This message is going to be quite contradictory
to what is taught and tolerated
in the Western Church today.
Honestly, I don't even want to speak it.
But the Lord is pressing on my heart
that I must share what He has revealed to me
through the same message
that He gave to the church in Thyatira.

I pray people will not despise me
for what I am about to say.

Here goes.

“Write this letter to the angel
of the church in Thyatira."

Thyatira was another city of Asia Minor.
It was south of Istanbul, east of Athens,
and about 50 miles from the Aegean Sea.
It was another city
influenced by the gods of Greece.

It’s the city where Lydia came from.
Lydia was a woman who Silas and Paul met
on their journey to Macedonia.

She and other women
were praying at the riverbank.
Lydia was a merchant
of expensive purple cloth, 
who worshiped God.

As Paul spoke to her,
she listened with great intent
and the Lord opened her heart.
She accepted and received
what Paul had to say.

GOD - I HOPE THAT IS HOW
PEOPLE RECEIVE THIS MESSAGE TODAY

With the knowledge of Jesus Christ,
Lydia and her household were baptized,
And then she asked Paul & Silas to be her guests.

She said,
“If you agree that I am
a true believer in the Lord
come and stay at my home.
She urged them until they agreed.”

You can read more about Lydia
and their exchange
in the Acts of the Apostles‬,
Chapter ‭16 verses 13-15‬.

Back to the message -
Jesus said,
“This is the message from the Son of God,
whose eyes are like flames of fire,
whose feet are like polished bronze:”

His eyes match the Ancient of Days,
as described by Daniel from his vision
found in Chapter 7 verse 10.

And this is where the message gets hard!

Jesus said,
“I know all the things you do.
I have seen your love,
your faith, your service,
and your patient endurance.
And I can see
your constant improvement
in all these things.
“But I have this complaint against you.
You are permitting that woman -
that Jezebel
who calls herself a prophet -
to lead my servants astray.”

Now listen closely
to what Jesus says next -

“She teaches them to commit sexual sin
and to eat food offered to idols.
I gave her time to repent,
but she does not want to turn away
from her immorality.”

Oh my God -
this is the church today!
Pastors who are not willing to teach
what the Bible says!
They want to bend and teach love,
without addressing the truth
about what the Word says!
And we wonder
why our youth are led astray!

It’s because their parents
have been conditioned
to submit to a culture of compassion
and human love
rather than obeying God
for what His Word says.

People want to blame parents,
but I blame the church
for not reflecting the light
in a true sight!
There are many Jezebel spirits
in the pulpit today!

Most pastors are either
condemning and not loving,
or bending and twisting  -
where are the true servants of God
who will stand on the truth in love?

They are like a pendulum that swings
from the left or the right.
Where are the ones who reflect
plumb line faith?
Honestly right now -
I can only think of one man of God
who speaks the truth in love
and that man is Pastor Brian Broadway!

“Therefore, I will throw her
on a bed of suffering,
and those who commit adultery with her
will suffer greatly unless they repent
and turn away from her evil deeds.”

I wonder -
how many pastors
are willing to receive this message
and change their evil ways?

Church members - what about you?

Do you choose to follow a false teacher
and bend to their desires,
or do you follow Jesus and keep His Word?

Are you more afraid of God or of humans?

Jesus said,
“I will strike her children dead.
Then all the churches
will know that I am the one
who searches out the thoughts
and intentions of every person.
And I will give to each of you
whatever you deserve.”

Let me tell you,
Jesus does not play!

Even if you love, have great faith,
offer unfailing service,
and exhibit patient endurance,
you will still be thrown into the fire
for omitting the truth
and leading God’s children astray!

“But I also have a message
for the rest of you in Thyatira
who have not followed this false teaching
(‘deeper truths,’ as they call them -
depths of Satan, actually).
I will ask nothing more of you
except that you hold tightly
to what you have until I come.”

Thank you Jesus!
I will stand on your truth no matter what!
I will not bend to the ‘deeper truths of Satan’
and rationalized behaviors of men
that many in the church teach today!

Church - I give this warning!
If your pastor tolerates sexual sin,
and they are not willing to stand
on the written Word of God -
then you are standing on the same ground
as Korah’s rebellion -
as found in Numbers 16.

You may not see the earth opening up,
and eating all the men and their families
as the Israeilites did,
but I’m here to warn you,
it will happen
when the temporary death takes them away.

Body of Christ -
“Move away from the tents
of these evil men.
Don’t touch anything that belongs to them!
If you do, you will be destroyed
because of their sins.”

I wish it was like the time of Moses,
when the prophet would say
what was revealed to them,
and God would immediately
deliver His intent.

Then people would know it was not a show.

It is really a warning from the Holy Spirit;
an act of kindness to repent for your sins;
a desire to love you and help you turn away.

If the earth opened up
and took the false teachers,
and all of their families
then people would know,
without a shadow of a doubt,
that this message was sent in love.

But those days are gone -
and now we stand on faith alone.
We either believe God's Word or we don’t.
It's really that simple.

