THE STATE OF THE CHURCH

Before anyone becomes alarmed by the title, let me assure you that I am not recommending a state church, nor am I suggesting we should worship government. Think of this as a "State of the Union" presentation, only instead of analyzing the condition of our country, I am sharing my views on the condition of the Church. And regardless of whether or not the seven churches of Revelation represent periods of Church History, or are referring to seven literal churches existing at the time of John wrote the book, or both, makes no difference. What I hope to show may be applied to literal churches in John's day, periods of Church History, and can be found in the Church today.

In Chapter One, Jesus is described in His glorified body (v. 12-15), holding the "seven angels of the seven churches" (v. 16, 20), while standing in the middle of the seven churches of Asia (Rev. 1:11, 13, 20). He tells John to write A book and send it to "the angels" of each of the seven churches (v. 9). Chapters Two and Three present Christ's evaluation of the state of each of the seven churches.

Ephesus (2:1-7) - False Priorities - They replaced their worship with works.

Smyrna (2:8-11) - False Accusers - Jewish hypocrites and Satan persecute them.

Pergamos (2:12-17) - False Doctrine - They were infiltrated by false teachers.

Thyatira (2:18-29) - False Prophets - They were mixing in false religious beliefs.

Sardis (3:1-6) - False Spirituality - Their works were for show.

Philadelphia (3:7-13) - Genuine Faith - Their works were focused on soul-winning.

Laodicea (3:14-22) - False Profession - Their religion did not include Jesus.

Today, just as in John's day, there are churches which can be described as being like one mentioned above. Some believe in salvation by works, such as the Roman Catholic Church. Some believe and follow false leaders, such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Science, and the Unification Church. There are some which are faithfully trying to spread the Gospel to the far reaches of the earth, such as the Church of Christ, the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the Plymouth Brethren, and the Southern Baptists. Then, there are some groups which are churches in name only, such as Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. Like the K.K.K., Westboro uses the name of Jesus, but there is zero fruit of the Spirit to show Jesus has influenced their organizations.

What is the state of your church?