What have you settled for?
Sunday, August 28
“What have you settled for?”
Revelation 3:14-22
Last week I covered a couple of adult classes and combined them, and we looked
at the beginning of the church and the rest we never got to. Those here took the
homeless study sheets to work on their own.
The aspects of the study with me. So the Holy Spirit rolled this into a message,
and so here we are.
The message is not that study, but the basis of it is.
Today's title is “What have you settled for?”
The original church had its location in Jerusalem. Its first Bishop was James, the
half-brother of Christ himself.
The spiritual roots Began at Pentecost when the promised coming of the Holy
Spirit came down. And. Tongues of fire upon the Apostles. They spoke in angels’
tongues recognized by. The many dialects verifying as such on that day.
Thousands of Jews from across. A broad expanse. Were there to celebrate the
Jewish festival of Pentecost.
The nations and areas represented would be: Greek, Latin, Arabic, Hebrew,
Parthonese, Akkadian, Persian, Phrygian, Coptic, Be bar, Citan, Crete, plus I'm sure
others too.
They were all in one accord, the birth of Christ Church with two-fold, the physical
and the spiritual.
As a result of this, the Pentecost saw over 3000 souls. Added to the roll call of
Heaven.
The non-Judaism and local then took their newfound faith with them to their
varying lands. And homes. And guess what? The Great Commission was now truly
underway.
The new face of Christianity, particularly in Jerusalem didn’t take long to be found
as a threat to the large Jewish population in Judaism.
Persecution pushed most of the Christians out of Jerusalem, which really had
another profound effect on evangelism, because now these exiles now share their
faith in the areas and countries they ended up at, and the Great Commission was
deepening in its strength.
The apostles chose to remain in Jerusalem, and James himself became the first
apostle martyred.
Jerusalem was the hub of the 1st century Evangelistic journeys and for the 1st
century church plants.
The Church of Jerusalem sent out men like Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Luke, John Mark,
Timothy, Titus, Apollos. To name, Identify and establish the locations of the new
church plants or satellites.
Being established in Pagan hotspots was not a matter of choice, everywhere they
went. The gospel was really a new thing to these cities.
Seven of the prominent. Early church work and are known as the Seven Churches
of Asia.
All were real, verified by the. Archaeological findings and all located in their day in
the southwest of modern-day Turkey.
These are the church plants of infancy found in the early. Chapters of Revelation
spoken too by Jesus and written down by John.
Looking northeast from Jerusalem, these are named in Revelation from left to
right in a semicircle.
These are: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sandis, Philadelphia, Laodicea.
The last two being the most recognized by many.
We are going to Take a look at these briefly 1 by 1.
As we do, I just have a feeling that Jesus in a way is questioning each one as to
“What they had settled for.”
A church can and likely does have area of strength and areas of weakness.
Is it spiritually healthy to settle for this? No.
Solomon wrote in Proverbs “Where there is no vision the people perish.”
A vision, a plan for the future, not settling for complacency, for mediocrity is what
a church has to do.
Complacency leads to indifference and that leads to mediocrity or worse.
James wrote “If you lack wisdom ask for it!”
Let’s add to that:
If we lack strength – Ask for it!
If we lack courage – Ask for it!
If we lack peace – Ask for it!
If we lack direction – Ask for it!
Listen what applies to the church also applies to us as an individual.
Do you have vision for the rest of your life?
Do you have direction, Do you have a plan?
Do you want to get better in your daily walk, Do you want to live your physical
and spiritual life with reason, purpose and whatever you do it well?
What is or are your goals?
If you have them. Are they realistic, are they attainable, are they possible?
What have you settled for?
Just getting through life and merely existing, hoping you’ll eek by again this week.
Are you settling for where you are in life physically, psychologically, and most
important spiritually.
Evaluate your life right now, are you satisfied? Are you where you want to be?
Are you confident your where God wants you to be?
Are you thinking or excusing the mediocrity indifference and complacency in your
life by offering perhaps well….
I lack Wisdom – Ask for it.
I lack Courage – Ask for it.
I lack peace – Ask for it.
I lack Direction – Ask for it.
And keep on asking!
Far too many 21 st Century church bodies and Christians make excuses instead of
making plans.
To many churches and Christians have settled for how things are or constantly
look back on the “Good Old Days” and how they were.
What are our goals, what is our vision as Jesus tarries.
I’m not settling for the crumbs that fall from my Father’s table and neither can
you.
Roseville Chapel is an embassy for our Father’s kingdom, we are his ambassadors
as such, our place is at the Kings table, eating of the finest things, not on the floor
because of our settling to be there.
As Christians we are a child of the King, our place is sitting at his table. By our co-
heir Jesus Christ as he as the Crown Prince sits at Father’s right hand.
If you are not sitting at the table, it’s because you have chosen not to.
Your or my choice of setting for a beggar’s place for crumbs is 100% our doing.
A church and a Christian can right this.
Determine to grow, to climb our of your status quo, we are better than where we
maybe, we can do it, I can do it, you can do it.
May we be the victorious church of Philadelphia and it’s people and if
lukewarmness is happening we can’t be a Laodicean, I won’t let us.
What have we and you settled for?