The Spirit Among the Churches

Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22

The Spirit among the Churches

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.[1]

T

he Spirit speaks: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Each Christian is responsible to heed the call of the Spirit. Who has an ear? Each member of the church is responsible to be sensitive to the Spirit’s voice. Do you hear the Spirit speaking within the church? Have you heard what the Spirit is saying to us as a congregation?

Such questions raise the issue of how the Spirit speaks. Though some professing Christians make unverified and unverifiable claims to have heard God speaking to them, I am nevertheless convinced that God does speak to His people. This is not to suggest that we Christians hear voices or that we receive verbal communications that others cannot hear, but I am certain that God does speak—through His Word and through His servants.

During a message delivered several weeks past, I cited Isaiah 30:21. That verse points forward to a day when God’s people would be guided by and warned by the Spirit. Your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. This is a promise that the Spirit Himself will guide God’s holy people; that whenever God’s people deviate from the path of righteousness, the Spirit will warn them. That passage serves as a divine promise of spiritual guidance through the voice of the Spirit of God; it anticipates this present day. God promises that through His Word and through those who provide instruction from the Word that the Spirit of God will speak to His people ensuring that the will of God is clearly revealed.

I invite you to now consider with me the Word of God, especially that portion of the Word where John pens the words of the Risen Son of God admonishing all who claim the Name of Jesus to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Focus with me as we consider that repeated phrase so that we can hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

What Does the Spirit Say? He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. New Testament readers have heard this formulaic expression before. Jesus used this identical admonition. Mark cites Jesus as saying, He who has ears to hear, let him hear [Mark 4:9, 23]. Luke and Matthew record the same statement [Luke 8:8; Matthew 13:43]. The formula is also used by Ezekiel [Ezekiel 3:27]. When Jesus used this expression, He identified His teaching with the words of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

The saying is rooted in a passage from Isaiah that Jesus quoted [Matthew 13:9-17]. Focus on the commission the Prophet Isaiah received, which is recorded in Isaiah 6:9, 10. God said, Go, and say to this people: “ Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.” Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed. Isaiah’s words are similar to sayings found in Jeremiah’s writings [Jeremiah 5:21] and also in the prophecy of Ezekiel [Ezekiel 12:2].

In addition to the passages cited, the warning to heed the Spirit occurs also in Hebrews 3:7-11, where we read, Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,

“Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,

on the day of testing in the wilderness,

where your fathers put me to the test

and saw my works for forty years.

Therefore I was provoked with that generation,

and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;

they have not known my ways.”

This is a prophetic formula. The words identify the message as prophetic—God is addressing mankind. There is something further that is extremely important to note. This warning from God is telling us that there will be a mixed audience as the words of the Spirit are delivered. Therefore, not all present will understand what is being said.

Whenever I preach, whenever I deliver the Word of God, I know that there are likely to be among us those who have yet to submit to Christ as Lord. Perhaps these listeners have accepted rites presented among the churches without acknowledging the Lord of the church. Perhaps they are inquirers, longing to know what God has to say. Perhaps they are antagonistic. Whatever their reason for being present, they cannot hear unless that Spirit opens their ears and permits them to understand the things of God.

The call of the text is a divine plea to open the mind, to open the heart in order to understand what God is saying. It one is willing to receive the words of God, the Spirit of God will open his or her mind to understand what is meant. There is, in Paul’s first Corinthian letter, a powerful statement that is worthy of consideration now.

Among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,

nor the heart of man imagined,

what God has prepared for those who love him”—

these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ [1 Corinthians 2:6-16].

The message is delivered, the Word is given, but it is individualised so that each person is responsible to receive the Word and to act on the Word. Another cannot believe for you; you must act as an individual. Someone has aptly said that God has no grandchildren. We must each believe, or we shall surely each remain condemned. We are also each responsible for the manner in which we handle the truths of God’s Word. Either we will employ that Word wisely, or we will squander the divine instruction.

So, the Word is delivered, and now each of us is responsible for what we do with that divine Word. Each of the Churches of Asia received this admonition; each received the call to consider how they were living. Return to your first love, remember where you once stood and repent of your sin [Revelation 2:5]. Be faithful even to the point of death [Revelation 2:10b]. Repent of your careless attitude [Revelation 2:16]. Hold fast what you now have [Revelation 2:25]. Remember what God has committed to you [Revelation 3:3]. Hold on to the hope of Christ’s return [Revelation 3:11b]. Submit fully to the reign of Christ as Lord, stop playing church [Revelation 3:20].