I can say for myself,
there is no place in my heart
for Jezebel to dwell.
That spirit was finally expelled.

Brethren -
I can’t truly love you
without standing on God’s truth.
I'm sorry it these words hurt.

Unfortunately many pastors today
move the plumb line,
and are comfortable standing on fault lines.
And in the process,
they take down
the members who stand beside them,
including the children and youth
they promised to love -
all because they were not willing to share
the truth of God's Word.

“To all who are victorious,
who obey me to the very end,
To them I will give authority
over all the nations.
They will rule the nations
with an iron rod
and smash them like clay pots.
They will have the same authority
I received from my Father,
and I will also give them
the morning star!
Anyone with ears to hear
must listen to the Spirit
and understand what he is saying
to the churches.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭2:18-29‬

Thank you Lord
for allowing me to hear your message,
and for giving me the boldness
to reveal the truth
about sexual sin as the food of idols
and the false pastors
who are teaching or tolerating it.

This poem is about
the church of Pergamum -
the body of Christ
who lived in the region
where Satan had his throne.

Pergamum was a city
in northwestern Turkey, close to Greece.
It was once the capital of Asia Minor -
the peninsula between Asia and Europe,
surrounded by the Black and Mediterranean Seas.

Pergamum had a U-shaped altar
that was one of the largest altars
in the ancient world.
Many believe it was dedicated
to a god named Zeus.

On this altar, many lives were burned.
Human sacrifice was a normal part of living free.

It was claimed
that there were serpent gods
who ruled the nation and birthed great men,
like Caesar Augustus and Alexander the Great.

The people of Pergamum
loved their sacred snakes.
They represented transformation and rebirth -
mimicking God's fertility and creative life force.
 
To me,
Pergamum sounds like the pit of hell!
It appears to have been inhabited
by the ruler of this world!
Lucifer does all he can to spread vanity -
he has a prideful light like no one else.
Deception is void of the True Light.

But God is good!
Somehow, in Pergamum,
the Church of Jesus began to grow!

In Revelation‬ ‭2:12 Jesus said,
“Write this letter to the angel
of the church in Pergamum.
This is the message from the one
with the sharp two-edged sword”

Oh Lord!
Jesus brought out the big guns...
I mean SWORD!
He brought out His Sword
to bring forth His Word!

“For the word of God
is alive and powerful.
It is sharper than the sharpest
two-edged sword,
cutting between soul and spirit,
between joint and marrow.
It exposes our innermost
thoughts and desires.
Nothing in all creation
is hidden from God.
Everything is naked and exposed
before his eyes,
and he is the one
to whom we are accountable.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4:12-13‬

Then He said,
“I know that you live in the city
where Satan has his throne,
yet you have remained loyal to me.
You refused to deny me
even when Antipas,
my faithful witness,
was martyred among you
there in Satan’s city.“
Revelation 2:13

I can’t even imagine
how strong and bold
Antipas must have been -
to be a Christian living in that lion’s den
must have been hard!

Antipas believed God’s Word.
Because he remained faithful to Christ,
he was tortured and murdered.
Who among us would follow his lead?
Who among us would die to self,
pick up our cross and follow Jesus?

When God is growing His Kingdom
in this dark world,
faithful witnesses are often martyred.
This is a sign that we are getting closer
to the end times,
the appointed time, set by God,
The time that represents
the end of the Church age.

It amazes me
that a faithful witness like Antipas
was not enough to perfect the church.
Jesus had a few complaints
about the church in Pergamum.

Jesus said,
“You tolerate some among you
whose teaching is like that of Balaam,
who showed Balak how to trip up
the people of Israel.
He taught them to sin
by eating food offered to idols
and by committing sexual sin.
In a similar way,
you have some Nicolaitans
among you who follow
the same teaching.
Repent of your sin,
or I will come to you suddenly
and fight against them
with the sword of my mouth.”
Revelation 2:14-16

You can read about Balaam and Balak
in Numbers 22–24.
Balaam was a soothsayer,
often referred to as a diviner,
who was influenced by the Holy Spirit,
but could also read the spirits
of the demonic realm.

Balaam’s heart was not good.
He lacked integrity and was driven by wealth,
but God still used him as a vessel
to accomplish His purpose for Israel.

Balak was a Moabite King
who hired Balak to curse his enemies,
including the Israelites who were chosen by God.

It did not work.
God protected his people
by making Balaam bow down.

We learned about the Nicolaitans
with the Ephesus church -
“They abandoned themselves
to pleasure like goats
leading a life of self-indulgence”
Revelation 2:14-15

Nicolaitans were “church members”
who worshipped God as they served idols -
they were false members
whose deeds were hated by God,
as described in verse 6 in Revelation 2.

Jesus said,
“Anyone with ears to hear 
must listen to the Spirit
and understand what he is saying
to the churches.”

Do you?
Do you understand
what Jesus is saying to us?
Do you hear Him?

