What Jesus Is Still Saying to the Church EP 44

  What Jesus Is Still Saying to the Church

In this episode of Unfiltered Faith: Beyond the Church Walls, Evelyn and Krystal sit down for a real conversation about what Jesus is still saying to His church today.

This discussion comes out of the final week of our Bible study, where we reflected on Revelation’s seven churches, the call to return to our first love, the danger of spiritual compromise, lukewarm faith, being ready for Jesus, using what God has entrusted to us, and living with eternity in view.

This episode is not about fear, date-setting, or chasing headlines. It is about asking the deeper question: If Jesus is coming, how should we live right now?

Evelyn and Krystal talk through the difference between truth and love, warning and mercy, activity and real spiritual life, comfort and surrender, and what it means to stay faithful until Jesus returns.

This episode is an original podcast discussion by Evelyn and Krystal based on personal reflections from our church Bible study. Our group used The King Is Coming by John Bevere as part of our study, and we give full credit to John Bevere for his book and teaching resource. This episode does not read from, reproduce, summarize chapter-by-chapter, or replace his book or study guide. This podcast is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by John Bevere or his ministry.

Unfiltered Faith: Beyond the Church Walls
with Evelyn & Krystal

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Hello everyone and welcome back to Unfiltered Faith Beyond the Church Walls. I am Evelyn. And I'm Crystal, and we are so glad that you're joining us today. So today we are wrapping up our sixth and final week of our Bible study, The King is Coming by John Bevere. So before we get started, we want to give credit where credit is due. The study was guided by a John Bevere book that we read and uh taught from. It led our group into a lot of scripture discussion and personal reflection. But today's episode is our own recap and conversation. We are not reading from the book, not repeating his teaching word for word, and we are not using his exact questions. However, we are talking through the biblical themes, what stood out to us, and how we believe the Lord was challenging us as a group.

SPEAKER_00 0:49

Yes, and we really want to encourage you that if this series has stirred something in you, then please don't just listen to our recap. We want you to get into the word for yourself, go ahead and read Revelation 2 and 3, read Matthew 24 and 25, and then read the passages about being ready, being faithful, and living with eternity in mind. Because the goal of a study like this is to not just, you know, know more about prophecy, but the goal is to live differently because Jesus is coming.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

Yeah, that's really where this final week landed.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:23

After talking about the return of Jesus, the letters to the churches, readiness, service, holiness, and rewards, we were left with one big question: how should we live? And before we get into that conversation, I'm going to open us up in prayer. Father, we come before you in the name of Jesus. Lord, thank you for your word. Thank you that you love your church enough to correct us, warn us, encourage us, and call us closer. Help us today not to hear this conversation as condemnation, but as invitation to wake us up, repent where we need to repent and live ready for you. Search our hearts, show us where we have grown cold, distracted, prideful, lukewarm, or too comfortable with compromise. Show us where we have left our first love. Show us where we have buried what you gave us, and give us grace to respond with obedience. Let this conversation point us back to you, Jesus, back to Scripture, and back to a life that is faithful and surrendered to you. In Jesus' precious name we pray. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 2:28

Amen. And we also want to just remind everyone that we are not biblical scholars. That's right. We are not theologians, we are not pastors, we are just to women who love Jesus, love learning about his word. So just take what we tell you or what we're teaching, and then you have to open the Bible for yourself. Open the Bible for yourself and kind of get what the Lord is going to speak into your heart.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

That's right. So, Chris, well, what really stood out to me this final week is that before Revelation gets into all the parts people usually debate about, which is the timelines, the judgments, the signs, tribulation, all that. Jesus speaks directly to his churches. So it feels important because when we talk about the return of Jesus, we tend to immediately look outward. You know, we look out at the world, we look at the politics, the culture, you know, we look at the wars and the headlines and all the things happening around us. And I'm not saying those things don't matter because they certainly do, but revelation makes us look at the church first. Jesus is walking among his churches and he's examining them. He sees what is good, he sees what is dangerous, you know, he sees what they have endured. And then he also sees what they have tolerated. You know, he he sees their works, their love, their faith, their reputation, their compromise, and their spiritual condition. So that tells me, before I ask, hey, what's going on with the world? We need to look inward first, right? You know, what are you saying to me and to the church?

