Jesus gave the church at Laodicea probably the most famous rebuke of all times, “I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” As we talked about two weeks ago he used an analogy that they were familiar with. He said, “I could wish you were cold or hot so then because you are...
A few weeks ago, I was with a friend just after his father passed away. Another friend lost her grandmother, a third had a cousin that unexpectedly and tragically died. In the middle of these losses in the lives of my friends, one of the pastors from my teen years went home to be with...
Jesus’ final message to the churches of Asia Minor contain two of His most famous but most misunderstood and misused statements of the entire letter. He told the church at Laodicea, “I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My...
In Revelation 3:10 Jesus tells the church at Philadelphia that because they have persevered, He would “keep” them “from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” Much discussion has been made about this verse; about its implications in light of the return of...
This month at Connections we had the joy of hearing from Joanne Ellis-Dileo. Joanne leads the Thursday night praise service at the Beverly Presbyterian Church with her husband Tom. A mom, stepmom, and grandmom, she is passionate about God‘s presence, His Word, and His people. Visually impaired since 2001, she is grateful for the people...
In Revelation 3:7-13, Jesus sends a message to the church in Philadelphia. He does three specific things in the message; He reminds them of His sovereignty, He acknowledges their perseverance and He promises them His protection. In their weakness, they have held onto their faith and lived faithful to His name, even while facing great...
This month our speaker at Connections was Melissa Kulynych. Check out the audio recording of her message on “Hope and Grace at Christmas: Reflections from Luke…The Beginning of the Nativity Story” below
Have you ever bitten into a piece of fruit that looked to be ripe and ready to eat only to find that it was soft, sour or simply spoiled? At best it’s disappointing, but at its worst it can be sickening. In Revelation 3, Jesus spoke to the church in Sardis saying, “you have a...
Have you ever wondered why it’s so important to resist Satan and reject sin? Usually we talk about this in terms of avoiding punishment. We tell people not to sin so that they won’t go to hell, face punishment or be judged by God. Even in the practical sense we try to explain the dangers...
Leadership coach Mary Marshall wrote, “You become what you tolerate.” What we make room for eventually takes over. In our passage, Jesus sent a message to the leaders of the church at Thyatira rebuking them for tolerating a sinful person that was teaching a dangerous doctrine. Once again, we are faced with a church that...
