“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne. “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.” Revelation 3:20-22
Taken as a whole the messages to the seven churches of Asia constitute a comprehensive warning from Christ Himself to each of the churches. There is warning to the churches of today to “hear what the Spirit said unto the churches.” The church at Ephesus represents the danger of losing our first love, that fresh ardor and devotion to Christ which characterized the early church. The church at Smyrna representing the danger of fear of suffering was exhorted, “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer.” In a modern day when persecution of the saints has been revived, the church may well heed the exhortation “Fear not.” The church at Pergamos illustrates the constant danger of doctrinal compromise, often the first step toward complete defection. Would that the modern church which has forsaken so many fundamentals of biblical faith would heed the warning! The church at Thyatira is a monument to the danger of moral compromise. The church today may well take heed to the departure from moral standards which have invaded the church itself. The church at Sardis is a warning against the danger of spiritual deadness, of orthodoxy without life, of mere outward appearance, of being, like the Pharisees, whited sepulchers. The church at Philadelphia commended by our Lord is nevertheless warned against the danger of not holding fast, and exhorted to keep “the word of my patience,” to maintain the “little strength” that they did have and to wait for their coming Lord. The final message to the church at Laodicea is the crowning indictment, a warning against the danger of lukewarmness, of self-sufficiency, of being unconscious of desperate spiritual need. To contemporary churches each of these messages is amazingly relevant and pointed in its searching analysis of what our Lord sees as He stands in the midst of the lampstands.