first one is that of Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus listening to what her master had to say. I pray that as we grow and move forward, despite all our differences and weaknesses, may we all have the same kind of attitude as that of Mary’s to sit and to listen.  This we must if we are to be found faithful in Christ.
 
The second picture is that of the Words of life as found in 2 Timothy 3:16 that all scriptures is God-breathed.  God’s word is life and life-giving.  Paul wrote that the word of God is “profitable for teaching, for correction, for rebuke, for training in righteousness, equipped for every good work that the man of God may be complete.”
 
Do pray for us who will be delivering the Word of God in our worship services.  Pray for humility to allow God to first speak to the preacher and then through the preacher, may the Word of God reach us all.
 
It is both a comfort and a warning in that if we take heed to the Word of God and His message to the church, we will be blessed.  There are always restoration in repentance and blessings in obedience.  However, it can also be a warning if we do not take heed to the message or dwell in the deception that we are alright. 
 
God has spoken, let us listen!