Another pattern the Lord established when speaking to the churches was leaving promises for the overcomers in each church. Not all were overcomers, but His ultimate call was to those individuals. So, becoming an overcomer should be a basic devotion.

     Who are the overcomers? They are the ones who overcome. However, we cannot be an overcomer unless we have something to overcome. In the seven churches, we can be sure that they were the ones who overcame the issues the Lord had against their particular church. However, it is more than that. The ones who overcome the big...

         In the Lord’s message to the Ephesian church, we see a pattern followed in His message to each church, or church age. He begins with a commendation followed by a rebuke. Then He gives them a promise and a hope of the reward they will receive for repenting and overcoming their mistakes. This is called “a critique sandwich.” If this is how the Lord speaks to each of the churches here, isn’t it likely that this is the way He will speak to His people today?

         The Lord commended the Ephesian church for testing those who called themselves...

         This week, we will go a bit further in seeking to understand and keep our “first love” (see Revelation 2:4) of the Lord. This is so important that the Lord told the Ephesian church that if they did not recover and keep this, their candlestick would be removed—meaning they would no longer be His church. So, we should be sure to get this right before anything else. In II Corinthians 13:5, Paul exhorts believers to:    

       Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that...

         This week we begin to address the Lord’s message to the seven churches:

         “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this:

         ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 

         ‘and you have perseverance and have...

       We now come to Revelation 1:17-20:    

    And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 

    “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. 

    “Write the things that you have seen, the things that are, and the things that will take place after this. 

    “The mystery...