Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

The first three chapters in the Book of Revelation focus on Jesus’ messages to seven churches on earth. Now, in Revelation 4, a door opens in heaven and John is waved into a throne room where thunder rumbles and lightning flashes. 

Try picturing what John saw. In the middle of the room: a throne surrounded by a rainbow. A brightly lit person on the throne. 

In the same room: 24 more thrones, occupied by 24 elders. Four weird creatures guard the central throne. One is like a 6-winged lion; the others like a 6-winged ox, man, and eagle. This isn’t a picture I expect in the Bible. Sounds more like a movie about the Marvel Universe (or is it now a Multiverse), where weird supernatural creatures have weird supernatural powers.

In Revelation, these creatures say “Holy, holy, holy,”  and the 24 elders put their crowns on the ground and say, “You are worthy, Lord God, because you created everything.” 

John’s vision of heaven, his Marvel Universe, is rumbling and flashing, as he introduces us to the Biblical adventurers: God who reigns on his throne; the council of 24 elders who exercise power from their thrones; the winged creatures who stand on guard. 

The good guys in this adventure worship God, announcing the whole earth belongs to him, because he created it and its people. The rumbling from the throne suggests  that some mighty action is coming. Are there bad guys in this story? What will happen next? 

Let’s pray. 

Our father, the seven churches in Asia had serious problems. Jesus rebuked six for their sins and told them to make improvements.

But in heaven, things are more focused and better organized. Winged creatures and kingly elders worship the God who rules earth and heaven. 

We join them in worship. You created our marvelous universe. Billions of galaxies and trillions of stars in cold, dark, empty space. Our vanishingly small planet, powered by an inconspicuous star, inhabited by plants and animals and humans who share the goodness you designed. 

We are members of those messy churches Jesus rebuked. But we go with John into heaven’s throne room to see who is really in charge. Here we worship you and renew our faith. 

You, O God, reign over all forever. All praise to you!

Amen

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Ep354: Lukewarm. 

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

We’ve been looking at the Book of Revelation, at messages Jesus sent to seven churches in Asia. 

Here’s what he said to the church in Laodicea. 
  I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.
  I wish you were one or the other.
  So, because you are lukewarm, I’ll spit you out of my mouth.
     (Rev 3:15-16)

Interpreters find it simple and tempting to divide people in three categories: 

• You’re cold if you ignore God, and aren’t interested in what he wants.
• You’re hot if you’re gung ho for God, attending church, praying, and telling people about your faith. 
• You’re lukewarm if you’re moderately interested in God, but only when he doesn’t mess with your comfortable lifestyle.

Our pastors tell us, “If you don’t want Jesus to spit you out like chewing gum, light a fire under your lukewarmness!”

This approach to spiritual temperature has a weakness. It disregards the solution Jesus gave.  
To lukewarm Christians who say,
    “I am rich; I don’t need anything”,
Jesus says:
  Not so. You are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
      You need to buy my gold refined in the fire to make you rich,
      You need to buy my white clothes to cover your nakedness. 
      You need to buy my salve to heal your eyes so you can see (Rev 3:17-18).  

Jesus doesn’t recommend a program of busyness and good works to make you a hot Christian. His idea is to go shopping for his gold, clothes, and eye medicine. 

What currency do you think Jesus will accept for these purchases? US dollars? Pounds? Bitcoin? Jesus says, 
   I stand at your door and knock.
  If you hear my voice and open the door,
      I will come in and share your supper (Rev 3:20).

That’s Jesus’ solution lukewarmness. But how do you find money for the next step, to purchase his gold, and clothes, and medicine? 

Perhaps Jesus is saying, “Start again at the beginning. Listen to me knock, invite me in, share your tomato soup and toasted cheese sandwich with me.” 

Let’s pray. 

O Jesus, it seems you are less interested in measuring spiritual temperature than in growing a relationship with us. 

We feel your sharp criticism of our lukewarmness and complacency and self-interest. We feel your disgust that wants to spit us out. 

But we hear you knocking at our door. Come in. Share our meal. Teach us how to acquire the rich gold of godly relationships, the white clothes of purity, the medicine that will open our eyes to the truth. 

Amen

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

We’ve been looking at the Book of Revelation, at messages Jesus sent to seven churches in Asia. 

Jesus warns them about things they’ve got wrong. He gives them advice on how to do better, and promises a reward if they are faithful. 

Today let’s look at the rewards. 

If the church in Ephesus returns to their first love, Jesus promises they will eat from the tree of life in God’s paradise (Rev 2:4,7). It’s almost like Jesus is saying, “Here’s your chance to unmake Adam and Eve’s bad decision, and eat fruit from the right tree this time.” Inviting, isn’t it?

