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What can we learn from them To the Church in Sardis- the almost dead church Sardis was considered to be an impregnable city built on an inaccessible hill situated at the top of the Hermus valley and was the capital city of the area known as Lydia. Such physical security had perhaps caused the citizens to become over-confident or even arrogant. The city was beginning to decline at the time that this book was written. 3 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. The church in Sardis was no longer living up to its reputation. Nearly the whole assembly in Sardis had some form of defilement in their lives. They had fallen asleep on duty as it were and were only give out a flickering light of the gospel. Jesus tells them to wake up and strengthen what is left of their faith. They had not finished the job as far as God was concerned. They desperately needed to rekindle their love and faith. Jesus warns them they need to repent from their sins. He further warns them that if they don’t listen to His wake-up call that He will visit them suddenly without any notice and with judgement implied. 4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 Those who are victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out their names from the book of life but will acknowledge their names before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. However not everyone in the Sardis Assembly had gone astray or defiled themselves. The repentant and victorious believers along with those who have been already faithful in the church of Sardis are promised a special walk with Jesus Christ sharing in His glory and purity. Jesus gives all such believers His personal assurance that their names are permanently inscribed in the book of life and that Jesus will personally acknowledge them as friends in the presence of the Father God and His holy angels. Therefore let those believers who are willing and able be ever obedient to the Holy Spirit as He speaks to the church. Further commentary (adapted in part from Pilgrim Benham: A letter to a modern church -Calvary Chapel) Commendation Jesus gives no commendation to the church at Sardis since Jesus cannot commend dead works. The faithful minority are however promised a special walk with Jesus. Corrections (do these apply to your church?) 1. Wake up (stay awake) unlike those Sardians who woke up to find the enemy had climbed the steep castle wall and conquered the city. This was probably due to over-confidence in their defences. To wake up is to admit your faith is asleep and not moving forward. Sardis was the church who had a problem staying awake! Wake up before you are attacked unaware. 2. Strengthen what remains most likely faith, hope and love. These three are strengthened by regular use. If we grow complacent, we forget our dependence on God. Having awakened we must fan the tiny spark or flame of our faith into life. Shake off the spiritual numbness and ask Jesus to grow your mustard seed of faith. 3. Remember what we have been taught. Both waking up and strengthening involves remembering. Do you recall the Gospel of your salvation? The Holy Spirit is our helper and will bring all the relevant things we need to our minds! 4. Hold fast to what we know to be true. Our remembrance ought to be more than a mental exercise but rather something that leads to action that bears fruit. Keep and value the wonderful life that Christ has purchased for you. 5. Repent and do a U-turn as often as required (1 John 1:9). If there are walking dead in your church, then repentance is the only remedy. Do not persist in the things that are killing your faith. How can we fall asleep in the presence of King Jesus? Further thoughts Concerning the Church at Sardis no mention is made of any persecution from external enemies or false teaching from within. The root problem was that they had absorbed the surrounding godless culture. Amen For full text printout and access to the other 'The 7 churches of Revelation..' click link https://www.psalmonesermons.com/post/the-7-churches-of-revelation-sardis

What can we learn from them? To the Church in Thyatira- the corrupt church The city of Thyatira was situated in quite a vulnerable position being located in a valley adjacent to two other valleys and this with no obvious natural defences. A garrison was usually billeted there to defend Thyatira and the nearest towns such as Pergamum. Thyatira was a commercial centre with many different trade guilds. Revelation 2:18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. Jesus knows and commends several virtues of the church in Thyatira including their actions, their love and faith, their faithful ministry under trial and difficulty. Further praise is also given that their ministry has increased since the church was founded. 20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you,25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.’ Christians employed by the various trade guilds would be required to worship the god of the trade guild e.g. woollen goods, leather goods or pottery. To maintain their employment in the particular trade the workers were also required to take part in the pagan and immoral practices associated with the worship of the gods of the trades i.e. eating meat sacrificed to idols and indulging in the expected sexual depravity. There was no ‘opt out’ for Christians who if they did not participate would be thrown out of their employment by the guild and seen to be insulting their god. Jezebel was reputed to have the view that to conquer any sin then the subject must fully know the sin having fully participated in it. Some of the church had been participating in these pagan practices and the remainder of the church had turned a blind eye to this. Jesus had allowed time for this church to repent of these sins but now the church will be punished through disease unless they turn away from such sin. Jesus also indicates that the children of these sinners will be killed as an example to the churches of how seriously he views this type of sin and how carefully He searches for it. The wages of these sins will be death. Satan’s deep secrets are the sarcastic description of such vile doctrines. The blazing fire in Jesus’ eyes can tell which saints were willing to suffer persecution for His sake. On the remainder of church who were generally faithful Jesus places no additional burdens except to hold on to their faith until Jesus returns. 