The church at Pergamum was living in an impressive city in the Roman world, full of idols and altars to gods, a center of spirituality and learning. This church faced heavy persecution for following the one true God, idols were so common, and honoring them was so ingrained and expected (to avoid angering the false gods) that to deviate came at a heavy cost. Jesus demands our respect beyond all others and God doesn’t tolerate compromise, He demands obedience – you can’t live a double life. What is it that we worship? What idols do we have in our life that take the place of God? Repentance is the way out of judgment and there is a promised reward to the one who overcomes.

In the passages we are considering in this series (Revelation chapters 2 & 3) God weighs in on the churches and gives an account of them. They, like us, could read His words to John, learn lessons, and be encouraged by the admonition of the Lord to each of the churches, not just their own. This week we look at the church at Smyrna; God does not offer a rebuke like He does to the others – Smyrna is called out for doing it right and the reward they can look forward to however, listen in to find out what else He has to say to them.

Week 1 in our series about the seven churches of Revelation. A vision is knowing the world will be different if you are successful. As we read about the seven churches of Revelation and the vision John saw, remember God’s vision for the Church is to see how life is good in eternity – because we have overcome the world. What are we overcoming? What does it mean to overcome? What is the deal with the church at Ephesus and what have they lost? How does hate impact us and our witness? Consider all these questions and more as we look to learn from what was spoken to the church at Ephesus.

Who will help us in our vulnerable state? Who does God help? As we consider the lessons within the rich man and Lazarus, two contrasting outcomes, we see the great reversal where the one with great riches on earth is tormented in the afterlife and the one who was poor and sickly on earth is exalted to the highest of highs and a place of great honor in heaven. What does this mean for us today? What do we highly esteem, and is it what God highly esteems? Taking on the mantle of the rich man, elevating ourselves and our importance, is dangerous and contrary to the Gospel of Christ – and can lead us to hell.

Today we look at the recounting of King Ahab’s reign in Israel. While fighting the Syrians, God delivers them twice against impossible odds. Instead of turning to God wholeheartedly and seeking to follow Him, they relied on their own ideas. There could have been a true victory – restoring Israel to the one true God – but Ahab compromises on moral decisions and makes a monumental fail. We learn that what seems life a good alliance may not be a God alliance. Ahab listened to the group instead of developing devotion to God with the depth and clarity that relationship provides. This translates into our lives when we consider what alliances we make, and what messages we’re listening to in our everyday moments. Are we willing to listen?

In the book of Hebrews chapter 13, the apostle Paul describes the life journey of a Christian as a race. How do we run the race to win? We want to run with endurance, not aimlessly but with purpose, and with intention. As we look over the first eight verses in Hebrews 13 we gain practical pieces and distinguishing features of running our race to win, both as individuals and as a church body.

The purpose of our relationship with Jesus is first to believe and then to follow. We each struggle with trying to imitate Jesus each day – especially when it comes to denying self and suffering. Listen to hear stories of the faith and be encouraged about how we can reshape our thinking to help us overcome this struggle and take up our cross daily.

Today we study the Hebrew word “Hesed”, a big word that conveys something big about God and how He loves His children. His love is steadfast, committed, faithful, and loyal. Listen to hear more about this amazing word and how it can change our perspective on God’s love for us – His eternal, unshakeable, and immovable love – and how we can respond to it.

Today we consider the difference between “eternal life” as we think of it – a heavenly afterlife, and “eternal life” as the Israelites would have thought of it – the Life Age. When we first accept Jesus as our savior we are assured of our eternal life through salvation in His finished work on the cross. What about how the Israelites thought of it? What stands between us and the Life Age? How do we lay hold of kingdom living now? Listen to find out. *Sermon starts at 35:45*