“To everyone who is victorious
I will give some of the manna
that has been hidden away in heaven.
And I will give to each one
a white stone, and on the stone
will be engraved a new name
that no one understands
except the one who receives it.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭2:17

I just love this!
God gives us a new name,
not based on
what He is trying to prove,
but based on
how He has been guiding us.

Our new name
will have intimate meaning;
our new name will be written on a white stone,
and the stone will be engraved with a name
based on our intimacy with God.

How cool is that?
We are part of the Temple of God,
and Jesus is our cornerstone -
securely attached not by brick and mortar,
but by His love.

This poem is dedicated
to Revelation 2:8-11.

The Son of Man said to John,
“Write this letter to the angel
of the church in Smyrna.”

I have to admit,
every time I read
that Jesus directed his message
to the ANGEL of a church,
I get a little bit distracted
trying to understand
that concept
before moving on.

My thoughts wander, and then I wonder,
is Jesus addressing a ministering spirit -
a sent messenger of God,
or is He referring to a man -
a leader of the church,
or a regional group, the church as a whole?

If the meaning is literal, then the text means
“a sent messenger of God.”
I guess it is possible that a person could hear
the voice of God
and be sent to carry out 
God’s purpose and plan.

Could the human be addressed
as an angel of the church?

I don’t know. What do you say?

Anyway, let’s move on.

The Son of Man continued and said,
“This is the message from the one
who is the First and the Last,
who was dead but is now alive:”

It is obvious
that Jesus is referencing himself
as the One and Only Son of God.

Jesus said to the members
of the Smyrnan church,
“I know about your suffering
and your poverty - but you are rich!”

We can see
that the The Lord sees
with Kingdom eyes,
not the eyes of a fallen man -
because a sinning man would say
you are not blessed
if you are living in suffering and in poverty.

“I know the blasphemy
of those opposing you.
They say they are Jews,
but they are not,
because their synagogue belongs to Satan.”

It’s the same blasphemy
that we see today.

Many say they are Christian,
but they are not,
because their church belongs to Satan.

Let's face it.
God demands a strong foundation.
A plumb line faith
based on His beloved Son,
the cornerstone that His Church
is built upon.

But many Christians
build their homes on sinking sand.

It’s important to remember
that God does not care about
our fancy garments.
In fact, he says,
“you can take them all off -
I have x-Ray vision
and I can see your naked heart
and I know what is in it.”

“So rend your hearts
and not your garments,
and return to the LORD”
God is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger.
He abounds in loving devotion,
and He relents from sending disaster.”
Joel 2:13

Jesus encouraged
the angel of the church in Smyrna
with these words -
He said, “Do not be afraid
of what you are about to suffer.
The devil will throw
some of you into prison to test you.”

Jesus warned the angel of Smyrna
that they would be persecuted,
wrongly accused and slandered.
Then He told them
they would suffer for ten days.

I wonder, is that an exact number,
or is it an approximation?

Does ten represent the tithe,
a way of graciously giving back
the free gift that we have received?
Is this what it means to be a martyr?

Then in verse 10, Jesus said,
"But if you remain faithful
even when facing death,
I will give you the crown of life.”

This must be why James said,
“Blessed is the man
who perseveres under trial,
because when he has stood the test,
he will receive the crown of life
that God has promised
to those who love him.”
James 1:12

Then Jesus said,
“Anyone with ears to hear
must listen to the Spirit
and understand what he is saying
to the churches.
Whoever is victorious
will not be harmed by the second death.”

Overcoming the temporal death
has always been God’s redemption plan.
God came down in human form, and in Spirit
and Jesus took conquered death for all God's children.

“There is therefore no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 8:1

I have a word for 2022.
2022 is the year the Face of the Man
will land on the Moon.
The moon will lose its illumination.
It’s luster will be deep and darkened,
but we will see an explosion of stars!

Get ready to see a nation of humans
operating under universal love, not of God.

There are Nicolaitans everywhere!
We have become a nation of humans
exemplified by progressive thought -
a globalization of little gods.

Babylon is rising up.
But hang on!
The Golden Age is coming back.
The Days of David are on return.

God is building up
His priests and prophets,
His judges and poets.
God is creating a symphony of strings
like you’ve never seen before.

Oh, let the world grow dark.
The darker it is, the brighter the light!
Anointed we are - together we fight.
The Body functions the best 
under the Mind of Christ!

It is true - we will see
One Nation Under Humans
just the way our leaders want.
But I am here to encourage you,
do not fret!
God is faithful to His promise
and He always leaves a remnant.

We are narrow.
We are a body of believers who are the Church.
A Body who finds their identity in Christ!

2022 is as dialectical as it can be!
The Light shines brightest in the darkness.

Todays message comes from
Revelation‬ ‭2:1-7‬.

In Revelation Chapter 2,
John’s hand was used to write a message
to the Ephesian church -
members of the Body of Christ
who lived in Ephesus,
which was near the coast of western Turkey.

Jesus said to John
through the angel of the Lord,
“Write this letter to the angel
of the church in Ephesus.”

