Saturday, May 28, 2016

We are excited about our new two way church communication number. For many months now we have been able to send out alerts, and information to all church members via our text number, but it was limited in that it was only one way, to you, and no one could respond.

Today we introduce a two-way number that includes keywords for joining a prayer chain, member to ministry class, or register for the next baptism.

The number to save in your phone is (314)899-2079.

You can reply with these keywords:
1. "Pray" (to be added to the text prayer chain)
2. "m2m" (to register for the next Member To Ministry class)
3. "Baptism" (to register for the next baptism)
4. "stop" (to unsubscribe, *note, if you do, you won't be able to use this number to register for a class or etc. in the future, you will have to text "start" to re-establish your account, and why would you want to miss out on important notices?)
Follow @ddevonshire

Sunday, April 24, 2016

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

(3) For this is the will of God, even your
sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

(4) That every one of you should know how to
possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

(5) Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the
Gentiles which know not God:

1A Gift from God

I am reminded of the fellow who was raised in a Christian
church who tried hard to keep it’s youth from entering into fornication. He said I was a little confused about the
subject. They told me sex was a dirty
thing that you can catch diseases and then they would turn around and say “You
should save it as a special gift for the one you love...”

It is clear in the bible that God intended mankind to enjoy
sex not only for procreation, but also recreation. That the pleasures of physical intimacies
were intended by God to be enjoyed in a committed marriage relationship.

Genesis 1:28 (KJV)

28 And God
blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish
the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over
the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Genesis 2:23–25 (KJV)

23 And Adam said,
This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called
Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a
man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they
shall be one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and
his wife, and were not ashamed.

The bible even goes so far as to say we have a duty to our
spouse to meet their physical, sexual needs, and to not do that is to steal
from them.

1 Corinthians 7:2–5 ((KJV)

2 Nevertheless,
to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every
woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render unto the
wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. 4 The
wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the
husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. 5 Defraud
ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may
give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan
tempt you not for your incontinency.

So we see that God was the one that designed sex, He was the
one that gave it to us as a gift to be enjoyed.
He even tells us that if we are married, we are forbidden to keep back
ourselves from our spouses.

Sex is a good thing.

So if fire. Fire in a
fireplace can warm the whole house, it can cook our food, it can light up the darkness. Fire is good...when it is in the fireplace. When fire gets outside of that fireplace, it
is destructive. Now that which was
intended for good, is destroying, fire outside of the fireplace burns up the
house, could possibly kill the people living there.

That is the same with sex.
Sex in the place where God intended it, between a man and a woman inside
a marriage relationship is wonderful.
Sex outside of that marriage relationship is destructive. It can burn down our whole life, it can even
kill you physically, and spiritually.

And lest you think I am being over the top in my
descriptions, consider this:

A SOUTH FLORIDA WOMAN is in jail tonight
because of her shocking confession to officials.

According to police reports,
the young woman went down to the station to make a report against herself
telling officials “I buried the good girl in me... “ When questioned by police
,the woman then proclaimed “My goal was to infect as many as possible” she
explained.

When asked how many men had
she infected with the virus,she said at least fifty or more. She also went on
to say her eventual plan was to infect a thousand men with the virus before
year’s end, but only because she didn’t have money to buy medication is the
reason for her being forth coming.

Relatives close to the teen
say they’re equally as shocked as everyone else because they had no idea what
the young woman known as Gabie was up to. Relatives of the teen also went on to
say “when Gabie discovered she was infected with HIV,she then became very
depressed and became a slave to alcohol and drugs wanting die and even went as
far as eating poison, but even that failed, which only resulted in further
anger and rage.

When speaking with Gabie,she
said the pain of knowing her fate was unbearable,and she just couldn’t face the
world anymore, so as her life became a mess her only joy was to make all men
who she came into contact with pay the price. That price was with their lives.

The stories are many.
A simple google search can reveal many similar situations. So sex outside of the marriage covenant can
sometimes be a death sentence physically, and will always be a death sentence
spiritually.

The culture is not what defines what is right or wrong. The
culture is ever changing. God’s Word is
standing sure.

Matthew 5:18,19,27-28

(18) For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and
earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all
be fulfilled.

