{"id":1409,"date":"2011-10-16T08:00:42","date_gmt":"2011-10-16T00:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=1409"},"modified":"2022-04-07T19:26:32","modified_gmt":"2022-04-07T11:26:32","slug":"42-listen-to-what-the-spirit-is-saying-to-the-churches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=1409","title":{"rendered":"42. Listen to What the Spirit Is Saying to the Churches"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reflections on a Pauline Pilgrimage to Turkey [9]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches<\/span>.<\/em><\/strong>\u201d [Revelation 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22<\/span>].<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

[1]\u00a0Locations of the Seven Churches of Revelation in western Turkey. [2]\u00a0Ruins of Smyrna Agora. [3] Pergamum ruins.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

In a Pauline pilgrimage like ours, it was such a blessing that we could visit the sites of all the seven churches of Revelation. Within the time that we had, it was inevitable that we could not spend very much time in all the locations. In each case, however, no matter how hard pressed for time we might be, we made it a point to at least pause for a while, read the relevant message from chapters two and three of the Book of Revelation, and did some quiet reflection.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those messages paint for us the characteristics of the seven churches of God that will exist in the end of the age. They contain serious reprimands and dire warnings<\/a> of severe correction of the elect of God by Jesus Christ. And each of the seven messages ends with the following admonition: \u201cHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches<\/em><\/strong>\u201d [Revelation 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22].<\/span><\/p>\n

To the question \u201cAre the warnings to Revelation\u2019s Seven Churches relevant to us today?\u201d, the answer is a definitive \u201cyes\u201d. St Paul hit the bull\u2019s eye when he wrote to Timothy: \u201cAll Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness\u201d [2 Timothy 3:16]. If anything, a pilgrimage heightens one\u2019s spiritual sensitivity. It is so much easier to grieve over the sins of the world, beginning with one\u2019s own. In the present situation in which the Church finds itself, plagued as it is by immense crises, we put ourselves in serious peril if we still refuse to listen to what the Spirit is saying.<\/span><\/p>\n

We have so far covered three of the seven churches named in Revelations 1-3. The remaining four do not get a mention outside of the Book of Revelations.\u00a0 There is, then, no record of St Paul having been to any of these four ancient cities. We now take a quick look at what the Spirit is saying to these four churches.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Church in Smyrna<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Amongst the seven churches of Revelation, the Church in Smyrna is <\/span>the church that will suffer persecution<\/em> [2:8-11].<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Lord knows that there are elects in Smyrna who try to do things right. Their faith will be severely tested, meeting crushing tribulations and real destitution, and some suffering imprisonment and even martyrdom. There are others who claim to belong to the group of converts, but in truth they belong to Satan. They will cause internal strife. Yet the Lord calls for perseverance in faith and promises thus: \u201cBe faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life\u201d [Rev 2:10].<\/span><\/p>\n