We must remember
what was said in Hebrews -
"angels are ministering spirits,
sent forth to minister for them
who shall be heirs of salvation."
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭1:14‬

Angels help to communicate information
between the Heaven and earth realms.

And by the way, when I just wrote
“Johns hand was used”
I immediately thought of Daniel 5
and the hand that God created 
to write on the wall.
Nothing is outside of God’s Will!
Praise God!

Moving on - the writing said,
“This is the message from the one
who holds the seven stars
in his right hand,
the one who walks among
the seven gold lampstands
(Which was Jesus as we already learned
in Revelation Chapter One):
“I know all the things you do.
I have seen your hard work
and your patient endurance.
I know you don’t tolerate evil people.
You have examined the claims
of those who say
they are apostles but are not.
You have discovered they are liars.
You have patiently suffered
for me without quitting.”

Isn't it cool how Jesus sees.
He knows everything!
The Head of the Church knows exactly
what His Body does.

Jesus proceeds -
“But I have this complaint against you.
You don’t love me or each other
as you did at first!
Look how far you have fallen!
Turn back to me
and do the works you did at first.
If you don’t repent, I will come
and remove your lampstand
from its place among the churches.”

You see - the Body of Christ,
also known as the Church
is the true reflection of Christ
in this dark world.

We are His lampstands.
And we are powered by the Holy Spirit.

If we take our eyes off of Christ,
and follow the desires of our flesh,
we lose our illumination.

The church is called to love.
The Body does what the Head of the Church says.

An yet, Jesus “hates” also - 
only the deeds, not the vessels.

The next verse says,
“But this is in your favor:
You hate the evil deeds
of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.”

Jesus hates deeds, not people.
He hates certain behaviors,
not the jars of clay that act as His vessels.

The Nicolaitans were a people
who twisted the truth
and encouraged each other
to eat things offered to idols.
The Nicolaitans were false teachers.
Their teaching perverted grace
and they replaced liberty with license.
“They abandoned themselves
to pleasure like goats (not sheep)
leading a life of self-indulgence.”

The deeds of the Nicolaitans
were an abomination to God.
They took His concept of love and made it human!

They twisted God’s truth by forming
their own version of love.
It was, and it still is, an abomination.

I am reminded
of what Jesus said in Matthew,
“So if your hand or foot causes you to sin,
cut it off and throw it away.
It’s better to enter eternal life
with only one hand or one foot
than to be thrown into eternal fire
with both of your hands and feet.
And if your eye causes you to sin,
gouge it out and throw it away.
It’s better to enter eternal life
with only one eye
than to have two eyes
and be thrown into the fire of hell.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18:8-9‬

I see tons of Nicolaitans today.
Christians who have twisted
God’s central doctrine.
Christians who are progressive.
Christians who have determined
what universal love is.

Those who reflect the Light are to hate evil deeds,
as Christ did.
But we are called to love the vessels
by being illuminated on the lampstand.

Then Jesus said,
“Anyone with ears to hear
must listen to the Spirit
and understand what he is saying
to the churches.”

Father God, I hear you.
Thank you for making clear your message.
May these words be a true illumination.

I believe I understand your message
that was given to the angel
of the Church of Ephesus.

Thank you for this ministering spirit
who continues to do your will,
and make your message known.

I receive your Spirit -
both in true and in love.

“To everyone who is victorious
I will give fruit from the tree of life
in the paradise of God.”

Father, I am hungry for Your Word,
and I look forward to my reward in Heaven.

Father God, give me eyes to see
as I move on to verses 9-20.
And may the the words that I put out
be a blessing to someone else.

The scripture says,
“I, John, am your brother and your partner
in suffering and in God’s Kingdom
and in the patient endurance
to which Jesus calls us.”

Suffering, in God’s Kingdom
and in patient endurance -
I know these concepts well,
but nothing like John.

John was exiled to the island of Patmos
for preaching the word of God
and for his testimony about Jesus.”

I have no idea what it means
to be exiled or murdered for being a Christian,
for spreading the gospel
and sharing the truth in love.

Look at this blog!
I can write without being thrown in prison.

I am so fortunate to live in a country
where people are not killed for following Christ -
But for the first time in my short life 
I am seeing Christians
who stand on biblical doctrine
being excluded for not being progressive.
I'm sure it's only a matter of time
before God's Word is lost and deleted
from the next generation.
I can see it already being replaced
with the worship of Baal
that is happening in the United States.
I never thought I would see the day!

“It was the Lord’s Day,
and I was worshiping in the Spirit.
Suddenly, I heard behind me
a loud voice like a trumpet blast.
It said, “Write in a book
everything you see,
and send it to the seven churches
in the cities of Ephesus,
Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira,
Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

I understand John.
I once heard a trumpet blast -
three trumpets to be exact -
in a dream and in the Spirit.

I could tell this dream was different.

I was in an marketplace,
minding my business, walking around.
And then I heard the trumpet call -
3 trumpet blasts to be exact -
and suddenly I was by myself.