(19) Whosoever therefore shall break one of these
least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the
kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be
called great in the kingdom of heaven.

(27) Ye
have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit
adultery:

(28) But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on
a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his
heart.

God’s Word is the final authority, our hearts, our emotions,
our mind, can deceive us into thinking that we are right, or what we are doing
isn’t so bad, this is why the scriptures tell us:

Proverbs 16:25

(25) There is a way that seemeth right unto a man,
but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Proverbs 30:12

(12) There is a generation that are
pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

Mat 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is
the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many
there be which go in thereat:

2Sex
Outside The Marriage

Recently in the headlines
there has been a big brouhaha about restrooms and men who identify themselves
as women being able to use the women’s restroom and vice versa. The inevitable
outcome that we have already seen, is that there have been men arrested for
using the women’s room and filming women and girls inside the restroom.

In our society, so many
don’t want to be seen as a bigot, or narrow minded, that they keep quiet about
things that they see that are common sense.
Should grown men be allowed in the restrooms alone with little girls?
NO!

So what does the bible
say about homosexuality, and transgender?

The bible is very clear
on the subject.

Matthew
19:4

(4)
And he answered and said unto them, Have
ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and
female,

God created us different. We think different, we look different, our
physiology is different. Not better or
worse, just two different sexes to complement each other.

God didn’t make any
mistakes.

So what does a man do
that finds himself having same sex attraction?
Or a woman that finds herself attracted to another woman? RESIST THE TEMPTATION! The same way that a man that finds himself
wanting a drink, or attracted to a woman that is not his wife.

The scripture was so
urgent that Paul wrote to the Corinthians to:

1
Corinthians 6:18

(18) Flee fornication. Every sin
that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication
sinneth against his own body.

In Paul’s letter to the
believers at Rome, he was very explicit about homosexuality and it’s results:

Romans
1:21-28

(21) Because that, when they knew God, they
glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in
their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

(22) Professing themselves to be wise, they became
fools,

(23) And changed the glory of the uncorruptible
God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted
beasts, and creeping things.

(24) Wherefore God also gave them up to
uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own
bodies between themselves:

(25) Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and
worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for
ever. Amen.

(26) For this cause God gave them up unto vile
affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is
against nature:

(27) And likewise also the men, leaving the
natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men
working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of
their error which was meet.

(28) And even as they did not like to retain God
in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those
things which are not convenient;

What about transgender
and cross dressing?

Deuteronomy
22:5

(5) The woman shall not wear that which
pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all
that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.

The Florida zookeeper who
was fatally mauled by a tiger last week broke protocol by entering the animal's
enclosure, a zoo official said.

Tiger expert Stacey Konwiser, 38, failed to
follow the zoo's policy when she entered a portion of the creature's enclosure
on April 15 "after it was clearly designated as accessible by a
tiger," Palm Beach Zoo president Andrew Aiken said in astatementFriday.

Why did this lady die? She got comfortable doing things that were
wrong. She didn’t think it could happen
to her. She thought she knew better.

That is the same thing
for people that are engaging in sex outside of marriage. They get comfortable doing what is wrong,
they think nothing will ever happen to them, or that God understands.

Sex promises so much that
when the inevitable end comes, and it doesn’t satisfy as we thought it would,
people get depressed.

One result is seen in the
spiking suicide rate.

WASHINGTON — Suicide in the United States
has surged to the highest levels in nearly 30 years, a federal data analysis
has found, with increases in every age group except older adults. The rise was
particularly steep for women. It was also substantial among middle-aged
Americans, sending a signal of deep anguish from a group whose suicide rates
had been stable or falling since the 1950s.

So what is the answer then?

How does a man or a woman keep
themselves pure in this sex soaked society?

Psa 119:9

(9) Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed
thereto according to thy word.

Psa 119:11

(11) Thy word have I hid in mine
heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Before we come to Christ, we are led by our emotions, we
feed sinful desires until they become raging beasts that can not be tamed, ever
demanding more.

The little tiger cub eventually becomes a 1000 pound beast
that can not be denied. It will kill
you!