26 To those who are victorious and do my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 they ‘will rule them with an iron sceptre and will dash them to pieces like pottery’ [2]—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give them the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. One day the faithful believers will actually reign over sinners like those who are currently persecuting them and these sinners will ultimately face the fierce and shattering judgement of God. This message would not be lost on those of the potters’ guild. To be given the morning star suggests that the believers will share in His majesty and royal splendour. Let those who are willing and obedient hear what the Holy Spirit is saying through this message. Further Commentary from Linda Morris The Church in Thyatira This is the longest of the 7 letters and to the least important town, situated between the Caicus and Hermus valleys. This was a good position for trading and the city appears to have been quite a commercial centre. Their virtues Love, service, faith, patience/perseverance. They are doing more than they did at first. There is progress in the life of the church. Their faults Guilds Thyatira was a small town noted for it’s trade guilds, which had more than in any other Asian city. They are known to have had wool workers; linen-workers; makers of outer garments; dyers; leather workers; tanners; potters; bakers; slave-dealers and bronze-smiths. Lydia came from there. They held banquets where the food was dedicated to pagan gods and they usually degenerated into sexual looseness. A believer whose livelihood depended on his membership in a guild was faced with the problem of whether or not to participate. Jezebel Jezebel supported idolatry, sexual immorality, and almost eliminated true worship of God. Eventually the ‘Jezebel woman’ (your wife?) injects occultism and other demonic practices into the Messianic community, even though they clearly profess the Christian faith. Those who are connected with what she does are in turmoil – how can they be loyal to the Messiah and still function in their social and business environment? Some Christians would have joined in the banquets making the excuse that she was a prophetess so it’s ok! ‘Her children’ are worse because they are trained by her, so they are fully committed to her teachings. Therefore their punishment is worse – death, rather than a sickbed. God gave them time to repent but they did not. A warning The deep things of Satan Some have not known these. Various gnostic philosophers appealed to people’s pride by promising spiritual knowledge deeper than that available to ordinary mortals. Many modern cults/movements make the same empty promises. It could be the thinking that was certainly around at a later time than this, so could have been around then, which was that the important thing is to keep the soul pure whatever the body may do. People engaged in grossly sensual practices maintaining that these concerned only their bodies but that their souls were pure. An exhortation Keep my works until the end ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent’. Jn 6:29 The promises of overcoming I will give power over the nations ‘When the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel’ He shall rule them with a rod of iron..... Psalm 2:8,9 are quoted here. The believers will reign (rule/shepherd) with the Messiah when he returns The Morning Star Literally Venus, the brightest object in the sky after the sun and the moon. Here it means either great glory or as in Rev 22:16 the Messiah Himself, whose coming was told by Bilam ‘a star shall step forth out of Jacob’. Numbers 24:17 “The Morning Star shines in your hearts” (2 Pet 1:19) Questions for us today 1. How far should we accept and adopt contemporary standards and practices? 2. If Christianity had accepted these practices then, would the church still exist today and what would it look like? 3. Could it be that in the guise of deeper spiritual understanding some undesirable things (particularly in the area of worship) are creeping into the church? We do not want to be led away from true worship! Footnotes: Revelation 2:1 Or messenger; also in verses 8, 12 and 18 (this pertains to Ephesus) Revelation 2:27 Psalm 2:9 For full text for printout and access to all 'The 7 churches of Revelation' please click below https://www.psalmonesermons.com/post/the-7-churches-of-revelation-2

What can we learn from them? To the Church in Pergamum- The compromised church The city of Pergamum was built in land on a rocky hill and was about 25 miles inland. The city was filled with statues and tributes to the serpent-god Aesculapius a clear sign of Satan. The rod of Aesculapius was adopted by many healers and magicians as a symbol and today appears on NHS ambulances in England and Wales. The city also had an alter to Zeus the king of the so-called gods of Greece. Pergamum was also the centre of emperor worship. Evidences of Satan and his activities were all over the place. Not an easy place to be a Christian! Sin city! Revelation 2:12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. Satan’s throne may refer to the 200 foot high alter to Zeus specifically or in all the Satanic symbolism throughout the city. Jesus commends the church in Pergamum a highly satanic city for their refusal to deny Him and clinging to their faith even when Antipas the first Asian martyr was put to death in Satan’s hometown as it were. History records that Antipas was burned to death in a large bull-shaped copper vat for daring to cast out demons which were worshipped by the local people. In Pergamum the rulers enforced the Roman policy of confessing ‘Caesar is Lord’. Each citizen was required to offer a pinch of incense to Caesar and make a public declaration that ‘Caesar is Lord’ after which they were given a certificate showing they had done this. Anyone refusing to do this was immediately put to death. Quite a test for the Christians living then who saw this as a clear case of needing to declare instead ‘Jesus is Lord’ thus forfeiting their lives. 