In an instant I was taken
from the city streets and placed in a closet,
I was protected.

In the spirit, I saw a lion.
He was slithery and slimy and hungry.

I remember feeling afraid.
I saw the iron city gates swing open.
What I saw I could not believe,
thousands of people marched in blindly.
And right behind them evil was lurking,
the hungry lion who was looking for me.

I shouted.
Father God, why is he coming for me?
I heard,
“Satan’s coming for you
because he already has them.”

I looked back at the walking dead.
I wanted to scream to awake them.

And then, I woke up.
The trumpet blast had ended.

Well, that was not it.
Within a few days I heard in the Spirit again,
while I was praying in tongues,
I heard the Lord say,
“Get the mold out!”

So I scrubbed.
I grabbed my bleach
and I cleaned away.
Every spot in my house was totally clean.

But the Lord did not want my garments.
He wanted my heart.

That night, in my sleep, I began to choke,
in the Spirit, I could see
the biggest black slug
expelled from my mouth.

Suddenly, I woke up
and I thought for sure I had thrown up,
but nothing was there.

In shock, I realized
the Lord had saved me
from the stronghold of Satan.
He expelled the sin,
or maybe it was a demon.

I was free.
And it all started with the trumpet call.

I wish I could give John a hug!
People probably thought he was crazy,
when in actuality, he was close to God.

He chose to serve His Master
instead of bowing down
to the ruler of this world.

John was NOT progressive in thought!
He stood on the unchanging,
immovable Word of God.

“When I turned to see
who was speaking to me,
I saw seven gold lampstands.
And standing
in the middle of the lampstands
was someone like the Son of Man.”

How beautiful!
The messenger angel showed John
the seven lampstands
that were prepared to shine the light of God!
Seven lampstands
to illuminate the Son of Man;
the Son of God - the Morning Star!

“He was wearing a long robe
with a gold sash across his chest.
His head and his hair were white
like wool, as white as snow.
And his eyes were like flames of fire.
His feet were like polished bronze
refined in a furnace,
and his voice thundered
like mighty ocean waves.
He held seven stars in his right hand,
and a sharp two-edged sword
came from his mouth.
And his face was like the sun
in all its brilliance.”

The Son of Man
also appeared in Daniel.
Read Daniel 7 verses 9-14.

“When I saw him,
I fell at his feet as if I were dead.”
This is the proper response
when we are in the presence
of the Light of God.
We fall down.
We bow.
We prostrate our bodies to the ground.

The Son of Man is our King.
He is our High Priest and He is our Judge.
No one will stand without acknowledging Him.

“But he laid his right hand on me
and said, “Don’t be afraid!
I am the First and the Last.
I am the living one.
I died, but look - 
I am alive forever and ever!
And I hold the keys of death
and the grave.”

What else is there to say,
Jesus Is the Only Way!

God came in the flesh
to give his life as the final sacrifice -
to break the curse and fulfill the promise
that He gave to mankind in Genesis 3.

People - YOU MUST READ!
God gave us His Word to know who He is!

“Write down what you have seen -
both the things that are now happening
and the things that will happen.”

Don't you see?
Jesus Is the Revelation of God!
The Gospel Message is all you need!

God is so good!
He gives us the meaning to the mystery.

He said,
“This is the meaning
of the mystery of the seven stars
you saw in my right hand
and the seven gold lampstands:
The seven stars are the angels
of the seven churches,
and the seven lampstands
are the seven churches.”

If you want to know God,
He will show you the way.
I just love how God spells it out.
We don’t even have to rack our brains
trying to interpret the meaning of this.

The seven stars
are the angels of the seven churches,
and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

How much simpler does it get?

Do angels exist?
Of course they do!

They are the messengers of Light
who guide God’s people.

Who are God’s people?

They are the lampstands
who shine God's Light in this dark world.

God's people do NOT hid under a basket.
They shine bright for all to see!

The Light NEVER runs out!
Their oil is filled continuously
by the never-ending stream
of the Holy Spirit.

Fellow Believers -
Welcome to the Anointing!
Stand Strong on the Foundation of God!
Do not falter.  Do not be shaken.
The Ruler of the World is angry.
His time is coming to an end,
and he will try to take out
as many Christians as he can.
He does not fight fair.
He is angry
that he has lost his illumination.
But God is good,
"And we know that in all things
God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose."
Romans 8:28

This poem is based on today's sermon
that was delivered to the Living Message Church
by Pastor Brian Broadway.

Hey Christian -
What agenda do you push?
What words come out of your mouth?
Do you focus on the offense of the world,
or do you tell everyone about the blessing
that can only be found through Christ?

Read Acts 15 and 16 to learn about Paul
and how he ministered to the Philippi church.
By the way, Philip is the father
of Alexander the Great.
It’s the name that was given
to this beautiful place.

The whole book of Philippians
has four key themes:
1. Hold on to your faith
in the midst of the struggle;
2. Unity through humility;
3. Remember the example that Christ set,
4. and be light in the middle of darkness.