SPEAKER_00 3:57

Yeah, I mean, I agree. So that was one of the strongest things for me, too. It's much easier to talk about how dark the world is than ask, you know, how healthy the church is. How is my walk with Jesus? And honestly, it's easier to talk about the church in general than it is to, you know, maybe look inward. So when Jesus speaks to the churches, he is not impressed by the same things people are impressed by. Like let's be honest. So we look at numbers, crowds, buildings, money, reputation, platforms, activity, yada yada, yada. But Jesus looks so much deeper than all of that. He looks at faithfulness, yeah, he looks at love, he looks at obedience, and he looks at whether people are enduring, whether they are compromising, and whether they are spiritually alive, and whether they are truly his. And that makes me think about how often we judge spiritual success by outward appearance. So we assume if something is big, it must be healthy. We assume that if something is popular, it must be blessed. But these letters, they show us that Jesus can look at something people admire and still say, um, there is something still very wrong in there.

SPEAKER_01 5:15

That's exactly it. And you know, I remember when we when we were deep in Revelation and looking at these churches, it's like as we read those, you know, it really does make it personal because you look and you can read these letters and immediately think of churches or ministries or leaders or people who fit, but that's not the right place to start. The right place to start is right here, Lord, with me. Yes, yes. Um, so the questions we need to ask ourselves, and this is each individual person listening, you know, have I left my first love? Which is Jesus? Have I become harsh in the name of truth? Um, have I tolerated things that I should not tolerate? Have I looked alive outwardly while being so dry inwardly? You know, have I become like lukewarm? And he talked about the lukewarm church, and we know about the scripture. You know, he you be hot, be cold, but he'll just spit you out if you're lukewarm, right? And you know, have I buried what God has given me because of fear or you know, my comfort? Yeah, you know, so I think that's where this study really begins to deal with me personally, and I think that hopefully everybody can look inward and see where your walk is.

SPEAKER_00 6:23

Yeah, and I mean honestly, I think that's that's how we know the word is doing what it's supposed to do, right? It doesn't just give us information, it exposes us. Yeah, and it it doesn't expose us to shame, not at all, but it exposes us so that it can heal us and bring us back into alignment with Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 6:41

Yeah, that's true. So the first um tr church letter or church we're gonna talk about is Ephesus. Um, because that church really stands out. Ephesus had a lot right, they cared about truth, they had endurance, they worked hard, they could recognize false teaching. Um, they were not just accepting everything that came along, and you know, in our day, I think many people would admire that. I mean, I know I certainly would. We need discernment, we need biblical truth, and we need to know the difference between sound teaching and deception, because as we know, at the end of the days, deception is going to become rampant, and we're starting to see that. Um, so it's not that Jesus rebuked them for caring about truth, that wasn't the issue. The issue was that they had left their first love, yeah you know that that which that hit me pretty hard. It shows that we can be right in all the things and we can defend and still do wrong in the condition of our heart, which is what Jesus sees.

SPEAKER_00 7:44

Yeah, and you know what? That one convicted me too. Because it's possible to become so focused on being correct that we stop being compassionate. And I think in the Christian world today, especially online, yeah, you know, we see that it happens a lot. You know, people can be very bold about truth. I feel like I can, um, but the tone is angry, arrogant, mocking, or cruel. So we have to just kind of keep that in check.

SPEAKER_01 8:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:12

We still have to love while speaking truth.

SPEAKER_01 8:14

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 8:15

Um, and then, you know, so when people get angry and arrogant about the truth, you know, and then we call it discernment, but that's not true. Uh sometimes it's actually pride wearing religious clothing, right?

SPEAKER_01 8:31

Going to back to the, you know, being so pro pragmatic and dogma, the dogma and the religious lead, like the religious leaders, right?

SPEAKER_00 8:38

Yeah. So true discernment should make us grieve over deception. It should make us want people restored, it should make us protective of the church. Um, but while being protective, we are not hateful toward people because it's we hate the sin, not people. Yeah. Yeah. We're we're to love people, we are to love people in sin, but we don't love the sin at the same time.