14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam [1], who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. Jesus now turns his attention to the various criticisms of the church in Pergamum. Some of the church members were mixing their Christianity with pagan practices including eating meat sacrificed to idols and actually taking part in immoralities of the pagan festivals. The teaching of Balaam and later the Nicolaitans encouraged God’s people to licentiousness by sexually intermingling with the pagan peoples during rituals thus mixing the true religion with an evil one. The church needed to discipline those people who were mixing their faith with outrageous pagan practices. They probably did this to keep their livelihoods. Christians would be thrown out of their various guilds and their employment if they did not participate in the worship of the local god of that particular guild. Jesus condemns these practices and calls the church to repentance warning them that He is coming soon to deal with such enemies. 17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To those who are victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give each of them a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it. Whoever is able and willing to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying and is obedient to it will receive true food –the bread of Heaven- and be satisfied with it. The white stone may represent the inner person of Christ as revealed personally to the recipient. The stone (psephos) is like a ‘not guilty’ voting chip from God and is a token of a wonderful and everlasting personalised fellowship with the believer and with Jesus’ new name reflecting on the believer in some way perhaps giving them a new name too. The bestowing of a new name on God’s servants was prophesied by Isaiah [2] Further commentary from Jacqueline Wilson (the contribution of the late David Hilsley is acknowledged) Pergamum was the Capital city of Asia until the close of the first century. It was a city given over to the worship of many Greek idols. Two of the most prominent religious systems of the city were the worship of Bacchus (the god of revelry) and the worship of Asclepius (the god of healing) Verse 13 twice refers to the city as the place where “Satan’s throne is” or where Satan dwells.” Satan has a kingdom; Babylon has from earliest times been considered the capital of this kingdom. Idolatry gained its start in Babylon through Nimrod and his mother inspired by Satan. As long as Babylon was a dominant world power, it made an excellent headquarters for Satan’s attack on mankind. However, when Babylon’s glory began to decline and it was left desolate Satan looked for another location. He selected Pergamum because of its strong idolatrous religions. The Indulged Church A.D. 312 - 606 Satan learned from his attack on the church of Smyrna that persecution only caused the Church to flourish and continue in a perpetual state of revival. After Diocletian’s unsuccessful attack on the Church, Constantine succeeded him as emperor of Rome. Constantine’s ascendancy to the throne was not without controversy, and it had far-reaching effects on the Christian Church of the fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries. Constantine, already attracted by Christianity, allegedly saw a vision of a fiery cross in the sky and heard a voice saying, “In this sign conquer”. Paganism introduced into the Church The influence of paganism on the Church increased over the years step by step. The Church began to shroud itself in “mystery” and ritualism that had a strong resemblance to Babylonian mysticism. The following is a partial list of unscriptural changes introduced during this age. Gradually these changes became more prominent than the original teachings of Christianity. A.D. 300 - Prayers for the dead A.D. 300 - Making sign of the cross A.D. 375 - Worship of saints and angels A.D. 394 - Mass first instituted A.D. 431 - Worship of Mary began A.D. 500 - Priests began dressing differently than laymen A.D. 526 - Extreme unction (a sacrament in which a priest anoints and prays for the recovery and salvation of a critically ill or injured person.) A.D. 593 - Doctrine of purgatory introduced A.D. 600 - Worship services conducted in Latin A.D. 600 - Prayers directed to Mary From A.D. 312 on, the Church became more Roman and less Christian on its practices. The Roman Catholic Church of today is hard put to trace its ancestry beyond A.D. 312. The name Pergamum literally means “marriage” or “elevation”. As the Church became married to the governmental authority and elevated to a place of acceptance, it declined in spiritual blessing and power. Postmillennialism Introduced As the Church became rich and powerful, it was suggested that the world was getting better and better, that Jesus’ kingdom was already ushered in, and that he would come at the end of the thousand year reign. This demanded reinterpretation of the status of Israel, which was accomplished by suggesting that Israel had been “cast off forever” and the promises of Israel now applied to the Church. Whenever a local Church or denomination has maintained a strong emphasis on the second coming of Jesus, it has been an evangelistic, missionary-sending station. Where this doctrine has been neglected, the church has become cold, indifferent, and worldly. The Nature of Jesus Revealed to Pergamum To Pergamum he revealed the “sharp two-edged sword” which without question refers to the Word of God. The cure for the problems of the local Church at Pergamum, of the Pergamum age of the Church, or of any church is the Word of God Jesus used the Word of God to sanctify His Church (John 17:17) to clean it (John 15:3) to bring it joy (John 15:11) to bring it peace (John 16:3) Had the church of Pergamum and the Pergamum age heeded the Word of God, the evils of the Dark Ages could well have been avoided. Jesus’ Commendation to Pergamum The commendation of Jesus to Pergamum, in verse 13 falls into three basic categories. 1. I know your works, and where you dwell, even where Satan’s throne is. 2. You hold fast to my name. Criticism cannot be hurled against the Doctrine this Church or church age, for they were doctrinally pure. But they sinned by taking in the ceremonies of paganism. 3. ..and hast not denied my faith. Much of this has already been covered. Condemnation The condemnation of Jesus given to the church of Pergamum reveals that although their theological doctrine was correct, their practical doctrines were radically evil. These false doctrines fell into two main categories. Revelation 2:14 The Doctrine of Balaam The Doctrine of the Nicolaitans Counsel Repent or be judged by the Word of God Jesus’ Challenge to the Church of Pergamum It is directed to overcomers - two beautiful symbols loaded with meaning “hidden manna” and “a white stone” Hidden manna (Expanded in Conversation) The White Stone (Expanded in Conversation) Amen [1] Numbers chapters 22-25 and 31 see also 2 Peter 2:15 and Jude 11. [2] See Isaiah 62:2 and 65:15 For full text for printout and access to other parts of 'The 7 churches of Revelation https://www.psalmonesermons.com/post/the-7-churches-of-revelation-pergamum