We must remember
that true joy is based off of salvation,
not off of our circumstance
or our situation.

Paul gives the truth
that the gospel is safe -
and tells them it’s not about
labels or entertainment.

We need to keep the message
focused on Jesus!

He says “beware of dogs,
beware of evil workers,
beware of mutilation” -
the vessels of people who work for Satan -
those who don’t understand
there is a new covenant
as found in Hebrews 8 and in Hebrews 10.

Hebrews 10 says
“Under the old covenant,
the priest stands and ministers 
before the altar
day after day,
offering the same sacrifices
again and again,
which can never take away sins.
But our High Priest
offered himself to God
as a single sacrifice for sins,
good for all time.
Then he sat down
in the place of honor
at God’s right hand.
There he waits
until his enemies are humbled
and made a footstool under his feet.
For by that one offering
he forever made perfect
those who are being made holy.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10:11-14‬

The flesh was an old principle
that shows me how I am to be
when I circumcise the heart inside of me.

Paul states that we as Christians
ARE the circumcision:
1. We worship God in Spirit
2. We rejoice in His Son
3. And have no confidence in the flesh.

From this world
we have been totally separated.

Paul himself
was a Hebrew of Hebrews.
He was a Pharisee of God’s Law.
He even persecuted the church of God.
Paul was the most zealous of them all!

But he finally came to the realization
through Holy Spirit wisdom,
that all of it was rubbish in the eyes of God!

Paul said the Law was given
to help man see
that there is nothing he can do
to live righteously.

When Jesus called Paul
he was brought to his knees.
Paul responded to His voice
and changed immediately.

He said,
“I no longer count
on my own righteousness
through obeying the law;
rather, I become righteous
through faith in Christ.
For God’s way of making us
right with himself depends on faith.
I want to know Christ
and experience the mighty power
that raised him from the dead.
I want to suffer with him,
sharing in his death,
so that one way or another
I will experience the resurrection
from the dead!”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:9-11‬

Paul acknowledged
that he was not perfected,
nor had he been totally sanctified,
but he found joy pressing towards the goal.

He said,
“I don’t mean to say that I have
already achieved these things
or that I have already reached perfection.
But I press on to possess
that perfection for which Christ Jesus
first possessed me.
No, dear brothers and sisters,
I have not achieved it,
but I focus on this one thing:
Forgetting the past and looking forward
to what lies ahead,
I press on to reach
the end of the race
and receive the heavenly prize
for which God, through Christ Jesus,
is calling us.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:12-14‬

Church -
It is time to be a true vessel of God.
It is time to live for the Upward Call!

Jesus said,
“I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me
will never be hungry again.
Whoever believes in me
will never be thirsty.
But you haven’t believed in me
even though you have seen me.
However, those the Father
has given me will come to me,
and I will never reject them.
For I have come down from heaven
to do the will of God who sent me,
not to do my own will.
And this is the will of God,
that I should not lose even one
of all those he has given me,
but that I should raise them up
at the last day.
For it is my Father’s will
that all who see his Son
and believe in him
should have eternal life.
I will raise them up at the last day.”
‭‭John‬ ‭6:35-40‬

This is the ministry of the Upward Call.

This is the plan and the purpose
that has been set for us all.

Hallelujah and Amen.
​Praise be to God.

Yesterday I learned
from Revelation verses 1-3
that God gave Jesus information
that was extremely revelatory.

Now some would say
that because Jesus is God
he already knows all that His Father does.
But that is not quite true.

The Word explains there are some things
the Father did not tell His Son.  
In Mark 13:32, Jesus said,
“No one knows about that day or hour,
not even the angels in heaven,
nor the Son, but only the Father.”

It does not surprise me because
the Holy Trinity is the Father, the Son
and the Holy Spirit
as three distinct persons all in One.

I also learned in verses 1-3,
that Jesus had an angel
deliver the message to John.

I must say that just digging into
verses 1, 2 and 3 has left my mind
totally blown!

Even so,
this morning I am ready to explore
the next few verses in Chapter One.
Although, I am going to take it extremely slow
so that I don’t get overwhelmed.

Here goes.

Verse 4 says,
“This letter is from John
to the seven churches
in the province of Asia.
Grace and peace to you
from the one who is, who always was,
and who is still to come;
from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne;”

For some reason John directed his letter,
that contained the revelatory knowledge
given by the Father to Jesus,
to seven churches that lived in western Turkey.

The letter actually says
“the province of Asia”-
but look on a map and you will see
the cities of Ephesus,
Smyrna. Pergamon, Thyatira,
Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea
are all located near the western coast of Turkey.

I wonder -
why was that area so important?
Why was this revelation knowledge
that was given to Jesus
that was extended to John
directed at the churches of Asia Minor?

Is it because it goes to show
that the Seed of Promise
will continue to grow
in a land that is hard to sow?

Asia Minor was steeped in witchcraft, 
emperor worship and paganism.
"For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry."
1 Samuel 15:23

And yet, the Body of Christ
continued to grow.

