We have been working through a series on the book of Revelation. This book of the Bible can be difficult to understand for a variety of reasons, so we are taking it slow and studying it bit by bit together.

Today, we are continuing with Revelation Chapter 1, verses 10 and 11. John writes, “On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”

These verses pose a number of questions. Who was speaking to John? Why does someone want John to document what he sees? Why are those churches specifically named?

Let’s start with what we know. John tells us that it was the Lord’s Day or the Sabbath. John was in the Spirit or in other words, he was worshipping God. He may have been praying or singing hymns or quietly listening for the Spirit. Even though John was exiled to the island of Patmos for his belief in Jesus, he was continuing to worship the Lord and keep the Sabbath holy. While we do not know exactly how John was worshipping God, we know that God showed up on that island in a big way. Do you expect God to show up when you worship Him?

Why did Jesus tell John to “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”

The church in Ephesus was the closest church to where John was at the time, exiled to the island of Patmos. The church in Ephesus was also John’s home church. Each of these churches are in order of a missionary journey, the way that one would walk if they were out sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. All seven churches are in Asia on the western side.

The Church, (with a capital C), is the global body of believers, and the church, (lower case c), is the local church. While there are churches all over the world, together they all make up the Church or the global body of believers. In the local church, there may be a Pastor or someone who leads that particular church, but Jesus knows every one of his churches, no matter how small or large they are. He knows every heart and mind in every church.

Jesus is Head of the global Church and the local church. He tells John to write the letters and dictates what needs to be in the letters. Within the seven letters, we will read that Jesus describes each church and their different levels of commitment and love for Jesus. Some things are good and some things are not good.

Every church today fits into one of the seven letters that Jesus tells John to write. Part of the lesson in the seven letters is to honestly reflect on your local church and see what kind of letter Jesus might write to your church. In the upcoming weeks, as we study the seven letters, we need to hear what Jesus is saying and ask ourselves the following question. Is your church passionately following Jesus or has your church grown lukewarm or complacent?

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for Jesus. Thank You for the wisdom that we have in the Bible. Lord, help us to apply Your Word in our everyday lives. Lord, help us to study Revelation and give us understanding. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.