SPEAKER_01 9:06

You know, the whole I think the whole thing is, you know, we're to love what Jesus loves and hate what Jesus hates. Jesus loves what's the one. Well, Jesus hates sin, but he loves people, right? So I've had to examine myself on that because I'm a direct and bold person, you know. And if something's wrong, I'm I'm probably going to say it. And if we're in person and not online, you're probably going to see my facial expressions. Usually you can read me out like a book with my facial expression. So I really do, I, you know, have to be cognizant of that. Um, and this study reminded me to ask, you know, like what why am I saying it? You know, is it is it relevant? Should I be saying what I'm saying? Am I speaking because I love Jesus and love people, or am I speaking because I want to win an argument?

SPEAKER_02 9:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:48

You know, and that question certainly does matter. And it's not that we stop telling people the truth, because that's not good either. Right. We absolutely cannot stop telling the truth, but the truth should come through a heart that still loves Jesus and loves people.

SPEAKER_02 10:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:01

So again, it's a tone. If I can correct someone, but I don't care whether they are restored, something is seriously wrong. So I need to I need to check that real quick.

SPEAKER_00 10:11

Right. And, you know, talking about our first love, you know, that's not just an emotion. I think sometimes we would we reduce it to feeling like we're supposed to feel the same excitement we felt when we first came to Jesus. But, you know, our first love is actually deeper than that. It's showing our devotion, it's our affection, it's you know, it might look like being obedient, our closeness to Jesus, our surrendering, and then the relationships that we build, or even even our relationship with Jesus. You know, a person can be so busy for God and yet still drift from God. Yes. A person can serve in ministry and slowly stop sitting with Jesus privately. And you know, that's dangerous because the outside can still look fine for a while.

SPEAKER_01 10:59

Yeah, that's true. And I think that's why Ephesus is such a strong warning to people who are, you know, serious about doctrine, theology, and defending the faith. Those things matter, certainly they do. But if we lose the love, we lost the heart of what Jesus wants. Yeah. You know, and that's really important. You know, Jesus is full of grace and truth. Not grace without truth, though. Not truth without grace. Both are very important. You know, I think both are equally important. You know, so emphasis reminds us that the goal is not to become softer on truth, the goal is to return to love while holding truth. You know, that's key.

SPEAKER_00 11:36

Yeah, and that applies in our homes too, you know, you know, not just online or in church debates. That's right. You know, we can be right with our spouse, our children, our family, our friends, and still speak in a way that lacks love. Sometimes the people closest to us experience the sharpest version of us. I know my husband has. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So even when we talk about returning to our first love, it should show up in how we treat people at home, how we respond when we're irritated. Lord help me with that. And how we correct our kids. Also, Lord, help me with that, and how we handle conflict. You know, it's easy to sound spiritual in public, but be harsh and private. It's almost like that uh that two-facedness.

SPEAKER_01 12:21

Yeah, yeah, that's true. And it brings and I and that brings it down to like real life, which is what we really want to do here. Like, yeah, let's this is a true reality. I mean, these are the facts. Because if this study doesn't change how we live at home, in church, or at work, and with people, then we're just collecting information. And that's how good, you know, what good is that, you know?

SPEAKER_00 12:41

So next we're gonna look at the church Smyrna, which, you know, faith under pressure, right? So when we talked about Smyrna, you know, that church felt very different. Smyrna was under pressure. They were suffering, they were dealing with opposition, hardship, and probably a lot of discouragement. But Jesus did not correct them the way he corrected some of the other churches. That's true. You know, and that that really encouraged me because it shows that hardship does not mean Jesus is displeased with us. I mean, obviously, we've learned that throughout scripture, but sometimes, you know, faithful people suffer. That's also biblical. And sometimes obedient people go through pressure. Sometimes the church that looks poor or weak from the outside is actually the richest in the eyes of Jesus, and that challenges the way you know we think about blessing.