How do you think that was possible?
Perhaps it's because out of the deep
the Lord calls out His own.

And even though this letter
was written by the hand of John,
John greeted the churches with the voice
of the Holy Spirit, Father and Son.

The Apostle and the Elder
was a prophet of God!

Verse 5 says,
“and from Jesus Christ.
He is the faithful witness
to these things,
the first to rise from the dead,
and the ruler of all the kings of the world.”

Jesus is the reason
we have access to God’s wisdom.
He is the faithful witness to God’s revelation.

Jesus is the first to rise from the dead,
and He is The Ruler of all the kings of the world!
Hang on - His time will come.

“All glory to him who loves us
and has freed us from our sins
by shedding his blood for us.”

The only way that fallen, dead men
can be washed clean from the sin
that separates us from God
is to put on a new heart,
that beats to worship
and circulate the blood of Christ

The Lamb of God chose to be slain
so that we could live with Him
in the New Jerusalem.

The Son’s body and blood
that was final sacrifice
that redeems all of mankind from our separation.

Verse 6 says,
“He has made us a Kingdom of priests
for God his Father. All glory and power
to him forever and ever! Amen.”

Everything written in verse 6
is highlighted in Hebrews.

I believe that whoever wrote Hebrews
was in dwelled by God’s Holy Spirit!
The book is full of spiritual wisdom.

In verse 7 John makes a shift.

He said, “Look!
“He comes with the clouds of heaven.
And everyone will see him -
even those who pierced him.
And all the nations of the world
will mourn for him. Yes! Amen!”

As John wrote I believe
the Lord gave him sight of spirit realm!

He saw Jesus returning on the clouds,
the clouds that once absorbed his presence.

In verse 8 John took on God’s voice.

John said,
“I am the Alpha and the Omega -
the beginning and the end,”
says the Lord God.
I am the one who is, who always was,
and who is still to come - the Almighty One.”
‭
My God!
Isn’t that good?

I don’t understand
why everyone is not digging into God’s Word.
It must be because many do not know Him.

It’s so rich! It’s so good!
Don’t you see, Jesus has existed
since the beginning of time.
The Son of God will never die!
He is eternally good!

God is so good.
He made a way to give us new life.
He made a way to resurrect the dead.

God gave us a Seed and He grows our faith,
even in the most unlikely place -
like the wilderness, or Islamic states.

Turkey is a place that is filled with Islam, 
and a ruler who wants to return
to their roots and traditions.

And so we wait; 
and we pray to God
that nations will be set free
from evil strongholds.

“For the Lord himself
will come down from heaven
with a commanding shout,
with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trumpet call of God.
First, the believers who have died
will rise from their graves.
Then, together with them,
we who are still alive
and remain on the earth
will be caught up in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air.
Then we will be with the Lord forever.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4:16-17‬

Brethren-
Encourage each other with these words.
Maranatha - the Lord is coming back soon.
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4:18‬

God is so good!
After reading Genesis
and writing poetic sermons
on that book,
the Holy Spirit led me to Jude.
And when I finished Jude,
He directed me to John.
Not the Gospel that comes after Luke,
but the letters that come before Jude.
And now,
on the day that we celebrate Jesus’s birth,
I am opening the Book of Revelation
and will write poetic sermons on what it says.

The Revelation of Jesus
is the last book of the Bible,
and it’s the book that most "Pastors" leave out.
And it's also the only book of the Bible
that is typically banned.
I read about that when I read the book,
The Heavenly Man, by Brother Yun.
He shared that Revelation of Jesus Christ
was banned by the Office of Religious Affairs.

Yet it’s the book that must be read
to have a clear picture of who Christ is.

So - Let’s begin.

​Revelation Chapter 1, verses 1-3 says,
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ,
which God gave Him to show His servants -
things which must shortly take place.
And He sent and signified it
by His angel to His servant John,
who bore witness to the word of God,
and to the testimony of Jesus Christ,
to all things that he saw.
Blessed is he who reads
and those who hear the words
of this prophecy,
and keep those things
which are written in it;
for the time is near.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭1:1-3‬

Now let’s break this down.

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ,
which God gave Him
to show His servants”

This says that this Revelation
was given to Jesus by God
so that He could show His servants -
the ones who follow Christ.

“things which must shortly take place”

The events of this revelation
have a timeline,
they are stamped with
a beginning and an end.
“And He sent and signified it
by His angel to His servant John,”

This says that Jesus
has an angel assigned to Him,
My guess is it’s the angel of the Lord,
as described throughout the Whole Word!

Jesus sent His angel
to deliver a message to His servant John.
John “bore witness to the word of God,
and to the testimony of Jesus Christ,
to all things that he saw.”

The Apostle John
delivered the message
that he heard
to the whole world.
He spoke about the Word,
and He testified to Christ,
and he shared what he saw
when his spirit was taken up
to the heavenly realm.

