With apologies to Charles Dickens, the Christian ministry could be described as the best of jobs and the worst of jobs. It is indeed a high calling to be a minister of the Word of God. Ministers are subjected to criticism and scorn; they are belittled, viewed as oddballs, sometimes overworked, often under-appreciated. “We are the scum of the earth,” says Paul.
Read: Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are you when others . . . persecute you . . . on my account. (v. 11) “Blessing” and “persecution” don’t sound like they belong in
Read: Acts 6 They could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. (v. 10) The Greek word for “witness” is martys. Originally, a martyr was someone
Read: Matthew 13:1-9 He who has ears, let him hear. (v. 9) Every letter in Revelation 2–3 concludes with this: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
Read: Revelation 3:21-22; 12:10-17a [To] the one who conquers . . . as I also conquered. (v. 21) Seven times over in his letters to the churches the Lord makes promises
Read: Revelation 3:14-20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. (v. 20) If you remember any of the seven churches, you probably remember the one Jesus threatened to spit out
Read: Revelation 3:12-13 I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. (v. 12) The phrase “pillars of the church” calls up faces and voices out of my
Read: Revelation 3:7-11 Behold, I have set before you an open door. (v. 8) Of all the churches, this one seems to have been the Lord’s favorite. It’s the only church
Read: Revelation 3:5-7; 7:9-17 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments. (3:5) Revelation 7 describes the church in two different but equally dramatic ways. First is
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