God is shooting to kill God now tells Israel via the prophet Ezekiel that it is high time for payback for all their rebellion against Him. Several times in this chapter does the Lord tell Ezekiel to warn the disobedient Jews of impending judgement. The Canadian preacher D. A. Carson puts it like this ‘God is shooting to kill.' This chapter clearly highlights the need for Christians to urgently preach repentance towards God as part of the Full Gospel message. God has appointed His church as watchmen to the nations. Judgment on Israel Is Near 1 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,2 “And you, son of man, thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel: ‘An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land. 3 Now the end has come upon you, And I will send My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways, And I will repay you for all your abominations. 4 My eye will not spare you, Nor will I have pity; But I will repay your ways, And your abominations will be in your midst; Then you shall know that I am the Lord!’ Several times in this chapter the Lord tells Ezekiel to warn the Israelites that the end has come i.e. they are past the time for repentance and that God has had enough of them. God is angry and will judge them according to their own standards. If the wages of sin is death, then the Jews have been working overtime. The Jews had gone so far in rebellion against God that He has reached stage where He refuses to spare them or indeed show further pity on them. God is going to let them feel the full wrath of His fury on their abominations right in the midst of the people. They will not mistake the source of these judgements and it will be clear they are from God Almighty. 5 “Thus says the Lord God: ‘A disaster, a singular disaster; Behold, it has come! 6 An end has come, The end has come; It has dawned for you; Behold, it has come! 7 Doom has come to you, you who dwell in the land; The time has come, A day of trouble is near, And not of rejoicing in the mountains. 8 Now upon you I will soon pour out My fury, And spend My anger upon you; I will judge you according to your ways, And I will repay you for all your abominations. The Lord continues his pronouncement of disaster upon the nation of Israel indicating that it has already started. The time of trouble and judgement is now upon them, and they are inescapably doomed for the Lord is going to pour out the full measure of his anger upon them. God will judge their ways and measure his punishment against this. 9 ‘My eye will not spare, Nor will I have pity; I will repay you according to your ways, And your abominations will be in your midst. Then you shall know that I am the Lord who strikes. Again the Lord stresses that the Israelites are now beyond Him turning a blind eye or even taking pity on them. He also restates the judgement is on their lifestyles and those abominations amid where they dwell. The Lord will personally strike them suggesting His honour has been profaned. 10 ‘Behold, the day! Behold, it has come! Doom has gone out; The rod has blossomed, Pride has budded. 11 Violence has risen up into a rod of wickedness; None of them shall remain, None of their multitude, None of them; Nor shall there be wailing for them. 12 The time has come, The day draws near. The time of savage judgement has now arrived bringing doom onto the disobedient. Their sin is fully ripened, and they are filled with pride. Violence and wickedness have reached their full measure. Not a single a one of the guilty will escape and no one will mourn their passing. Pay-back time from God is knocking on the door. ‘Let not the buyer rejoice, Nor the seller mourn, For wrath is on their whole multitude. 13 For the seller shall not return to what has been sold, Though he may still be alive; For the vision concerns the whole multitude, And it shall not turn back; No one will strengthen himself Who lives in iniquity. The upcoming judgements will confer no advantage either to buyers or sellers since all the people are coming under God’s judgement. There is no way out of these judgements for any of the guilty and they will certainly be punished. There is no defence against the judgements of God. 14 ‘They have blown the trumpet and made everyone ready, But no one goes to battle; For My wrath is on all their multitude. 15 The sword is outside, And the pestilence and famine within. Whoever is in the field Will die by the sword; And whoever is in the city, Famine and pestilence will devour him. The Jews think they can in some way resist the upcoming judgements by being battle-ready. But is God Himself who is wielding the sword against those Jews outside of Jerusalem and He himself is also instigating famine and disease inside the city. There is no escape for most Jews except for a small remnant. 16 ‘Those who survive will escape and be on the mountains Like doves of the valleys, All of them mourning, Each for his iniquity. 17 Every hand will be feeble, And every knee will be as weak as water. 18 They will also be girded with sackcloth; Horror will cover them; Shame will be on every face, Baldness on all their heads. A small remnant will escape to the mountains and go into deep mourning for their own sins. This remnant will be weak and feeble and clothed in sackcloth. Their faces will show both shame and horror and their heads will be shaved bald. 19 ‘They will throw their silver into the streets, And their gold will be like refuse; Their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them In the day of the wrath of the Lord; They will not satisfy their souls, Nor fill their stomachs, Because it became their stumbling block of iniquity. Their treasures of gold and silver that they idolised will be unable to save them and will neither be able to appease the wrath of God nor even buy food for them to eat. 20 ‘As for the beauty of his ornaments, He set it in majesty; But they made from it The images of their abominations— Their detestable things; Therefore I have made it Like refuse to them. 21 I will give it as plunder Into the hands of strangers, And to the wicked of the earth as spoil; And they shall defile it. 22 I will turn My face from them, And they will defile My secret place; For robbers shall enter it and defile it. God had provided them will gold and silver to make the holy things for use in the Holy Temple, but they has spat in God’s face as it were by using them to make heathen images. The Lord has rubbed their noses in it by showing them that their gold and silver have no value to help them, and that eventually evil men will take it all away one day. In fact God is going to permit one day that evil men will enter and plunder the sanctuary in His Holy Temple. 