Revelation 2:20 (ESV)But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.Tolerance sounds virtuous in our world. We’re told to accept everything and judge nothing. But the kind of tolerance Jesus confronts in Thyatira isn’t acceptance; it’s apathy...  Read More

Revelation 2:19 (ESV)I know your deeds, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.The church in Thyatira was known for its love, faith, and good works. They were passionate, active, and compassionate. But Jesus wasn’t just measuring activity; He was measuring purity. Their love had grown, but their holiness had weakened. It’s possible to be ...  Read More

James 4:6God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.Pergamum was called “the throne of Satan,” and that throne was built on pride. Pride was Satan’s downfall—he said, “I will ascend, I will exalt, I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13–14). That same spirit was alive in Pergamum: pride in knowledge, pride in power, pride in idolatry. Pride always leads to compromise, because it conv...  Read More

Revelation 2:17Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.After the stern warnings, Jesus gives Pergamum a breathtaking promise. To those who remain faithful, He offers “hidden manna” and “a wh...  Read More

Revelation 2:16Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.The call to Pergamum was clear: repent. They couldn’t keep tolerating compromise in their midst. Jesus didn’t suggest a gradual shift or a long-term plan of improvement. He gave an urgent command. Repentance isn’t simply feeling sorry; it’s a decisive turn away from sin and ba...  Read More

Revelation 2:15Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.If Balaam represents compromise for personal gain, the Nicolaitans represent compromise for cultural acceptance. They taught that Christians didn’t need to fully separate from the practices of paganism—that you could mix a little of Jesus with a little of the world and still be fine. Their message was one of b...  Read More

Revelation 2:14Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality.The story of Balaam is a sobering reminder of how easily faith can be compromised when personal gain is on the table. Hired by Balak, king of Moab, Balaam...  Read More

Revelation 2:13bYou did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.In the midst of Pergamum’s darkness, one name stands out: Antipas. He is called “my faithful witness.” That’s the same title Jesus uses for Himself in Revelation 1:5. Think about that—Christ honors Antipas by sharing His own title with him...  Read More

Revelation 2:13I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.Pergamum was not an easy place to be a Christian. It was the capital city of Asia Minor, filled with temples to Zeus, Asclepius, Dionysus, and even emperor wo...  Read More

James 1:12Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.Throughout Scripture, two different kinds of crowns are mentioned. One is the diadem, the jeweled crown of kings and rulers, symbolizing power and political authority. The other is the stephanos, the victor’s crown—a wov...  Read More

Romans 8:18I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.The believers in Smyrna lived under constant threat. They faced poverty, slander, imprisonment, and even death for their faith in Christ. To them, following Jesus wasn’t about comfort—it was about conviction. Their pastor, Polycarp, would eventually be martyred for refusing to deny ...  Read More

Hebrews 12:1–2Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.Polycarp was the pastor of the church in Smyrna and a disciple of the Apostle John. History records that he was ar...  Read More

Revelation 2:10Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.The promise to Smyrna wasn’t wealth, safety, or ease. It was life. Jesus points beyond the pain to Himself as the reward. The crown mentioned here isn’t a diadem of royalty but a stephanos—a victor’s wreath given to athletes who finished the race. Smyrna, known for its games, would have understo...  Read More

Revelation 2:10Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.Fear is a natural reaction when we hear about suffering. Smyrna was told plainly: prison, persecution, even death awaited them. Yet th...  Read More

Revelation 2:9I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.Jesus doesn’t speak to Smyrna from a distance. He says, “I know your afflictions.” He sees their wounds, their poverty, their slander. That word “know” is intimate—He doesn’t just observe their pain, He enters into it with them. ...  Read More

Revelation 2:8To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.When Jesus introduces Himself to the church at Smyrna, He doesn’t begin with their suffering. He begins with His identity: the First and the Last. Before there was persecution, before there were emperors, before there were even churches, He was there. ...  Read More

 Revelation 2:7 (NKJV)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.The final step in returning to our first love is witnessing. When you first gave your life to Christ, you couldn’t keep quiet. You told friends, family, even strangers what Jesus had done for you. Tha...  Read More

Psalm 119:103 (NKJV)How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!The second step in returning to our first love is coming back to the Word of God. Scripture is more than ink on a page; it is God’s voice, His love letter to us. When we open the Bible, we are not just reading — we are encountering the heart of God. The more we know Him through His Word, the more our love for ...  Read More

John 4:23 (NKJV)But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.When Jesus told the Ephesian church to return, He was calling them back to the practices that kept their love alive. The first of those is worship. Worship is not just singing songs — it is intimacy with God. It’s our way of saying,...  Read More

Acts 3:19 (NIV)Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.Repentance is not a word most people get excited about. Too often we hear it and think of shame, guilt, or judgment. But in Scripture, repentance is not about punishment — it’s about renewal. To repent literally means “to change your mind.” It’s the decision to stop hea...  Read More

Revelation 2:5a (NKJV)Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works…The first step back to intimacy with Jesus is remembering. Before He calls the Ephesian church to repent or return, Jesus tells them to remember. Why? Because memory has a way of reigniting affection. When we look back at where we started, when we recall the joy of our salvation, the gratitude of bei...  Read More

Revelation 2:4 (NKJV)Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.Losing your first love doesn’t usually happen in a single moment. It’s not a dramatic rejection of God, but a slow drift of the heart. Just like a boat that isn’t anchored will quietly slip farther from shore, our souls can gradually drift away from intimacy with Jesus while still looking steady on the su...  Read More

Revelation 2:2–3 (NKJV)I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.The church in Ephesus had an impressive résumé. They worked hard, stood firm in persecuti...  Read More

Acts 2:1When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.The atmosphere of heaven is not something we only experience in eternity. God has given us glimpses of it here on earth. On the Day of Pentecost, the believers were united in worship and prayer, and the presence of God fell in power. Their praise shifted from the natural to the supernatural, and thousands ...  Read More