These words have no meaning to the untaught. If one has never enjoyed the love of God, he or she cannot return to that love. Years ago preachers urged people to “rededicate” their lives to Christ. As a young Christian, I heard that call repeatedly. However, I knew intuitively that one could not rededicate what has never been dedicated. Once one’s life has been dedicated, it is unnecessary to rededicate it. It is vital to remember our first love—to remember the first days when the Faith was new.

The excitement of the Faith should not fade. I chaired an interdenominational evangelistic crusade in New Westminster many years ago. Walking through the inquiry room, I overheard a prominent minister of that city “counselling” a young man. That young man said, “I’m so excited! I feel so free now that I have believed.” That minister patted him on the shoulder and said, “There, there, you’ll get over that.”

I exploded at that wicked statement and interjected myself into the conversation. “Don’t listen to him!” I exclaimed to the young man. “You should never get over the excitement of your first love. Don’t let that man steal your joy and excitement!”

We need to encourage one another to remain faithful to the calling we have received. There are some things worse than death. Cowardice is far worse than death. God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control [2 Timothy 1:7]. It is far worse to become the reason that someone turns away from the Faith [see Matthew 18:6]. Consider how you live and refuse to permit your life to become an obstacle to your children, to your friends, or to your colleagues. How many people stumble into Hell, excusing their refusal to receive Christ as Lord because of the laxness of a professed saint! Don’t permit your life become an excuse for another to be condemned.

Do not permit yourself to become careless in conduct of your life. Do not become careless in the manner in which you represent the holy cause of Christ and do not compromise with evil. Watch your life and your doctrine. Read the Word and spend time with Christ in prayer. Don’t permit yourself to be squeezed into the mould of this dying world, but rather model righteousness and godliness in the way in which you live.

Remain true to the Faith; don’t become a cultural Christian. There is no difference between the cultural Christian and the open atheist, except for a matter of degree. There is no practical difference in eternal results resulting from the actions of a virulent Islamic jihadist and the actions of a cultural Christian. Know what you believe and know why you believe it. Don’t merely profess the Word, but live the Word.

Work at being godly. Do not permit yourself to fall into the trap of thinking that you honour God through a witness so silent that no one notices. The words of the Risen Son of God should strike fear in the heart of professing Christians who think that through silent lives they can change the world. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead [Revelation 3:1]. We are responsible both to live godly lives and to speak the truth.

Live in the hope of Christ’s return. The anticipation of His imminent Coming will encourage and purify the heart. How precious is God’s promise in 1 John 3:2, 3. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. Living in anticipation of Christ’s momentary return, the child of God will not permit himself or herself to fall into the trap of thinking that how he or she lives is of no consequence. Look for His return and permit that vibrant expectation to transform your life. Serve God and look for His return.

Whatever else you may do, do not allow yourself to become lukewarm. If you intend to be a cold Christian, be thoroughly chilled. If you will honour God, however, let your life blaze with the glory of the Lord of Glory. Burn brightly for His Name’s sake. We have quite enough Sunday morning Christians in this congregation to suffice for all time. What is needed for this day are Christians who are ablaze with fervent love.

These are the messages that the Spirit of God still delivers to the churches. Outsiders who have never known Christ will think these messages foolish. Those who have never known the power of the Spirit will find them impossible to obey. Those who are intent on doing things in their own way, ignoring the leadership of the Spirit, will find themselves mired in the swamp of human despair. Only those who are born from above, walking in the Spirit and submitted to the Word will hear the message of the Spirit.

Do you have an ear? I trust that you do have an ear and that you will hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Though He speaks to the individual heart, He speaks most clearly among the churches and through the Word as it is taught and as it is practised by the people of God. Those of His people who walk with Him and who heed His voice will hear Him speaking through the ministry of the people and through the Word as it is preached and as it is taught within the church. Those who seek God will clearly hear the voice of the Spirit calling them to repentance and faith in the Risen Son of God.

How Does One Hear What the Spirit is Saying? Whenever the writers of Scripture penned the books that became the Canon of Scripture, they wrote by the Spirit of God. Near the end of life David claimed, the Spirit of the Lord speaks by me; his word is on my tongue [2 Samuel 23:2]. He claimed that the Spirit of God spoke through Him. Peter, also, understood that the Spirit of God spoke through David, for when he led the nascent church to seek out an Apostle to replace Judas he cited David’s writing with these words, Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus [Acts 1:16].