The pornography that started with the women’s underwear in
the J.C. Penney catalogs that led to an insatiable addiction to internet porn
and a life lived in a make believe world.

What is the answer?

Rom 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring
against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin
which is in my members.

Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver
me from the body of this death?

Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus came to set the captives free.

We so often picture that as being held in captivity by the
devil, but usually we are held in captivity by our own lusts, our own desires,
our own greed and covetousness.

Ever desiring, never satisfied.

Jesus satisfies!

When we acknowledge that we have sinned, that we are held,
that we can’t get free ourselves, and we look to Jesus and ask Him to forgive
and set us free, He, who died for us, sets us free from the addictions, desires
and habits that have plagued us for so long!

When Jesus comes in to our lives, He gives us the power to
overcome.

What if you are single?
Is it possible to live a clean sexually pure life? YES!

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

(3) For this is the will of God, even your
sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

(4) That every one of you should know how to
possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

(5) Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the
Gentiles which know not God:

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Joy! His face may be a little blurred because of the movement, but there is no mistaking his expression; JOY! The truth is, we were probably more excited than he was. We hadn't planned on getting him this gift, but when it went on sale, we did it. We were so excited to give it to him, that I told him he could open it now (about 2 weeks before Christmas) or if he wanted, he could wait till Christmas. I thought for sure he would jump at the opportunity to open it without delay, but he didn't. He thought and delayed and instead of quickly agreeing, had to be encouraged to go ahead and receive it now, and this picture is the result.

It made me think about how excited God is to give us His best gifts, and we, like my son, sometimes hesitate in receiving them immediately.

God is saying "I have forgiveness for you! I have deliverance! I have eternal life! Go ahead...open it! OPEN IT!"

And when we do...JOY!

Does the day after Christmas find you disappointed, a little down because the hype of the holiday didn't deliver as expected?

Thursday, November 12, 2015

How about a conversation: What do you think about this? (comment below)

We hinder our ability to connect deeply with others by refusing to disclose our vulnerabilities. Share your strengths, create competition, Share your struggles, create community. Isn't this what keeps so many from coming to Christ? Jesus said Matthew 11:28 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." In the original Greek, the word labor meant: to trouble oneself, to be tired, lose heart. The words heavy laden meant: to be burdened or loaded down. Sounds like Jesus was calling those who would admit their need to experience His rest.

"... the plain truth that, as much as we fight it, we long for the freedom to admit we’re broken. We don’t realize our need to do it. It’s true for every one of us, and it’s most true for those who least realize it."--Kyle Idleman "The End Of Me"

Maybe Eugene Peterson had it right when he used these words for his translation:

Matthew 11:28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (The Message by Eugene Peterson)

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Heaven will be that much sweeter when our friends and
family are there with us! Invite them to our Fall Friends and Family
event. We will be giving a 8 by 10 photo to each family and if you
bring the most family members we will make your photo into a 20 by 30
poster! Remember to turn your clocks back an hour the night before!Follow @ddevonshire

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Revelation
3:1-6 And unto the angel of the church
in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and
the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and
art dead. (2) Be watchful, and strengthen the things which
remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before
God. (3)
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and
repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and
thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. (4)
Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their
garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. (5) He
that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not
blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before
my Father, and before his angels.
(6) He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

What comes to mind when you hear someone speak of a “dead
church”? Do you think of a handful of
elderly people in an older building meeting weekly to hear a dry, emotionless
sermon?

When we consider this week’s church, we find a “dead church”
can be filled with people and be the one that has a great reputation in
town.

The important characteristics of
an “alive” church, are not measured in the number who attend, the beauty of the
building, or the reputation in the community.
The important characteristic is: Are you living in the life giving
presence of Christ? Are you abiding in
the vine (Jesus) from whom all spiritual life flows?

The church of Sardis reminds us that like Samson, we can
seem to be flourishing, and not even know that God, the source of true life,
has left us.

This is a sobering and searching message to us today.

Astronomers tells us that the light from the Polar Star
takes 33 years to reach us. That means
that for all we know, the star may have burned out 20 years ago and we wouldn’t
know it for another 13 years. It looks
like it is alive, but it is dead. Looks
are deceiving!