“Blessed is he who reads
and those who hear
the words of this prophecy,
and keep those things
which are written in it;
for the time is near.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭1:1-3‬

I am so honored
to be able to share with you
the words that are written
in this revelatory book!
I pray I get it right!
I pray the Lord leads my words
every step of the Way.

Brethren -
Can you imagine being so absolutely loved,
as John was,
that Jesus would send His angel
to deliver a letter from Heaven?

You are.
Jesus sent this letter to me and you!
We must read it before it is taken away from us. 

I invite you to join me over these next few months,
as I open the letter that was given to us.
Get ready to be illuminated!
Our Sovereign God - He is ​Immanuel.

When you think of a person
who has preeminence
who do you think of?

I think of a President or king,
or more precisely,
the Pope of the Catholic Church.

These are people who are distinct.
People who are used to being first.
These are people who live lavishly,
surrounded by riches and abundant wealth.

These are people who are used to
telling people what to do.
These are people who are used to
living life according to their own truth.

While reading the 3rd letter of John,
an Elder of the Christian Church,
I noticed that preeminence is cancerous.

John wrote this letter to his friend, Gauis,
and warned him about a pompous man
who liked to be first - a man named Diotrephes.

John said to Gaius,
“I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes,
who loves to be first, does not receive us.
Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind
his deeds which he does,
prating against us with malicious words.
And not content with that,
he himself does not receive the brethren,
and forbids those who wish to,
putting them out of the church.
Beloved, do not imitate what is evil,
but what is good.
He who does good is of God,
but he who does evil has not seen God.”
‭‭III John‬ ‭1:9-11‬

Please excuse me for saying it,
but Diotrephes sounds like a real moron!
I mean, here is a “church man”
who does just the opposite of what Jesus commanded,
"Take your pay and go.
I want to give the one who was hired last
the same as I gave you. 
Don’t I have the right to do what I want
with my own money?
Or are you envious because I am generous?’
So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Matthew 20:14-16

John knew Diotrephes was not a man of God,
so he warned his friend not to imitate him. 

I’d love to hear the story
on how Diotrephes gained so much control.
How can such evil grow inside a church
without being noticed?

Diotrephes sounds more like a king babbler
who was spreading cancer 
through his malignant words.
And on top of this behavior,
he prevented other church members
from being hospitable.

He reminds me of cancerous cells
that will continue to grow, if left uncontrolled.
Is this how we became
a deformed version of the true church?

I thank God for elders like John
who could see between the lines
and decipher the truth from the lie.

He was able to discern,
and he was willing to call out Diotrephes
for being evil.

But he did not stop there.
He encouraged Gaius
to keep on doing what was good.
He told him to keep operating
in both truth and in love.

He said,
“You have borne witness
of your love before the church.
If you send them forward on their journey
in a manner worthy of God,
you will do well, because they went forth
for His name’s sake,
taking nothing from the Gentiles.”
‭‭III John‬ ‭1:6-7‬

Then John pointed Gaius to a man of good report,
He said,
“Demetrius has a good testimony from all,
and from the truth itself.
And we also bear witness,
and you know that our testimony is true.”
‭‭III John‬ ‭1:12‬

My guess is that Demetrius
did not want to be first.
He probably cared less.
He was more focused on being generous
and sharing the truth of Jesus in His love.

Demetrius was probably
highly frustrated with Diotrephes
for his prideful attitude.
Demetrius was probably much like John,
who was able to discern.

I love how John handled the situation.

After quickly pointing out
the pompous behavior of Diotrephes,
he shifted his attention to help Gaius
focus on what was good and what was true.

It’s as if he said,
“Pay attention to Demetrius -
he is a man who truly reflects God’s Light.”

This third letter of John reminds me of
what Paul said in Philippians Chapter 4.

Paul said,
“Be anxious for nothing,
but in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your requests
be made known to God;
and the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren,
whatever things are true, whatever things are noble,
whatever things are just, whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely,
whatever things are of good report,
if there is any virtue
and if there is anything praiseworthy
meditate on these things.
The things which you learned
and received and heard and saw in me, these do,
and the God of peace will be with you.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:6-9‬

This is a lesson
that God has been working on in me.
To stop getting so angry at that which is evil,
and instead focus my attention to that which is good.

It is true -
We are told to be cautious and to be on guard,
and we are told that Satan is the ruler of this world;
we know that the church is full of wolves
in sheep clothes -
but we are not told to focus on it.

As my favorite says,
"Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that hinders
and the sin that so easily entangles.
And let us run with perseverance 
the race marked out for us, 
fixing our eyes on Jesus, 
the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
For the joy set before him he endured the cross, 
scorning its shame, 
and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  
Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners,
so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
Hebrews 12:1-3

God is still working on me.
I often forget that bitterness causes cancerous cells.
I have to let go, and give it to God.

Beloved,
When we keep our eyes focused on Christ,
and not on the people who like to be first,
we are able to be a true reflection of God.

Beloved,
Do not look to the right or the left,
this is how we become cancerous -
darkened, deformed and bitterly bent.