SPEAKER_01 13:33

Yeah, it's true. Because we often connect blessing with comfort, true. You know, if things are going well, we say, Oh, God is good. And he is good, no doubt about that. But he's also good when things are hard. That's true. You know, he is good when we are under pressure, and he's good when obedience costs us something. Smyrna reminds us that Jesus sees suffering faithfulness. You know, he doesn't overlook, he doesn't ignore the people who keep holding on when life is so heavy. You know, and I think that matters because some people listening may be in a season where they are doing all the right things, but it is still hard and they're praying and they're serving and they're forgiving, and they seemingly are doing everything they can do and they know to do, yet the situation hasn't changed. So Smyrna reminds us that Jesus still sees that, he's still there, present.

SPEAKER_00 14:28

Yeah, I think that also challenged me a little bit too because Smyrna probably, you know, would not have looked successful by like modern standards, right? True, yeah. So certainly not by today's standards, yeah at all. Yeah, they didn't have ease, there was no status, and they were not the church everyone would look at and say, hey, you know, that's the model. But yet Jesus honored them. And that makes me wonder how many believers or churches are deeply honored by heaven, yeah, but overlooked by people. You know, the small church that keeps preaching the word, the believer who keeps caring for the sick spouse, you know, the single mom who keeps raising her kids in the Lord, and the person who refuses to deny Jesus, even when their family mocks them. You know, that is the kind of faithfulness that matters to God.

SPEAKER_01 15:16

Yeah, it really does. And I think, I mean, we're a small little church, we're a small little Bible-study church. And I think we need that reminder because we live in a very, very platform-driven world today. You know, especially with social media and all the, you know, all the ministries that are online and so forth. You know, even ministry can become about visibility.

SPEAKER_02 15:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:39

You know, who has the biggest following, who has the you know, best production, who who's giving, um who's getting invited to speak at this church or that church, you know, who's growing the fastest. And Jesus is not about that. You know, Jesus is not confused by platforms, he sees what's real and he sees what's real in our hearts. And doesn't matter if there's one person going to your church or a hundred thousand, don't matter. You know, he sees that he sees the real, he's he knows who's the real deal. And Smyrna reminds us that being faithful in suffering may not look glamorous, but it is precious to him.

SPEAKER_02 16:15

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:16

You know, now we're gonna go on to a couple more of the churches, and that is Pergamum and Thyatera. And I'm sorry if I butcher the names, just bear with us. Um, this is where the study pressed into compromise. We see a lot of that in some of the churches today. You know, again, I think you know, if you're listening closely, you can you literally could probably you know of a church that will fit in every single one of these, and that's really unfortunate. Um, but what stood out is that Jesus acknowledged the good things in them.

SPEAKER_00 16:48

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 16:49

You know, he there's there was definitely compromise. They were not described as completely faithless. That's good. Um, there were areas of endurance and there was service and loyalty, but they were tolerating things Jesus did not call them to tolerate. So they were compromising, right? And that word tolerate is a big deal in our current culture. Today, tolerance is often treated like the highest form of love. If you love someone, you're expected to affirm everything. Yeah, that's so you know, and even if the what they want you to affirm is a lie, and that's really that's a bad place to be. You know, if you don't affirm everything, people say you're hateful.

SPEAKER_02 17:32

Right.

SPEAKER_01 17:32

Um, but biblically, love is not the same thing as approving everything. So, you know, we don't want to be the tyra or pergamum, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 17:42

Yes, and you know, I also think this is where we need to be careful and balanced because Christians, you know, we should be patient, yes, and we should be merciful, we should be gentle with people who are growing, and we should remember that sanctification is a process and that all of us we do need grace, but patience is not the same as compromise. That's right. Mercy is not the same as silence, and love does not mean pretending that sin is harmless, sin is dangerous. Sin is going to land you into the lake of fire. Yep. If let's be honest here. So if someone is being destroyed by something, well, unrepented sin, let's put it that way. Yeah, I'm sorry, unrepented sin, yes. So if someone is being destroyed by something, love has to care enough to tell them the truth. That's right. Not in a cruel way, not in a self-righteous way, but truthfully. Yeah, and that's the key.