When Jesus introduces Himself as the one that hath the seven
Spirits of God, He is referring to the fullness of the Holy Spirit. We know there is one Holy Spirit, here, and
in Isaiah 11:2 it depicts the Holy Spirit’s seven fold ministry. A Jewish lampstand, or Menorah, had seven
flames and was used as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, but there was one
lampstand. This may have significance in that they were trusting in their human
means instead of relying on the Holy Spirit’s power.

To understand more of Jesus’ message to Sardis, let us look
at the city of Sardis. It was a city
that sat on a 1500 foot high plateau. It
was the capital of Lydia and founded around 1200 BC. The city was surrounded on three sides by
steep cliffs and there was only one narrow road that led into the city. That made the city easy to defend, and
because of this the inhabitants of the city sometimes became lax in their
watching out for the enemy. It was this
overconfidence that allowed the city to be taken twice. Once, an enemy soldier watched as a soldier
of Sardis took a secret path down the side of one of the cliffs, and the enemy
soldier was able to use that path, enter the city, and cast open the gates. Another time, the guards were caught
sleeping, and the enemy invaded and overthrew the city. This makes the command of Jesus: “Be
watchful!” even more appropriate. Your
city was overthrown because you had become lax and sleepy in watching for the
enemy, your church will die unless you wake up and watch out!

Sardis was a very rich city.
The Greek historian Herodotus tells us that the Lydians were the first
people to mint coins. During the reign
of Croesus, the king became so rich that the phrase “As rich as Croesus” is
still in use in some places today!

Their riches seemed to make them complacent, even lazy. They trusted in what their gold could do, and
not in what God could do.

The phrase in verse 1 “Thou hast a name that thou livest…”
refers to their reputation in Sardis. If
you would come to that city and ask where to find a good Christian church, they
would point you to this church. It had
the reputation from the past of being a faithful Christian church. At this time, Jesus rebukes them because all
that was left of their glorious past, was a reputation!

When a church first starts, there is usually near 100%
involvement. There has to be since there
are not very many people, the ones that do come have to step up to keep the
church going.

This first stage would be called the MOVEMENT stage. People have a vision and are motivated to do
something for Jesus and their community.

As the church grows, more people are added, things that
couldn’t be afforded before are bought and there is what could be called a
stage of MAGNIFICENCE. During this time,
involvement dips to between 50-70%.
Since there are more people, some begin to think that they can step back
into the shadows and let someone else do the work, or service of the church.

As the church continues to move forward, systems and methods
are set up to ensure the proper working of the church. The church enters what one man called the
MACHINE stage. A great lumbering mechanism
maintained by systems and checks. It is
here that involvement dips again to around 20%.

Finally the church declines, involvement reaches levels of
just 10%, and what was once a living, life giving movement, becomes just a
MONUMENT of what it once was. A church
in this stage is dead or near dead.

***While in the Philippines, I entered an ICU unit in a
public hospital and was astounded that the artificial respirator, was a bag
that another person had to squeeze to make sure the patient had each
breath. Each breath required the visitor
to squeeze the bag for the patient.

When we think of that in terms of a church, and in terms of
reaching others, if we don’t squeeze the bag, someone will die! We must all be involved in fulfilling God’s
command of going into all the world and making disciples. We must all be involved in telling them about
Jesus!

The strange thing about Jesus’ message to this church is
that we see no external enemy. There are
no “depths of satan” there is no “Jezebel” or other false teachers named. It seems that the church of Sardis’ biggest
and worst enemy was themselves!

This rings true of us today.
For many in the church in America, do not face persecution, they are not
forced to bow to Caesar or some other false god, but our chief and potent enemy
is our luxury, our complacence, and our comfort which lulls us asleep.

Jesus calls us to be a marching army, sacrificing ourselves,
our time, and our resources to take captive souls from the clutches of the
enemy.

When in reality, many have become snoozing soldiers who are
allowing the enemy to sneak into their city and throw open the gates to the
world.

There was good news in Sardis. There were those, even in this sleepy,
self-satisfied, near dead church, that had kept their garments white. They had not given in to the sin that
surrounded them. They had learned to
stay in the presence of Jesus! These,
Jesus says, will one day walk with Him in white, for they are worthy.