23 ‘Make a chain, For the land is filled with crimes of blood, And the city is full of violence. 24 Therefore I will bring the worst of the Gentiles, And they will possess their houses; I will cause the pomp of the strong to cease, And their holy places shall be defiled. 25 Destruction comes; They will seek peace, but there shall be none. 26 Disaster will come upon disaster, And rumour will be upon rumour. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet; But the law will perish from the priest, And counsel from the elders. The Jews are sinners and criminals and are only fit to be chained up. Murder and violence are so rife that God is going to handpick the very worst of the Gentile nations to come and completely defile all that is sacred to them including the very sanctuary of the Living God. These Jews may seek peace, but they can forget it. Disaster upon disaster will flood over them like waves and even cause further rumours of more doom. In their desperation the Jews will try to find a word of comfort from a prophet or from the Law, but the word of the Lord will not come to them. 27 ‘The king will mourn, The prince will be clothed with desolation, And the hands of the common people will tremble. I will do to them according to their way, And according to what they deserve I will judge them; Then they shall know that I am the Lord!’” God will judge everyone from the king down causing them to tremble with fear. God is now going to cause them to reap the bitter crop of all the evil they have sowed. No one will be any doubt as to who is behind all these judgements i.e. the Lord God Almighty.

Making mention in prayer Some years ago, whilst working in my role as a biomedical scientist, I heard about a patient who had a kidney transplant. Such patients need to take a type of medication called immuno-suppressive drugs. These drugs prevent the patient’s immune system from rejecting the transplanted organ. The doctors were able to gradually reduce the patient’s anti-rejection tablets from several a day at first, over a year or two right down to a half tablet each day. This worked fine and for something like 14 years the half tablet did the job. However, one day the patient forgot to take the half tablet and sad to say, he went into graft rejection and lost the kidney. Although he was only taking a tiny dose it went a long way and unfortunately as soon as he stopped the entire benefit was lost. This story made me think of a recurring theme in the bible of how God can make a little go a long way. Let us bring some of these stories to mind. Elijah’s tub of flour and jug of oil never ran out during the famine (1 Kings 17:8-16). Elisha prayed that the widow’s jar of oil would keep flowing and she was able to clear all her debts (2 Kings 4:1-7). God filled every vessel of the widow which c.f. with us being filled with the Spirit but he is never diluted or diminished. Jesus prayed and the loaves and fishes were multiplied to feed a multitude (Matthew 14:17-21) and they had lots of leftovers too. Again, Jesus tells us (Matthew 17:20) that if we have the tiniest measure of faith, then we can move mountains! God certainly can make a little go a long way! And God does it repeatedly to bless his people to meet their needs. Let us now focus specifically on a little going a long way in the context of prayer. Sometimes we think that for certain types of prayer to be effective, then the prayer must be nice and long. But could God act on us merely mentioning someone in our prayers? Well, here are 4 biblical examples from the Apostle Paul, who clearly thought mentioning someone in prayer was very worthwhile. Romans 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention [1] of you always in my prayers. Ephesians 1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. 1 Thessalonians 1:2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers. Philemon 4 I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, So, what does it mean to mention someone in prayer? A dictionary definition of the word ‘mention’ -a brief comment or remark, or, to remember briefly. As we get older in the faith our daily prayer lists get longer and longer! Paul’s prayer list must have been very extensive (he prayed for the Galatians, Colossians and many other churches, families, and individuals). But he felt that it was important to continually be mentioning his fellow believers in prayer to the Lord. Sometimes, we think that for a prayer to be effective that it must be long! As an older car battery charger gives a trickle charge, so our making mention of others in prayer is constantly bringing them before the throne room of grace. Sad to say, from my own experience, for several years I used to briefly mention each day two children with serious health problems. They always seemed fine. But I unintentionally forgot them for a year or two. When I next saw them, I was surprised how much they had deteriorated, and I decided that I had to start mentioning them before God each day again. Beloved, God can make your little go a long way. So, give God your littles: (your little prayer, your little time, your little finance and little resources, your little strength, your little capacity to care for others, your little faith that can move mountains), and know this that even mentioning someone in prayer to the Lord is positively making a difference in their lives. Amen Prayer Father God in Jesus name, we offer to you the ‘littles’ in our lives, our time, our strength and energy, our finance and resources, and all other areas of our lives where we feel ‘little,’ asking that that you make each one of them go a long way in the building your kingdom. Amen [1] 3417. mneia, mni'-ah; from G3415 or G3403; recollection; by impl. recital: --mention, remembrance.

