The Persecuted Church
As we continue looking at the churches highlighted in chapters two and three of the Book of Revelation, the next we will examine is the Church of Smyrna. It was the closest church to the Church of Ephesus about 40 miles (64 km) north of it. The modern name of Smyrna is Izmir, in Turkiye (Turkey). Interestingly, the Church of Smyrna was only one of two churches of the seven addressed that was not reprimanded for behavior that was not pleasing to the Lord. “And to the angel o
2 hours ago5 min read
The Church That Lost Its First Love
I have been reading through the Book of Revelation, which is also known as the Book of the Apocalypse from the Greek word apokálypsis that literally means “revelation” or “disclosure.” And this is exactly what this last book of the Bible does—it reveals what will happen in the future when Christ triumphs over the devil. The seven churches described earlier in the book were actually around at that time. What is intriguing to me, though, is that those churches seem similar to m
6 days ago5 min read
The Root of the Matter
This past weekend, I was listening to a preacher, and he was saying that we see the fruit but there is no root, and that really stuck with me. So often we see people who seem fruitful in life and ministry, but when challenges in life come, they start straying away from the church and may blame God for their difficulties. These people are not rooted in Christ. Therefore, they will be stunted in their spiritual maturity because they are not getting the nourishment they need, si
Aug 264 min read
God in the Darkness
I was reading 1 Kings 8 recently, and verse 12 got me thinking. It states that the Lord said He would dwell in the dark cloud. This is interesting because 1 John 1:5 makes it clear that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. But still, God dwells in darkness. He is with us in our darkest days whether it be like a flood or a fire. He may not immediately take us out of darkness, but He takes us through it. We can trust that He will show up to help us in our storm
Aug 194 min read
Suffering Again
As I am writing this blog, I just found out that a huge magnitude 7.4 earthquake hit western Colombia earlier in the day. They are now searching for the injured and the dead. This is just weeks after double earthquakes, both over magnitude 7, shook neighboring Venezuela on June 24, killing over 5,000 people and leaving many orphans behind. This is now more suffering again for South America. However, Asia has also had devastating earthquakes hitting the Philippines and Japan o
Aug 124 min read
Why Suffer?
Not long ago, I was having a conversation with a friend, in which she stated that she believed people didn’t have to suffer. I, on the other hand, responded that I felt everyone suffers. I believe we all suffer because we are alive and may face the consequences of our own actions, or the actions of others. We may experience the death of a loved one, illness, loss of a job, or stocks may go down, resulting in a loss of value for an investor portfolio. There could be a natural
Aug 54 min read
A Repentant Heart
Recently, while I was reading about the story of David and Bathseba, I reflected on the fallibility of man. David was a man after God’s own heart, yet he took another man’s wife and impregnated her while her husband was on the war field, the very place where David should have been. When David found out she was pregnant, he sent for her husband to have him sleep with her as a cover-up for his own sin. But this husband, Uriah, was too honorable to have a conjugal visit with his
Jul 294 min read