In his second epistle, Peter expands this marvellous truth. There, he affirms that no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit [2 Peter 1:21]. This pointed affirmation is nothing less than an iteration of the words with which he prefaced the first Spirit-filled sermon of the Faith. In his Pentecostal message, Peter boldly asserts to the Jews listening to his message, what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He thus fulfilled [Acts 3:18].

This excursus demonstrates a truth that we know quite well, a truth we readily confess—the Spirit of God speaks through the words of the Book. God’s Spirit gave those who wrote Scripture the words that comprise our Bible. It was the Spirit of God Who superintended the writers of Scripture to ensure that they made no error in what was presented as Scripture. He has given to us this Bible, a perfect treasure that reveals the mind of God, and this Word is to be received as the Word of God, which is truly is.

As the child of God speaks the truth of God, relaying the message of the Word to the world, it is the Spirit of God speaking through that Christian. There is a precious promise that I now commend to you. Jesus was sending His disciples out on their first evangelistic sweep through Israel. He prepared them for their task by teaching them. Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you [Matthew 10:16-20].

I am quite certain that these instructions to rely on the Spirit of God to speak through disciples holds true to this day. The identical comment is made concerning the witness of disciples at the close of the age. In Mark 13:9-11 Jesus warned all who would be counted as disciples. Be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

Spirit-filled Christians speak the Word of God with boldness [see Acts 4:31]. An example of such Spirit-filled speech is revealed through the power of Stephen’s words as he faced the angry mob that would ultimately take his life through stoning. In Acts 6:10, we read that they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

We may be confident, therefore, that the Spirit of God speaks through this written Word. We may be equally certain that the Spirit of God speaks through the witness of His preachers and His evangelists and His missionaries as they declare the Word of God with boldness and with power. However, what of us who are simply children of the Living God? What of us who have not received appointment as pastors and teachers? Can we be used by the Spirit of God? Have we a promise of His working through us?

I find a verse in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church that is especially enlightening for me. Paul assures us that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit [1 Corinthians 12:3]. Even the simple affirmation, “Jesus is Lord,” is superintended by the Holy Spirit.

There is power in the affirmations of the Faith. This is the reason that your baptism, the stand you take when you openly identify with the Lord, is so very important. This is the reason that uniting with the congregation, openly identifying as a part of a local assembly, is such a powerful witness to others. This is the reason that your confession that Jesus is Master of your life has power beyond anything you might have ever imagined. Your confession, your identification, your union with His people, has power to change lives and to glorify Christ the Lord. Don’t think that because you are not a preacher you have no power. The Spirit of God lives in you and empowers you.

Let’s unpack what has been learned so far, making some immediate applications. We know that God’s Spirit speaks through the Bible, which is the written Word of God. How can we know the will of God? His will is clearly revealed in the Bible. Samuel Clements spoke a great truth when he said, “It ain't the parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.”[2]

The Bible is the most purchased book in Canada today—and it is the least read book in Canada today. Perhaps the reason the Bible is not read is that people are fearful of what they might read. This Book is to a mirror for the soul [see James 1:22-25]. Reading the Word of God reveals the poverty of soul that afflicts me as a fallen creature. Such exposure is painful. However, just as a physician must excruciatingly debride burnt skin to promote healing and to avoid painful scarring, so that Spirit of God through the Word of God removes the encrustation of sin so that the beauty of Christ’s new work will be more clearly revealed as the child of God grows in grace and knowledge of the Lord.

Likewise, as the one proclaiming the Word studies the Word in order to explain it, we are able to hear the Spirit speaking. It is not that the man of God is divine, but the message that is given through study of the Word and through prayerful meditation on the Word is superintended by the Spirit of God so that it accomplishes what God desires. When Paul preached to the Thessalonians, He attested that the Spirit spoke through Him. We also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers [1 Thessalonians 2:13].

I am not claiming that every sermon is the voice of God speaking, but I do insist that as the preacher submits to the leadership of the Spirit the voice of the Spirit is heard. The preacher becomes but God’s trombone, presenting the rich melody of the Spirit. I am not claiming that the preacher is infallible, but I do insist that the message of life draws power from the source of the message—the Word of God. In the degree that the message delivered is true to the Word of God, it enjoys the power of the Spirit. Where the message deviates from the Word of God, it sacrifices power. When you hear a message and you are convicted of the manner of your life or when you determine that you will submit to the Word of God in order to transform your life, the Spirit has spoken.

