When Jesus gave John a glimpse of Heaven, and instructed him to write down the details and share them with the seven churches in Asia Minor, He did so to emphasize the side of His Authority and to proclaim the side of the Glory of God. In that, Christ wanted us today to see the side of His Kingship. By emphasizing Christ's Kingship and sovereignty, it opens the door to allow for the Kingship aspect to enter our hearts. Now why is that important? In Heaven's eyes, we as believers in Christ are regarded as royalty; as Kings, Queens, Princes, and Princesses. Jesus Christ is due time will share His inheritance and give power, authority, and sovereignty to His people when He returns, to rule and reign on earth. The question is; does that fact influence how you act today? in a world that may discard and disregard you, Christ has other plans for you and they are big and serious. In this second half to last week's message, Pastor Troy billow will elaborate on how valuable you are in the sight of God, and the show you the royal purpose you are destined for, when you belong to Christ, as he shares His Kingdom and the enormity of its Majestic impact, power, authority, and influence. on this earth.
Most of the time mainstream Christians focus on the Lamb aspect of Jesus Christ, His ministry on earth, His death, burial and resurrection. While all of that is essential to being a follower of Christ, another side of Jesus lacks the consideration that it should especially in the lives of believers. That side is the Lion aspect of Jesus Christ. This side focuses primarily on Christ's sovereign authority, power, control over world affairs, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In this message, Pastor Troy Billow explains how important it was for Jesus to share this aspect of Him to John, so that He could share that with The Seven Churches in Asia Minor and in turn share that glory with us today, so that we may meditate on that aspect that doesn't get its due diligence in Christendom today.
Islam's influence in America is growing exponentially, as Muslims are expected to be a majority by 2050. Since Muslims are starting families and their fertility rates are much higher than that of Americans this is a truth we will have to face. One of the things that is interesting about Muslims is that, Jesus is appearing to many, and they are documenting these encounters and coming to Christ in numbers. In this message, Guest Speaker Olin Giles speaks on how important it is for the church to rise up and engage these individuals as Christ cares very much about them too. Olin makes the point that the answer to radical Islam is a radical church and stresses that if we do our part, God will go His part. This is a message to heed, especially if you engage people and want to grow your understanding of other groups in your quest to evangelize.
In this portion of the Book of Revelation, God gives John a glimpse of Heaven. This is designed to help YOU and I live, have the right perspective of Him, change our character, attitude and behavior towards Him, and prioritize these things. When Christ deals with us, He always sees the whole picture (where we only see what's in front of us) and handles us with our full potential and purpose in perspective. The question is; do we see how REAL God is? In this message, Pastor Troy Billow will open a window as to why God opens the doors of His Kingdom in scripture, and explain some of the various purposes as to why this is important to our faith, our walk with Christ, and our peace of mind and perspective.
Laodicea was a wealthy city with wealthy people. As such, they became lazy and "overly comfortable". They depended on their wealth, comfort, big ideas, and have a need for nothing. This adversely affects a number of things, all of which gets the Lord's attention, and appoints John to take a message to them. Jesus wants the church to remain faithful, loyal, and strong. But He has this against them; they didn't fulfill this obligation. Why? Because their perspectives and priorities were way off from where Christ needed them. They were so disgusting to Him, because they were so lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, that He said that He would vomit them out of His mouth. What happened is that they fell out of relationship with the Lord, neglected to win the lost, and began to wane in meaningful service. It became more of a social club than anything, and these vices still have sway in some churches today. This then raises a powerful, universal question today; do you resemble the characteristics of this church? Are you in relationship with the Lord? Are you laboring to win the lost? Do you serve others? Do you care?
The Church of Philadelphia is doing something right. In other words, it receives no criticism from the Lord Jesus Christ. However, that does not mean that things can change, so Jesus instructs them to hold fast until the day He returns. Jesus encourages them by infusing within them a very important truth; He holds the keys to the Kingdom, the Keys of David referenced in the days of the Old Testament. What He opens, no one can close, and what He closes, no one can open again. The world will try and knock your faith out of your hands and pull you away from God. Jesus warns them against the wiles of the Synagogue of Satan, which are comprised of the Pharisees, trying to undo the faith of Jews who have come to Christ, sowing doubts in their head and trying to re-incorporate works that Christ freed them from at the cross. Jesus is the ONLY provision from God, and He will dwell on earth with men for eternity.
Jesus exerts His authority as King and Lord, and gets tough with the Church of Sardis. Sardis is spiritually dead. It is unregenerate, void of the Holy Spirit, not prayerful, fails to accept nourishment from the Word of God, and a host of other big issues that God is seeking. In other words, they are way too tangled up with the world. Jesus brings these things to their attention, and mentions to them that if they do not repent, and they continue in this fashion, He will come again and they will not know what hit them. The word of warning that this sends to us today is that Jesus is NOT ONLY a loving savior and friend, He is the Lord of the earth, favored by God the Father and should have authority and dominion in your life and in the life of the church.
Our Special Guest Speaker this week, Bryan Revor, delivers a distinctly unique message regarding the Messianic nature of Jesus Christ's roots embedded in the Old Testament. Some things that have obscure meanings in the Old Testament are revealed in the New Testament. Chaplain Revor explains how the articles within the Ark of the Covenant were symbols of sin, why they were placed in the Ark to begin with and what that means. In this message, we also learn how, drawing from Hebrews chapter 9, Jesus Christ fulfills all of the dynamics of the old order of worship (going back to the order of Melchizedek recorded in Genesis chapter 14), and how He is the mediator of a new and different covenant, a covenant that continues to reach out to us this very day.
Former U.S. Navy Seal Michael Imhof returns to LFCC as special guest speaker, delivering a message on the Lordship of Jesus Christ. All too often, the very phrasing of saying "My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ" becomes so used in the Christian community, that it turns into just a mere slogan, or worse, falls into the danger of becoming a cliche. If you trust Christ to save you from your sins and through Him, reconcile yourself with God, then Jesus Christ is your Savior. However, Lordship has a very different meaning, one that is serious, larger than life, and important, so much so, that we as believers need to get this right if we are going to have a healthy faith, have dominion in our lives and surroundings, and have power over the enemy. This message serves as a great reference on the subject for anyone interested in digging deeper into it, as it is jam packed with scripture to form its overall point.
Special note: For more about Michael Imhof and his ministry, available resources, and mission, visit: https://michaelimhofministries.org/
When Jesus appeared to John, He had eyes like the flame of fire, hair white like wool, and feet like fine brass (as if brass was burning in a furnace). In other words, Jesus came to John with power, authority, and majesty. Dressed as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, John sends messages to seven major churches of which characteristics in today's church resonates. In the church of Thyatira, the church lost sight of what is important. You see, when Jesus addresses us, He sees the end result that He has designed for us. In other words, Christ sees our future, ruling and reigning with Him. The fundamental question is; are you thinking about that now? How you answer that question will reflect the state of your faith and your behavior in regards to that fact. Satan will always work to take our sins down to a deeper level, but Christ watches and observes how we handle that aspect (do we resist or give in) and how we depend on Him to help us overcome, as He is the only one with the adequate power to overcome. Jesus warns that He will make this church's life a living hell unless it repents (i.e. "cast into a sickbed"), and this truth remains relevant to many individuals in His church today. as Pastor Troy Billow explains in this message.