According to Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 The Apostle Paul came to preach the gospel to the Roman church to a society much like ours today in terms of the unrighteous lifestyles as described in Romans chapter 1. The Gospel was the only answer to the downward spiral of human activities in Rome and is still the same answer to the same problem in the modern world today, which is the preaching of the one true Gospel. So what is the Gospel according to Paul? Romans 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ. We find in the above passage in Paul’s own words,• the message he preached is the gospel of God (verse 1)• the good news Paul preached, the gospel of God, was foretold by the holy prophets long before Paul lived (verse 2)• the gospel message focuses on Christ Jesus, a descendant of King David according to the Scriptures (verse 3)• though born of a woman and, thus, being fully man, Jesus was also fully God and divine in nature; His Sonship was indisputably established by the Holy Spirit through His bodily resurrection (verse 4)• Paul’s authority as an apostle, being called to preach the gospel of God, was granted to him by none other than the Lord Jesus Christ (verse 5)• those called of God, having heard and believed the gospel of God, now belong to the Lord Jesus (verse 6). Romans 2:16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel. Paul speaks of the gospel message he proclaimed as “my gospel” in Romans 2:16 and 16:25. What, then, is the “gospel of Paul”? Does it differ from the true gospel, the gospel the other apostles preached? Paul also lays out the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, According to this passage, • there is only one gospel: it is the gospel of God that Paul preached and in which the redeemed have taken their stand (verse 1)• this is the gospel that saves, the gospel Paul delivered, and the gospel that must never be forgotten or discarded (verse 2)• according to the Scriptures, the Lord Jesus died for our sins. His sacrifice paid our sin debt (verse 3)• after His lifeless body was taken from the cross and laid to rest in a borrowed tomb, Jesus miraculously walked away from where He lay, as foretold by the holy prophets, proving His absolute power over sin and death (verse 4) This is the Gospel truth! Paul’s gospel teachings are in harmony with the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets, his New Testament contemporaries, and, most importantly, the teachings of Jesus Christ. Those who accuse Paul of having strayed from the gospel have no evidence to support themselves. Scripture proves that, rather than teaching a “different gospel,” he gave the church greater insight into the only true gospel, the gospel of God (Romans 1:1). The following passage gives ample evidence that Paul’s prime motive was not in making a name for himself, but in furthering the cause of Christ: 1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. This is the one and only true gospel that will save your soul -have you believed it? For further reading see also Romans 10:9-10 Amen Personal Prayer

Common pitfalls in using the scientific method The scientific method is indeed a powerful tool. Like any tool, however, if it is misused it can cause more harm than good. The scientific method can only be used for testable phenomenon. This is known as falsifiability [1]. While many things in nature can be evaluated and measured, some areas of human experience are beyond objective observation e.g. the meaning of life. An everyday example of something not falsifiable is the statement ‘cake is always better than biscuit’ this is because it is very subjective. Both proving and disproving the hypothesis are equally valid outcomes of testing. It is possible to ignore the outcome or inject bias to skew the results of a test in a way that will fit the hypothesis. Data in opposition to the hypothesis should never be discounted. What type of questions does the scientific method best address? It is widely accepted that the scientific method is particularly good at answering the ‘how’ questions in science e.g. how do antibiotics such as penicillin kill bacteria [2]. However when it comes to answering the ‘why’ questions as to the meaning and purpose of certain things including your life itself, the scientific method has less to contribute. This can be best understood by posing the ‘why’ questions to your own life. Amongst these big questions we might ask ourselves we might include the following. 1. Who am I? 2. What Is My Life Purpose? 3. What is My Life Plan? The go-to place for life’s big ‘Why’ questions is the bible. A good starting point with our ‘why’ questions can be found In just one bible verse: John 3:16 KJV: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The answers we can deduce from this verse include the following: 1.       There is a loving Creator God who adores his created human beings including you. 2.       The Creator God loved humankind including you enough to sacrifice the life of his Son. 3.        The Creator’s plan for us (including you) is that we believe in the Gospel of his Son Jesus Christ so that we can enter eternal life with him. Amen [1] Falsifiability is the capacity for a proposition, statement, theory, or hypothesis to be proven wrong. The concept of falsifiability was introduced in 1935 by Austrian philosopher and scientist Karl Popper (1902-1994). [2] The antibiotic properties of the mould Penecillium genus were identified and described in 1929 by Alexander Fleming in London. He named the active agent as penicillin.