SPEAKER_01 18:41

You know, not self-righteous, you know. We need to, because there is a wrong way to confront someone. People can confront with pride or anger, control, or even humiliation. That's not Jesus, you know. Right. Um, we can go back to those bracelets that I remember from the, you know, what the 80s or whatever it was, you know, what would Jesus do? We need to all have. I feel like those have to come back. Well, yeah, put them on, snap them. You know, every time you go to say something, look at the bracelet, snap it once, you know, and remind yourself that what would Jesus do. Um, but there is a wrong kind of silence for sure. Sometimes we stay silent and call it love when really it's fear. Right. You know, we don't want conflict, we don't want to be rejected, we don't want people to be mad at us, so we avoid the hard conversations and call it kindness. But if someone's walking towards destruction, silence is not always kind.

SPEAKER_00 19:32

That is very true. And I do think the first place we apply that is it has to be in ourselves. That's right. It's easy to talk about what the church is tolerating or what culture is tolerating, but the the most honest question a person can ask is, what am I tolerating in me? Yeah, it's true. What have I excused? What have I renamed? And what has the Holy Spirit been putting his finger on that I keep brushing off?

SPEAKER_01 20:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:02

You know, and that could look like maybe maybe bitterness, being a gossip, you know, having some jealousy, pride, lust, unforgiveness, greediness, fear, um, entertainment that feeds the flesh, or even the need to control. You know, sometimes the compromise isn't something obvious to everyone else. Sometimes it's something hidden that God keeps bringing up privately.

SPEAKER_01 20:25

Yeah, and if he keeps bringing it up privately, it's something he wants you to take a look at.

SPEAKER_00 20:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:30

And I think that keeps us humble, you know. Absolutely. Because when I let God correct me first, I'm not going to approach someone else like I'm above them. Right. You know, I'm going to approach them knowing I needed mercy too. You know, we all need mercy. That's why Jesus' correction to these churches is so important. He is not against love, he is against destructive tolerance being called love.

SPEAKER_02 20:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:55

And leaders especially need to take that seriously. Yeah. Parents need to take it seriously. Anyone discipling or influencing another needs to take it seriously. Absolutely. You know, if God has entrusted people to us, we cannot ignore what is harming them just because speaking up is uncomfortable and we may, you know, hurt their feelings. We need to do it in love. Right? Or you're afraid of losing.

SPEAKER_00 21:20

Yeah, or if you're afraid of losing your platform or being canceled. That's correct. You know? Yeah. You know, I also thought about how compromise can come into a church, you know, gradually. Sure. Because I'm sure it doesn't happen overnight, right? Yeah, I'm sure. It starts with like little allowances, little adjustments, little ways of making sin sound less serious, you know, little ways of avoiding hard truths because we don't want people to leave. And over time, what was once unthinkable becomes the norm. Yeah, it's unfortunate. That's why we have to stay anchored in scripture, not culture, not feelings, and certainly not trends, but scripture. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:00

You know, and not overuse the word grace. You know, you know, just allowing everything and just saying, Well, you know, we have grace. I we do have grace. I can do this because I'm covered by Jesus. That's me. I'm covered by grace.

SPEAKER_00 22:10

But grace does not give you permission to sin.

SPEAKER_01 22:12

That's right. You know, and again, anchored in scripture with love. Yeah, that's important, you know, because if we're not careful, we can swing from one ditch to another.

SPEAKER_00 22:23

Right.

SPEAKER_01 22:23

You know, and one ditch is harsh legalism, we don't want to be there, and the other one is complete compromise, and we don't want to be there. You know, Jesus calls us out of both of those things. He doesn't want us to be, you know, have legalism and harshness, and he doesn't want us to have compromise. Right. You know, truth and love together is the only way Jesus wants us to be. So we gotta do, we gotta be there.

SPEAKER_00 22:45

So the next church we're gonna talk about, Sardis. Oh boy. This is probably one of the most sobering churches to me. They had a reputation for being alive, but Jesus said the opposite. Jesus said they were dead. I do not wanna be dead, you know? Yeah, and you know, that is a heavy warning because it means people saw one thing, yeah, but Jesus saw something else. We're going back to that two-facing.

SPEAKER_01 23:16

Saw the complete opposite, obviously.

