Are we distracted by potential distractions or do they drive us to focus more on God?
Thyatira was a working man’s town, one of Paul's first converts, Lydia, was from there. One of the things the city didn't have was other idols or God's in mainstream focus; they were very much a secular city. Now this could prove easier of harder for the Church there, depending how you look at it.
- The picture of Jesus continues to build with feet burnished with bronze and fire blazing from his eyes.
- Eyes blazing with fire - my interpretation is this; the eyes represented Jesus seeing everything we do.
- Feet burnished with bronze - represents Jesus as the original good news bringer, we are to have a feet ready to carry the good news.
What we can learn from Thyatira...
- They did many good deeds.
- They had a great faith.
- They had great love.
- James 2 v 18 "But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds."
- It works both ways - faith without deeds is dead and deeds with no faith before them are dead.
- We should live in a way where our faith is shown through our deeds, the church in Thyatira were great at this. Faith, love and acts of service.
What did they need to deal with...
- There main issue was a woman John named Jezebel, she may not have been called Jezebel but it is the symbolism and spirit Jezebel which lives with in this woman.
- She was teaching the church to be flexible when it came to sexual sin.
- Jezebel - 1 Kings 19 v 1-2 & 21 v 1-15, 2 Kings 9 v 7-10, 30-37.
- The main problems was this - that sex outside of marriage always hurts someone may it be God or one of the parties involved.
- The church was being distracted and worse led astray by this woman’s teachings.
- Jezebel was unwilling to repent.
- Christ said he would destroy her entire family, because he knows our minds and hearts. She was not willing to repent.
- They wasn't just the distractions of Jezebel there were others who were promoting the 'Secrets of Satan', people were being sold on them because it claimed to deepen spiritual life. Their claim probably wasn't in correct but it would deep spiritual life with Satan instead of God. So they did not deepen spiritual life with God.
- When distractions like Jezebel or the Secrets of Satan come along we need to take it back to the basics of our faith and remain strong.
- For those who remain strong in the faith they will reign with Jesus as he judges the world.
- What distractions are taking our eyes off God?
No comments:
Post a Comment