It was to these that Jesus instructs to strengthen the
things that remain. Get involved! If we don’t do something, it will die!

Jesus promised that those that overcame, would not be blotted
out of the book of life. That shows us
that it is possible to be blotted out, or the promise wouldn't mean anything.

What are some of the signs of a living church?

1.Growth

All living things are
characterized by growth. As long as we
are alive our bodies are growing, maturing, changing, when we stop growing, we
are dead!

2.Harmony

A living church is one that works
in harmony one with another. Cancer is
when cells in the body refuse to work with the other cells and actually begin
attacking its own body. A living church
has a harmoniously working body.

3.Emotion

A living church feels joy, sorrow,
elation, and sadness. We, like our
Savior, can relate to what others are going through. Because we are alive, we laugh, cry, sigh,
and sing.

4.Motion

The life in us leads to us
moving. Dead bodies don’t move, but
living bodies, and living churches are filled with action, doing things for
Jesus, and serving one another.

Jesus final words to them could be summed up in four
statements.

1.Revive!
Strengthen the things that remain.
They still had some things that had a spark of fire in them. Stir them up!
Take action!

2.Remember!
Look back at all the things that God has done for you, and where He has
brought you from to fan the flames of love for Him again.

3.Resolve! Hold Fast…The church was to hold on
tightly to the things that are still alive and not to let them die.

4.Repent! Change the way they are living. Get rid of the sin that was killing them.

Discussion
Questions:

1.One
man has said that the fervency of our prayer life is one sign of the fervor of
our spirituality. What other ways can we
“take the pulse” of our spiritual life?

2.If
involvement is one way to stay awake spiritually, what ways can you become more
involved in the church?

3.We
know that money is not the root of all evil, but the LOVE of money is. We are blessed with great prosperity in
America. How can we make sure that this
prosperity doesn’t dull us to the spiritual necessities in our community?

4.There
is a promise to those that overcome, that they would not have their names
blotted out of the book of life. What are some of the ways that those in the
bible overcame? (Rev. 12:11, Rom. 12:21, 1 John 5:4-5)

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

(18) And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira
write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame
of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;

(19) I know thy works, and charity, and service,
and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the
first.

(20) Notwithstanding I have a few things against
thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a
prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to
eat things sacrificed unto idols.

(21) And I gave her space to repent of her
fornication; and she repented not.

(22) Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them
that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their
deeds.

(23) And I will kill her children with death; and
all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts:
and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

(24) But unto you I say, and unto the rest in
Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the
depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.

(25) But that which ye have already hold fast till
I come.

(26) And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works
unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

(27) And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as
the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of
my Father.

(28) And I will give him the morning star.

(29) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches.

Last week we studied Pergamos, the church that married the
world. We saw how that there was a
pressure for them to compromise and give in to the world.

If Pergamos married the world, Thyatira is celebrating
anniversaries!

Just like the camel asking the Bedouin to be allowed to put
his nose under the tent flap, and then his head (ears were cold) and then his
neck, and then moved in and took over!
So is the church in Thyatira, the camel (the world and compromise) is in
the tent and taking over!

Jesus describes Himself as the one with eyes as a flame of
fire and his feet like they were molten brass.
This is descriptive of Him seeing right through the pretense and
hypocrisy and dealing with the true heart of the matter.

It is here in Thyatira, that He instructs John the author of
the book of Revelation, to use the term Son of God. Up till now, He described Himself as the Son
of man, one who could relate to our infirmities, one that could have compassion
on us, but now He uses the term Son of God. This is the only church He uses
that term with. Play time is over and it
is time to get serious with God.

Thyatira itself was located at the end of a valley, and had
no natural defenses. It was often
ransacked and destroyed by marauders, only to be built again. When the Romans brought peace, this city
began to prosper and flourish.

It was a city that was known for its purple dyeing of
cloth. They had discovered the secret of
getting dye from the madders root (a plant) instead of getting the purple color
from a shellfish that would only yield a small drop of dye.