SPEAKER_00 23:19

They had a name, they had a reputation, they there was probably activity. Maybe people thought they were doing well, but Jesus looked beneath it all, he looked at the heart. And that makes me think about how easy it is to maintain an image spiritually, but be completely spiritually dead.

SPEAKER_01 23:38

Yeah. You know, and Sardis bothered me too because it feels very modern. Yeah, you know, it feels like we're seeing a lot more of that, unfortunately. That between that and the lukewarm church, I think we're we're seeing too much of that. You know, we know how to look alive. I've been in churches that look alive. Yeah, they brag about the number of lives being saved, you know, whatever, you know. Yeah, and I think that's something to celebrate. For sure. But you know, uh there's more to that, you know, is are you loving people? Are you loving and discipling people well? You know, we can create events, we can post scripture, we can make all the graphics in the world, we can have wonderful worship nights and live stream services and just keep busy, busy, busy, busy, busy and look active.

SPEAKER_02 24:23

Right.

SPEAKER_01 24:24

And none of those things are wrong. They're they're they're not. They're tools and they're wonderful tools to be used if used appropriately with the right heart.

SPEAKER_02 24:33

Right.

SPEAKER_01 24:33

You know, we promote Bible study. Absolutely. We love it. We want to help reach people and bring them to the Lord. You know, we want ministries to be visible, but activity is not the same as spiritual life. You know, just being active and just having all these different events are not the same thing. You know, a church can have movement without breath, you know, a believer can have involvement without intimacy. Yeah. And that is exactly what Sardis forces us to face. You know, we look at that church, it's exactly what was happening there.

SPEAKER_00 25:06

Yeah, and I think that applies even personally in ministry, you know, you can be you can be preparing lessons, you know, helping people, serving, leading, posting, and doing good things, but still just running on routine versus you know a relationship with Jesus. And so that doesn't mean the work is bad, it just means the work cannot become a substitute for being with Jesus. We still have to have an intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior.

SPEAKER_01 25:38

Yeah, it's it. And that is one of my biggest personal takeaways. I do not want to talk about Jesus more than I talk to Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 25:46

Yeah, that's good. I like that.

SPEAKER_01 25:47

You know, and I beg I beg guilty. I mean, I I'm gonna be honest. There's been times I don't want to serve him publicly and neglect him privately. Right. You know, so my prayer life, you know, I I you know, I stop and think about that. Like, am I just, you know, do I spend enough time in the Word? Do I spend enough and I do I s you know, I spend a lot of time in the Word, but really privately, you know, like really just quiet time, sometimes just quiet and waiting and listening, right? And I think that's the real danger for people in ministry, but also any believer who is busy, you know. Yes, we're always too busy, you know. You can be busy with your family, you can be busy with work and responsibilities, church life, life, just life in general, right? You know, and slowly your spiritual life becomes something that you just squeeze in and when you have the time. Yeah, and then one day you look fine on the outside, but in the inside you're just like dry.

SPEAKER_00 26:37

You know, so I mean, you know, Jesus is telling Sardis that they need to wake up. Yeah, and I think that is Jesus being merciful because we need to hear mercy, right? You know, sometimes a warning feels harsh, but if you are asleep and you're in danger, the most loving thing someone can do is to just wake you up. And I know we don't always like correction, you know, we're fleshy, we're people, nobody does. Nobody does, but correction from Jesus is not rejection, it's rescue.

SPEAKER_01 27:07

Yeah, it's good. You know, correction from Jesus is not rejection, it's rescue. I love that. Um and his instruction to Sardis was not complicated. No, it's just hey, wake up, you know, strengthen what remains. Remember what you received, hold on, repent. That's actually hopeful because it means even when something is dying, there may still be something, you know, to strengthen. You know, Jesus doesn't just say, You well, you're done. I guess this is over, you know. He he's like he's calling them to respond, which is what he's calling all of us to do, you know, respond. You know, so if someone's listening right now and you feel like you're spiritually asleep, you know, don't despair. Just answer the you know, answer the the call, you know, respond. Wake up, return to the Lord, you know.