In the same way, when you permit the Spirit of God to direct your life—when you align your life with the Word of God, when you submit to the revealed will of God, when you endeavour to live a righteous life, and when you speak the truth before others—the Spirit of God speaks through you. It is not merely that you do what is right, but others see that what you are doing is of God and God is glorified through you. As you speak of Christ, refusing to condone wickedness, affirming what is good and pure, God speaks through you, and those hearing you glorify Christ as they confess that you are right.

Take this message home. People hear the Spirit of God through the Word of God—through the lives and through the words of those who walk by the Spirit of God. This is a significant message! This is a powerful message! This is a liberating message!

To Whom Does the Spirit Speak? This brings us to the final issue I wish to deal with. To whom does the Spirit speak? Notice the text—Hear what the Spirit says to the churches. God’s Spirit does speak to individuals, but the Spirit especially speaks to the churches.

Other than conviction of sin and a call to faith in the Son of God, it is greatly to be doubted that any individual has ever received a significant communication from the Spirit while isolated from the Body of Christ—and that call was issued through the churches. However gifted an individual may be, however spiritually insightful that individual may appear to be, no one isolating himself or herself from the Body of Christ will ever accomplish anything of lasting significance for the cause of Christ.

Paul and Barnabas were sent out by the First Baptist Church of Antioch when they first penetrated the strongholds of Satan that had been long established in Pisidia, in Pamphylia and in Cilicia. Paul was a missionary of the Antioch church on each subsequent missionary tour. The Antioch congregation was the church to which Paul reported at the conclusion of each mission, and this was the assembly that dispatched him to Jerusalem to consult with that congregation concerning the message of life. Apparently, Paul was convinced that he was responsible to be identified with a congregation and under the authority of that same assembly. I suggest to you that much of Paul’s power derives from his willing submission to the will of God in this matter.

When he believed the message of life, Paul was baptised in Damascus by Ananias [see Acts 9:18-22]. When he found it necessary to depart Damascus because of the threat of death and the danger his presence brought to other Christians, he went to Jerusalem, where he attempted to join the disciples [Acts 9:26]. Already, as a young Christian, Paul was exhibiting the conviction that he should openly unite with God’s people wherever he lived. Unfortunately, the Apostle was shortly compelled to also flee Jerusalem. He wound up in Tarsus, and though we do not know whether he affiliated with the Christians in that city, we do know that Barnabas sought him out in Tarsus and brought him to Antioch where he did openly unite with the believers [Acts 11:25, 26].

All this points out the obvious—Paul’s great power in delivering the message of God results in great measure from full submission to the revealed will of God. Salvation leads to obedience in all things. Those who are saved are to be baptised. Salvation precedes baptism, just as birth precedes growth. All who have been baptised are commanded to unite with a New Testament church that and in that church, the disciple is to be instructed in the Word of God. This is the order set out in the Great Commission: make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you [Matthew 28:19, 20].

The Spirit of God speaks among the churches and He speaks within the churches. Where the Word of God is taught and where the Word of God is proclaimed, there the Spirit speaks. The messages that the Spirit of God delivered through John when he was exiled to Patmos were not messages to individual Christians, though individual Christians were responsible to hear what was said and to act according to the will of the Spirit.

The Spirit of God called the church in Ephesus to remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first [Revelation 2:5]. The church in Smyrna was admonished to be unafraid of what they were about to suffer and to be faithful unto death [Revelation 2:10]. The message to the Pergamum church was to repent, or else [Revelation 2:16]. The church in Thyatira was encouraged to hold fast what you have until the Lord should come [Revelation 2:25]. The church in Sardis was warned to wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die [Revelation 3:2]. The Philadelphian church was to hold fast what they had [Revelation 3:11]. And the Laodicean church was counselled to become either hot or cold instead of settling for being lukewarm [Revelation 3:15].

These messages to the churches of Asia are what conscientious students of the Word would rightly refer to as old-fashioned revival messages. They are pointed declarations from the Risen Son of God to do what honours Him, to obey Him, to walk worthy of His Name. These messages are still the Word spoken by the Spirit to this day. Just so, I must believe that the Spirit of God also speaks to us as a congregation.

Have you heard the Spirit speaking? Do you now hear the voice of the Spirit? Are you as ardent for the Faith as you were when you first believed? Repent and return to your first love. Have you experienced testing because of your Faith? Be faithful to Christ who loved you and gave Himself for you. Have you begun to tolerate just a little bit of evil, and especially just a little bit of evil within the congregation? Repent. Do you compromise the message of the Word in order to have peace with evil men? The Spirit encourages you to hold fast what you have. Christ shall return in a very short while.

