A Church Better Than the Beginning
Contents
A better church than the first
Revelation 2:18-19
Our church is celebrating its 1st anniversary today. Thank you to God for protecting and guiding us over the past year. We have reached this day through your devotion and prayers. When a baby is born and passes through the four seasons, it becomes a stone. Our church, established and started by God, should revive more and fulfill its mission on this earth. In sports, the person who wins at the end is the final winner. Our church was good at first, but it should become a better church as time goes by. But it doesn't happen automatically. Because there is no result without effort.
In this text, the Lord is speaking to the church in Thyatira. The church in Thyatira was praised and rebuked by the Lord. There are five compliments in verse 19. “I know your work, and your love, your faith, your service, and your patience, that your last deeds are greater than the first.” My faith was getting better and better. In a word, the latter is better than the first. Our church should like the latter better than the first. All of us, the latter should be better than the first.
1. Business.
It means working for the Lord, not making money. The more you do the Lord's work, the better you get. Over time, it's not just about formality, it's about being more loyal at your best. Has my appearance of doing the Lord's work become more loyal than in the past? Are you more truthful? As time goes by, you should be more faithful to the Lord's work than at the beginning. “My eyes will look upon the faithful of the earth, that they may dwell with me, and he who walks in the path of perfection will follow me” (Psalm 101:6).
2. Love.
The church in Thyatira said that the last love was better than the first. Thyatira Church is a church that matures in love. Here is the true maturity of the Christian and here is the true maturity of the church. When it comes to love, we need to get better, not stop at the same. It has to get deeper and richer as it goes on. Love for the Lord should be even more so. How long have you been starting to love Jesus? Has that love deepened? Or is it not getting colder? We need to be richer in love. We must not forget that there is more love afterward than at the beginning, and this is indeed a precious and great blessing.
3. Faith.
The church in Thyatira grew in faith, so the last time was better than the first. The Lord praised that faith is more last than first. Abraham was truly a man who received unprecedented blessings in the Bible, but in reality he made many mistakes and made many mistakes. However, if you look at his life, it is true that his faith grew as he went on. Abraham was not a man of great faith from the beginning. After receiving the promise of my son, I was shaken when there was no news. But his faith grew day by day. It didn't stay the same, it grew. So, finally, while sacrificing his only son, he matures to the point of absolute faith that God's promise through his son will come true. Our faith must grow day by day. We must grow in our faith until the time we leave this world, so we must be praised for believing that the latter is better than the first.
4. Serving.
The life of faith is fundamentally about serving. The Lord came to this earth to serve. A disciple cannot be higher than his master. Therefore, we are all servants. If it is the work of service in the name of the Lord, even if it is the smallest and insignificant thing, how precious and good it is. It is in this service that we find joy and happiness. We must grow in service.
5. Patience.
Finally, I said "Patience". The church in Thyatira was getting better and better in patience. It takes patience for the finite life to look to the infinite God, and the limited life to follow the eternal God. We must look to God's promises and endure suffering and difficulties. Are you growing more and more mature in this patience? If you think about it, God always trains us to be patient. Abraham hoped and believed in the midst of hopelessness (Romans 4:18).
Our church is a good church in the sight of the Lord. As we celebrate the first anniversary of the founding of the church, we need to move forward further. Let's become a better saint than the first. May you grow day by day in business, love, faith, service, and perseverance. If we wish to mature, the Lord will guide us when we depend on Him.