SPEAKER_00 27:55

Yep. And you know, waking up may look very practical. It may mean just getting back into the word every day, it may mean repenting of something you've ignored, it may mean, you know, changing what you consume, garbage in, garbage out. That's true, you know? It may mean restoring a prayer life or asking someone to hold you accountable. It may mean getting planted again instead of floating. Um, sometimes we want a dramatic answer, but you know, obedience usually starts with simple steps.

SPEAKER_01 28:29

And that's where we have to be really honest. We can't just say, Well, I need to wake up and then just do nothing. Right. You know, if you acknowledge the fact that you need that you need to repent, then you need to wake up and repentance has fruit. You know, anytime we repent, we should see some change in that, right?

SPEAKER_02 28:46

Right.

SPEAKER_01 28:46

If the Lord is waking us up, then let's just respond.

SPEAKER_02 28:50

That's it.

SPEAKER_01 28:51

All right, so Philadelphia gave such a different picture. You know, they had little strength, but Jesus commended their faithfulness. Yes, you know, they kept his word, they didn't, they didn't deny him, they didn't deny his name. They really encouraged me because not everything feels strong. Some people feel small, tired, overlooked, or like they don't have much to offer. But Jesus does not despise little strength when there is real obedience, and they were being obedient.

SPEAKER_00 29:21

Yeah, and that I mean that's encouraging to me. Philadelphia shows that faithfulness is not about looking and prosperity. Right. That's right. It is about, you know, staying true to Jesus with what you have. You know, there are people who may never be known publicly, but are so deeply faithful. They pray, they serve, they give, they love their families, they remain faithful in hard marriages, hard jobs, hard seasons. They keep showing up when nobody notices. Kind of reminds me of Job, right? But Jesus sees all of that.

SPEAKER_01 29:56

Yeah, he certainly does. And I think this is important for our ministry too, because Beyond the Church walls has always been about going where people are, you know, serving outside the walls and going and just being faithful in practical ways, you know, loving on people. Not everything God calls us to do looks glamorous. Right. You know, sometimes ministry is messy and sometimes it's inconvenient, sometimes it doesn't come with applause. Um, it's just being faithful to the people who are in front of you right here and right now, you know, and just loving on them like Jesus would.

SPEAKER_00 30:31

You know, also Philadelphia reminds us that God can open doors that people, you know, cannot shut. But those open doors were connected to faithfulness and not showiness. So sometimes, you know, people want bigger opportunities, but they don't want the hidden obedience. So they want the open door, but not the quiet faithfulness that prepares them for that.

SPEAKER_01 30:57

Yeah, exactly. That's so true. You know, we often want God to trust us with more, right? But we have to ask if we're being faithful to what he's already given us. True, you know. Philadelphia had little strength, but they obeyed. Yeah, God is not asking us to be impressive, he's just asking us to be faithful.

SPEAKER_00 31:16

So then we get to the lukewarm church of Laodicea. Yes. And that warning is uncomfortable because they thought they were fine. Yeah. You know, they were self-sufficient, they had resources, they had confidence, but Jesus saw their true condition. And that's what makes lukewarmness just so dangerous. It doesn't always feel like rebellion. You know, sometimes it feels normal.

SPEAKER_01 31:49

Yeah. You know, lukewarm can look respectable, you know, it can look balanced, it can look like people who believe in God, go to church sometimes, listen to worship music, post scripture, and agree with Christian values, but is not fully surrendered. And that's the bottom line. You know, that is what makes it deceptive. A cold person usually knows they're cold.

SPEAKER_02 32:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:16

But a lukewarm person often thinks they're okay.

SPEAKER_02 32:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:20

And in church culture, lukewarm Christianity can feel normal because so many people have reduced following Jesus to simply believing certain things about him, and that's that's it. You know, but Jesus did not say, believe, I exist, and keep living for yourself. Yeah, he said, follow me.

SPEAKER_00 32:37

Yep, yeah. And following Jesus means involves so really surrender. Yeah. No, that's that's the part that people don't always want. You know, we want comfort, peace, blessing in heaven, but Jesus also calls us to deny ourselves. We need to take up our cross and obey. So that doesn't mean that we earn salvation because we certainly don't, but it means real faith changes the way we live.