Do you find that we have a reputation for being alive when in fact we are dead? Wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die! Remember what you received and heard, for it is of the Spirit. Do you stand before the door that Christ has opened and hesitate to pass through? Are you fearful to reach out because there isn’t enough money or because there aren’t enough people? Hear the Spirit and hold fast what you have. Have you become lukewarm? Are you relying on your own strength? On your ability? On your wisdom? The Spirit calls you to find true riches—the riches of Christ’s presence and to now revel in the treasures of His Word.

The Spirit of God is speaking to the churches, and especially He speaks to this church. I do not doubt that some will take the message personally—I pray that is true. Know that when the Spirit speaks to the churches that it is the individuals who make up those same churches who must respond. Know that as the Spirit works among the churches He calls those who make up the churches to act individually and collectively.

What is the Spirit saying to us as a congregation? What is the Spirit saying to you as one somebody? I know that the Spirit calls us to receive Christ as Lord. Have you done this? This is the day in which to confess Him as Master of life. The Word of God promises that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. God, through His holy Word likewise promises that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved [Romans 10:9, 10, 13]. Perhaps the Spirit calls you to openly confess Jesus as Saviour and as Lord of life. Do so now.

Does the Spirit call you to openly identify as one who submits to Christ the Lord? Those who are saved are called to identify with the Lord Jesus in baptism. We are to openly confess our death to sin and our resurrection to life through burial in water and through being raised up out of the water. If you have believed the message of life, you are responsible to obey the Master who gives life by receiving baptism as a believer.

Has the Spirit called you to unite with this congregation? He speaks to the churches and not to the individual. Why would anyone among us refuse to obey Christ the Lord and hold herself or himself apart from the people of God? Come, commit yourself to honouring the Lord through uniting with the church, even today.

Those who are convicted to openly confess specific sin should do so quickly so that fellowship will result. Those who are led to seek forgiveness should do so now. Each one willing to heed the Spirit’s voice and to walk righteously should do so now. Come, now, as we stand and as we sing. Come, to the glory of God. Amen.

Each of the Churches of Asia received this admonition. Each received a call to consider how they were living. Return to your first love, remember where you once stood and repent of your sin [Revelation 2:5]. Be faithful even to the point of death [Revelation 2:10b]. Repent of your careless attitude [Revelation 2:16]. Hold fast what you now have [Revelation 2:25]. Remember what God has committed to you [Revelation 3:3]. Hold on to the hope of Christ’s return [Revelation 3:11b]. Submit fully to the reign of Christ as Lord, stop playing church [Revelation 3:20].

Samuel Clements spoke a great truth when he said, “It ain't the parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.”[3]

The Spirit of God called the church in Ephesus to remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first [Revelation 2:5]. The church in Smyrna was admonished to not be afraid of what they were about to suffer and to be faithful unto death [Revelation 2:10]. The message to the Pergamum church was to repent, or else [Revelation 2:16]. The church in Thyatira was encouraged to hold fast what you have until the Lord should come [Revelation 2:25]. The church in Sardis was warned to wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die [Revelation 3:2]. The Philadelphian church was to hold fast what they had [Revelation 3:11]. And the Laodicean church was counselled to become either hot or cold instead of settling for being lukewarm [Revelation 3:15].

Have you heard the Spirit speaking? Do you now hear the voice of the Spirit? Are you as ardent for the Faith as you were when you first believed? Repent and return to your first love. Have you experienced testing because of your Faith? Be faithful to Christ who loved you and gave Himself for you. Have you begun to tolerate just a little bit of evil, and especially just a little bit of evil within the congregation? Repent. Are you willing to compromise the message of the Word just a little bit? The Spirit encourages you to hold fast what you have. Christ shall return in just a very short while.

Do you find that we have a reputation for being alive when in fact we are dead? Wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die! Remember what you received and heard, for it is of the Spirit. Do you stand before the door that Christ has opened and hesitate to pass through? Are you fearful to reach out because there isn’t enough money or because there aren’t enough people? Hear the Spirit and hold fast what you have. Have you become lukewarm? Are you relying on your strength? On your ability? On your wisdom? The Spirit calls you to find true riches—the riches of Christ’s presence and the treasures of His Word.

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[2] Samuel Clements, found on Quote DB, http://www.quotedb.com/quotes/3290, accessed 21 October 2004

[3] Samuel Clements, found on Quote DB, http://www.quotedb.com/quotes/3290, accessed 21 October 2004