When we read in the New Testament, we find Lydia, was a
seller of purple, and was from this city.
Paul showed her Jesus and she became a Christian. It could very well be that she was the reason
there was a church in Thyatira. That
once she became a Christian, she returned to her city and began to win others to
Christ.

Thyatira was the smallest city of the seven churches, but we
find that Jesus wrote the longest message to them.

The beginning of the letter seems to go well. They are commended for their faith, service,
works and charity (Love). This is the
only church that gets commended for their love.
We know that God is love and He has told us over and over, that we
should love God and love one another.

Yet here, we find that though they were filled with love and
good works, they were guilty of the filthiest sins.

It is true, that some people, who have an addiction, or
alcoholism, actually perform well at work!
They work hard so that their glaring faults (their addiction or
alcoholism) don’t stand out. I can
imagine that this is one of the reasons that Thyatira was so involved with
doing loving works, to somehow cover their guilt from all they were doing and
to make up for the things they were failing so miserably at.

It didn't fool Jesus then, and it doesn't fool Jesus
now. We are certainly called to loving
works after we have received Christ as Lord, but no amount of works can take
away our sin!

Thyatira was a city that had many guilds, almost like our
modern day labor unions. In their time,
each guild had a god that they were expected to worship. You can see how Christians would have a hard
time with this. “You want a job? You
have to join our guild and worship our god!”
Not only did each guild have a god, but they were also required to
participate in their sinful get-togethers.
This sometimes equated to illicit sexual acts and filthy parties.

Jezebel, probably not her real name, was allowed by the
church to teach in the church and encouraged them in giving in to these
demands. She probably said something
like “Well you need a job to support your family and to give to the work of
God! It is just your body, it isn’t
defiling your soul, go ahead, it will be alright!” This is satanic, almost like the words that
the devil used with Eve: “Ye shall not surely die!” Same devil, same tactics, and unfortunately
in this case, same success.

Or, she could have taught the damnable lie that “Well, once you
are saved, you are always saved, so it doesn’t really matter what you do, God
will have grace on you!” Both of these
ideas are wrong, and Jesus had dealt with her and warned her, gave her space to
repent, but she repented not.

Now the judgment was going to come!

I will cast her into a bed, (probably a bed of sickness) and
those that commit fornication/adultery with her would be given great
tribulation unless they repented of their sins.

Sin always brings a judgment. It is either judged at the foot of the cross,
when we repent and receive Christ as our Savior, or it will be judged by God,
either in this life or in the life to come.

Jesus goes further and says that He would kill her children
with death! This is a stunning statement
but it reveals just how serious sin is to God!

Think of it: What Jezebel and her teaching was giving birth
to (her children) or the results of what she is teaching, needs to be killed!

When it comes to sin and
compromise, it is kill, or be killed! We
must rid ourselves and our church from this deadliness. The bible still tells us “The soul that
sinneth, it shall die…” Ezek. 18:20 and

James
1:(14) But every man is tempted, when he
is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.(15)
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it
is finished, bringeth forth death.(16) Do not err, my beloved brethren.

There will be times when we will have to make a stand for
Jesus and righteousness and it will cost us something. They didn't want to lose their jobs and get
kicked out of the guild, so many compromised and went along with the sin!

Then Jesus moves to comfort those that were hearing this
message that were not involved in this sin.

To the rest that are in Thyatira, that have not known the
depths of satan…There were those that were faithful even in the middle of all
of the compromise, and as they were hearing this news of judgment, He didn't
want them to be swallowed up in fear, so He comforts them.

The promise to them was He would give them no other burden,
and power over the nations that they would rule over them with a rod of iron,
and finally, that He would give them the morning star.

Who is the morning star?
It is Jesus! He promises them the
greatest reward if they would stay faithful in that filthy atmosphere! The greatest gift that we can receive isn’t a
huge promotion, a big raise, or a fancy house, but Himself!

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life.

Jesus is the greatest gift to receive, as Savior and Lord,
and He is the greatest gift to give, to share Christ with someone else and
bring them into the family of God!

About Us

My wife and I were missionaries for New Testament Christian Churches of America. We were located in Angeles City, Philippines for nearly 4 1/2 years. We are now pastoring a church in St. Louis, Missouri.