What is the scientific method? Can science explain everything these days? Is there a need for a supernatural hypothesis to make sense of life? Why should we believe in an invisible God? Modern science and its multiple successes has since the 17th century has been based on a procedure called the scientific method. The scientific method consists of a methodical approach that involves the systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and the modification of hypothesis for the study [1]. We should also note that a critical approach to each stage forms the backbone of the scientific method and that the process must be based on currently validated scientific methods. Here is an example: The scientific method and the development of the smallpox vaccine [2] Edward Jenner (1749 – 1823) was a medical doctor and scientist who lived in England [3]. At that time smallpox was a dangerous disease for humans, with a mortality rate of around 30% of those infected and also leaving survivors badly scarred or even blind. However, Jenner knew that smallpox in cattle was comparatively mild and could be spread from cow to human through sores located around the cow’s udders. Jenner discovered that cattle workers thought that if they had already contracted cattle pox (which was cured quickly) then they would not get human smallpox. Observation: The starting point of Jenner’s work was that the belief that immunity from smallpox might be obtained from the subject having had the lesser infection of cattle pox. From this observation Jenner went on to the next step of the scientific method, starting with the hypothesis that this belief was true and developing the necessary experiments to prove or refute it. Hypothesis: Infection with cattle pox gives immunity to human smallpox. Experiment: The experiments that Jenner performed would be considered highly unethical today, since they were performed on humans. Although at that time there was no other way to evaluate the hypothesis, experimenting on a child today would be completely unthinkable. Jenner took cowpox sore contents from the hand of an infected milkmaid and applied it to the arm of a boy. The boy was ill for several days but then fully recovered. Jenner later took material from a smallpox sore and applied it to the same boy’s arm. However, the child did not contract the disease for a second time. After this first test, Jenner repeated the experiment with other people and later published his findings. Conclusions: the scientific method confirmed the hypothesis. Therefore infecting a person with cowpox protects against a smallpox infection. Subsequently, the scientific community was able to repeat Jenner’s experiments and obtained the same results. This is how the first “vaccines” were invented: applying a weaker strain of a virus to immunize the person against the stronger and more harmful virus. [1] For a useful overview of the scientific method see https://www.britannica.com/science/scientific-method [2] The smallpox example was adapted from Examples of Scientific Method - Examples Lab [3] Jenner’s life story see https://www.jenner.ac.uk/about/edward-jenner In Part 2 we investigate what questions can be answered by the scientific method and also the type of question it cannot answer.

What is the cost of caring? Jesus tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” 30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him , “Go and do likewise.” What is the Cost of Caring? It may cost you time, or effort, or money plus commitment, inconvenience, and you might get covered in blood etc! Jesus was willing to pay the price for caring for you and me! Hebrews 12:2 And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. So who is your neighbour at work, at home and in other areas of life? We might not meet someone who is physically beaten, but what about in other ways? How can you show a duty of care to your family, church family, work colleagues, strangers etc? What is the cost of not caring? Dare to care! Jesus says to you and me today “Go and do likewise.” Prayer; Lord give us hearts that are willing to care and to share like you and make us willing to go the extra mile to show your care to those in need who become our neighbours. Amen.

The imprecatory Psalms The integrity of God’s character is a better explanation of our apparent conundrum of how the God of the Old Testament approves or even commands the things found in the imprecatory Psalms. God has always possessed integrity as part of His eternal, infinite, unchanging and perfect being. The integrity of God is composed of two divine attributes working in tandem which are perfect righteousness and absolute justice. Divine integrity cooperates with the divine love; together forming one perfect, integrated system through which God deals gracefully with humanity. Grace is the expression of God’s love, and integrity is the uncompromising method of His justice. [1] Divine integrity ensures that the God of love and grace is neither inappropriately emotional, nor does He play favourites [2], nor does He fail to be decisive in any human situations. We should note that God’s attribute of absolute justice demands punishment not only upon sin but also of the sinner. If it is right for God to destroy evil including evil persons and even to go as far as commanding his servants to perform the destruction of evil and evil persons, then it can be argued that it was right in God’s eyes for the Psalmists to pray for the destruction of the wicked. If indeed, the imprecatory psalms were inspired by the Holy Spirit and therefore, they must have reflected God’s will. The late Bible teacher Roger Price (Chichester) on a radio programme was asked in the dying seconds of his interview whether his God was the same God who was capable of terrible acts against humans as in the imprecatory psalms. Roger’s reply was clear ; ‘Yes, the God of the Old and New Testaments is a God of love and mercy, but He is also a God of absolute justice and decrees punishment for the unrepentant.’ This is the reason that Christians must urgently share the Gospel of Jesus Christ before it is too late for sinful men and women to come to repentance. The best explanation as to why the imprecatory psalms (and other terrible scriptures) seem to be so different from the God of the New Testament, and is found in the consideration of God’s integrity as mandated between His two divine attributes of His righteousness and His absolute justice. God employs both attributes as required in his dealing with humankind. This seems to me to be closer to explaining why the imprecatory psalms were written but also bids us remember God’s lovingkindness and mercy. What do you think? Footnotes [1] God the Father showed his integrity by not sparing Jesus from the cross. In Psalm 22 we find the Messiah crying out ‘My God my God why hast thou forsaken me’? The Father and the Holy Spirit turned their back on Jesus as he became sin on the cross. [2] For example in Matthew 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