Then to the church in Smyrna, Jesus says, “If you are faithful through persecution, I will give you the crown of life” (Rev 2:10). 

Jesus told the church in Pergamum that if they repent of false teachings, he will give them hidden manna and a white stone with a new name on it, known only to those who receive it (Rev 2:16-17). 

I wonder what my white stone will say. I often call myself “incompetent” or “failure” or “slow to understand”. Perhaps Jesus will erase the memory of these names, and call me “faithful” or “honorable”. 

Jesus encourages the fourth church, Thyatira, to do his will to the end. “I will give you authority over the nations,” he said, “and I will give you the morning star” (Rev 2:26).

Not sure I want authority over nations. Most of them are a mess. But I do like the mornings when Venus is visible in the east before sunrise. Would the morning star be mine if Jesus gave it to me? 

Jesus tells the Sardis church to wake up and show some signs of life. If they do, they will walk with him dressed in white robes (Rev 3:1-5). I’d like that: abandoning my dirty laundry, my clothes frayed and stained from a life of struggle. I would walk with Jesus in white. 

Jesus promised the Philadelphia church he will write on them the name of God, the name of the city of God, and Jesus’ own new name (Rev 3:11-12). Now that would give me a new identity: stamped with the name of my new home in God’s city, and the name of the Savior I have long loved and served.  

If the last church, Laodicea, repents of being lukewarm, Jesus promised they can sit with him on his throne (Rev 3:15,21). 

Here’s a quick review of Jesus’ promises to churches and people that stay the course.
– They get new food–hidden manna and fruit from the tree of life.
– They get a new identity–a new name, written on a white stone.
– They get new clothes and a new journey–to walk with Jesus, dressed in white.
– They get a new job–to sit with Jesus on his throne and rule nations.
– They get a new possession–the morning star. 

Let’s pray. 

O Jesus, I don’t know where the imagery ends and the reality begins in the gifts you promise. 

But I love your plan to make everything new. To replace the painful circumstances of our current life with the glorious kingdom of God. A new menu, new clothes, a new job, a new identity.

Help us live into this hope. To cast off lies and idols. To learn and live in the truth. To value and practice righteousness. To put on our heavenly identity while we are still dressed in these charity shop clothes of earth. 

Amen

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

In John’s vision at the beginning of Revelation, Jesus appears in royal robes with a sword in his mouth. He had messages for seven churches, located in ancient Asia. That’s where western Turkey is today.

Jesus praises each church for its good deeds. Then, like using the sword in his mouth, he delivers warnings. 

The first church is Ephesus. Jesus commended them for hard work, endurance in hardship, and for rejecting false apostles. Then he delivered this warning: You have forsaken your first love. Repent, or I will remove your lampstand (Rev 2:4-5). 

It’s an odd statement, You have forsaken your first love. Is that like getting a divorce? Or is Jesus complaining that they no longer have the intensity and focus of their first love for him?  

“First love” may have two meanings. One is first in time, like a Hollywood coming-of-age story where a young couple meet and fall madly in love. The other meaning of first love is, You’ve changed your priorities. What you should love first and most, you’ve bumped to second place. You’re messing up! 

So which “first love” does Jesus mean? 

I don’t think he is calling Ephesus back to the early intensity of a Hollywood-type romance. When I was young in the faith, I was in love with Jesus for a few wonderful months. I was full of spiritual intensity and warm feelings, in love with God, rejoicing in his presence. 

Do you think I created that experience by meditating and praying and working for God? Or was my experience of love a gift God gave me to draw me further into relationship with him? 

Is a mature marriage marked by the same intense feelings as first love? Of course not. For most of us the early passion is replaced by a lifetime of trust and goodwill, a more settled state of affairs.

I think Jesus’ criticism of Ephesus is that, in the long hard work of following him, they misplaced their priorities and diluted their affections. They worked hard for Jesus, but they forgot to cultivate love for him. 

I have a similar problem. I find it much easier to do something concrete like write a script or walk the dog, than to pray or to reflect on whether I have a heart of love for Jesus. Especially if he doesn’t give me warm feelings of intimacy and relationship and peace like I’ve had in the past.

Let’s pray. 

Jesus, we hear your invitation to review our loves and to renew our first love. 

I remember the intensity of youthful love, but I can hardly repeat that at my age. In the busyness of church and work and life and family, my love for you becomes distant and diminished.

Today, I give you my heart again. Renew my love for you. May it grow larger than my other loves. May my work today not be a substitute for lost love, but an expression of a love ever growing and renewing.

Amen. 

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube