What is holiness? It means being set apart from sin and being consecrated for God’s purposes. This standard is not an option for a child of God. One of the seven churches Jesus addressed in Rev…

It takes gall to celebrate sin in a church. Yet this happened at Thyatira, a church singled out by Jesus for judgment in the book of Revelation. Its false prophetess advocated sexual immorality. And …

Jesus mentions overcomers many times during His evaluation of seven ancient churches in the book of Revelation. But what makes an overcomer? And what are they to overcome? In this message we investig…

Some churches think all is well. Great attendance convinces them God is doing a mighty work. But one of the churches in Revelation was proclaimed to be dead by Jesus, even though it thought it was al…

“Be watchful… hold fast what you’ve heard… repent… or else I will come upon you as a thief…” These are the words of Jesus to an ancient church. Could he …

In the end, only one thing will matter: whether you as a believer were an overcomer. Jesus makes that clear as He analyzes seven local churches in the book of Revelation. Overcomers will be given whi…

Jesus addressed seven local churches in the book of Revelation. Often, His words were sharp. But to one church, His words were only kind. Why was this church praised? Will we hear the same words of c…

In what is now Turkey, the church at Philadelphia was commended by Jesus for being faithful to His name. Churches still grow even in hostile places—churches about which Jesus says, “I&rsq…

The early church at Philadelphia earned high marks from Jesus for its faithfulness and its vision. They persevered, they kept His word, and they never denied His name. They demonstrate the importance…

As Jesus evaluated seven successive churches in the book of Revelation, some Bible scholars see the passing of history, with each church representing an era of time. Is your church spiritually robust…

Jesus had strong words for the lukewarm Laodicean church in Revelation chapter three. His tough love included a way for them to regain their lost fervor. His rebuke and chastening would lead to renew…

Today’s church is rich in wealth, but poor in spiritual power. That’s the same indictment handed down by Jesus to the ancient church at Laodicea. He may have had our day in mind when He s…

When running life’s race, the clock is relentless. Once gone, time cannot be reclaimed. The Bible teaches believers to be “redeeming the time, for the days are evil.” Time must be u…

Time is a vital, non-renewable resource. Like a coin, it can only be spent once. For the Christian, our minutes are not our own. They belong to Christ, the Lord of our time. Are you spending your tim…

As believers, how we use our time determines our effectiveness for God. At the end of this life, we’ll be judged by our deeds. So we should be mindful of how we spend the minutes, days, and yea…

We’re all given gifts and abilities. It’s not how many we have, but how we use them, that determines the outcome of our lives. Rather than complain about what we don’t have, let&rsq…

Although we’re not equal in abilities, we are equal in our obligation to use our abilities wisely. In Bible times, a talent was a large sum of money. Today it signifies an ability. Either way, …

For every Olympic track star, thousands of runners will never make the team. But that’s no reason to give up. Many believers with few talents approach life with a clenched fist rather than an o…

Christians running the race of life frequently get tripped up by matters of money. Whose money is it really? Is it mine to do with as I please, or am I just taking care of it for someone else? Christ…

Believers in the race of life need to come to grips with money. Many of us grip our pocketbooks until our knuckles turn white. Yet God wants us to know the joy of generosity.

When a man or woman believes in Christ, many deep-seated desires change. We become givers rather than takers, and God wants us to see our money as a trust to manage, not a possession to squander.

Believers are to run life’s race for Christ, who taught us to love God with all our being as the first and greatest commandment. This is a tall order, but this message will help us understand w…