The imprecatory Psalms How can we match up these curses from the imprecatory Psalms with the God of Love described in the New Testament? Here are some examples of approaches where apologists have tried to reconcile these two quite different pictures of God’s character. The imprecatory psalms cannot be attributed to a single psalmist but rather the list of such including David, Asaph, and other unidentified authors. A solution to our conundrum in explaining these difficult psalms is the assertion that they are not invoking a desire for the doom of the wicked but rather are predicting such. However this is not supported by such psalms that are really prayers such as in Psalm 55:9 Destroy O Lord and divide their tongues. There is a good case that the psalmists were actually praying in the texts of the imprecatory psalms. So it seems likely that the imprecatory psalms had some measure of the doom of the wicked in view and therefore were not merely predictive of their future doom. Christian dispensationalists who split history into seven distinct periods want to put the Psalms into the dispensation of the law not to the later dispensation of grace. This allows the Old Testament believers to call down divine judgement on their enemies as in the imprecatory psalms. However this would be unacceptable behaviour by New Testament believers living in the dispensation of grace. The main problem with this point of view is that seems to give scripture contradicting scripture. It is also of note that a number of the imprecatory psalms are referred to in the New Testament (e.g. in Acts 1:20 reference is made to Psalm 69:26 in reference to Judas Iscariot). C. S. Lewis rightly asserted: ‘The ferocious parts of the Psalms serve as a reminder that there is in the world such a thing as wickedness and that . . . is hateful to God [1]. However the suggestion by Lewis that the imprecatory psalms are due to ‘human qualities’ because scripture merely carries the Word of God [2] appears to contradict the New Testament teaching on the doctrine of inspiration [3] and thus cannot give a full explanation of the imprecations. It should also be noted that the psalmist King David is portrayed as a significantly merciful man who prayed for his enemies and spared Saul’s life when it was in his power to harm him. So it seems likely that David’s imprecatory psalms did not come from a vengeful and violent man. Frederika Pronk [4] has proposed that most people make two basic wrong assumptions when trying to reconcile the imprecatory psalms with the God of the New Testament. The first assumption is that ‘the welfare of man is the chief end of man’ and the second assumption is that ‘God is only merciful and not also righteous and just to punish the guilty.’ The first assumption is a humanistic view and contrary to the sovereignty of God. As the Shorter Westminster catechism taught…’The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.’ The second assumption fails to consider the integrity of God’s character. Footnotes [1] Reflections on the Psalms (1958) p. 33 by C S Lewis. [2] Reflections on the Psalms (1958) pp.87 and 112 by C S Lewis. [3] See 2 Timothy 3:16. [4} The Outlook (1981) The imprecatory Psalms: Christian Library by Frederika Pronk. In Part 3 we find a better answer to our conundrum in considering the character of God.

The imprecatory Psalms The Old Testament describes awful events that God does not just allow but commands. How can God be described as loving when we read such stories? Our approach to exploring this topic is to consider the imprecatory psalms of the Hebrew scriptures in which the psalmists want something bad to happen to someone else. Definition of Imprecatory: Imprecatory Psalms, contained within the Book of Psalms of the Hebrew Bible (Hebrew: תנ"ך), are those that imprecate – invoke judgment, calamity, or curses upon one's enemies or those perceived as the enemies of God [1]. Imprecations in the Psalms Of the one hundred and fifty Psalms, six are com­monly classified as "imprecatory" Psalms. These are Psalms 55, 59, 69, 79, 109 and 137. Besides these main six imprecatory Psalms, there are portions of other Psalms which include statements, calling for God's wrath and punishment to be executed upon the wicked. Some examples are Psalms 17:13-14, 35:4-6, 24-26, 58:6-11, 68:1, 71:13, 83:13-17, 94:1-7, 129:5-8, 140:9-11, 143:12, etc. How can we account for the petitions raised to God to bring curses upon the wicked? For example  ‘’Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell’’ (Psalm 55:15), or "Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth" (Psalm 58:6), "Let them be blotted out of the book of the living?" (Psalms 69:28), "Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen" (Psalm 79:6), are some of the fearsome curses the Psalmists wish upon their enemies. There are curses for God's wrath to even come upon widows and children: "Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow" (Psalm 109:9f), and speaking about the Babylonians, the Psalmist says: "Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy lit­tle ones against the stones" (Psalm 137:9). How can we match up these curses from the Psalms with the God of Love described in the New Testament? [1] Wikipedia definition. In Part 2 We we will consider if there can be any justification for these imprecatory psalms.