SPEAKER_01 33:07

Exactly. We are saved by grace through faith. Yes, we are not saved by works, but grace does not leave us unchanged. You know, and this church challeng was challenging uh casual Christianity. Yeah, you know, it challenges the version of faith that wants Jesus as a savior, but not Lord. You know, that's true. And that's strong. I think we need to we need to say that like out loud again. Yeah, you know, the bottom line is they were treating him like, oh yeah, I love the Lord, I love Jesus, he's my savior, but he wasn't their Lord. You know, they were more they were self-sufficient, they were not relying on the Lord, right? Um, because Jesus is not looking for casual association, he wants us to surrender and follow him, and you know, he should be first, always and foremost in our lives.

SPEAKER_00 33:58

Yeah. You know, and so let's talk about comfort. You know, I think that can make us spiritually blind.

unknown 34:05

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 34:06

You know, when we have enough resources, enough entertainment, enough distractions, enough ability to manage life ourselves, we may not realize you know how much we need God, right? And I think that's the real problem in the Western church. You know, you can have church services, we have technology, music, books, podcasts, conferences, and programs, but still lack hunger for God Himself.

SPEAKER_01 34:32

That is exactly it. We can produce ministry without depending on the Holy Spirit if we're not careful. We can organize and promote and build something that looks good, but where is the fire? You know, where's the repentance? Where's the holiness? Where's the prayer? And where is the fear of the Lord? Which John Bevere in his book that we're studying uh that we just finished, he talks about the fear of the Lord a lot. And I love how he explains it. So I really strongly encourage everybody to read this book and get the book and the study guide because you'll have his stream, his streaming with it, and he goes into that in great detail. And then Leia Dicea makes us ask whether we are spiritually rich in our own eyes but poor in reality. You know, and yet even to Leia Dicea, this church, and I'm sure I'm trapping that up, but Jesus gives an invitation to um that's mercy. He calls them to repent, he calls them back. So if you're listening and you're lukewarm, just he's calling you back.

SPEAKER_00 35:36

And that's important because you know, you know, conviction should lead us toward Jesus and not away from him. You know, shame makes people hide, yet conviction invites people to return.

SPEAKER_01 35:47

Amen to that. And that's the tone we want to keep. You know, this is serious, but it's not hopeless. It's never hopeless. After the letters to the churches, the study moved into readiness. And I appreciated that that readiness was not presented in his book as panic. Right. It was not be afraid every second. It was live awake, live faithful, and live prepared. And that matters because a lot of end-time conversations produce fear, right? And people get anxious and suspicious, obsessed and overwhelmed. But biblically, readiness should produce faithfulness, not panic, and certainly not fear. True. That's true.

SPEAKER_00 36:30

So, you know, if prophecy makes us fearful or arrogant or obsessed, then we're probably missing the heart of it. The return of Jesus should make us sober, but also hopeful. Always, yeah. You know, we are not waiting for a stranger, we are waiting for our king. For the believer, his return is not bad news, it is our hope. But hope does not mean uh passivity. That's right. Readiness is active. Jesus used pictures like servants waiting for their master, lamps burning, and being dressed for service. Those are not passive images.

SPEAKER_01 37:10

That's right. Being ready means staying spiritually awake, and it means keeping our relationship with God alive. It means not letting sin, distraction, comfort, or compromise, you know, dull us. Right. And one part that stood out was being dressed for service. Yeah. You know, that is a practical picture. The king is coming, so we don't just sit around and do nothing. We need to be ready, but we need to continuously serve.

SPEAKER_00 37:37

Yeah, and I think that is an important aspect because you know, sometimes people think, oh, end of times teaching means that we withdraw from the world, we live like a hermit. Yeah, no. But it God says to know. It's almost like, well, everything is getting worse, so let's just hide and wait. Um, no. But Jesus never told us to hide, he told us to be faithful, he told us to occupy, serve, make disciples, love people, preach the gospel, and use what he gave us. If anything, knowing Jesus is coming should make us more engaged in kingdom work and not less.

SPEAKER_01 38:17

I agree with that totally because if we are like supposed to be serving and occupying and loving and preaching the gospel, you know, we can't sit around and do nothing because if we know the king is coming back, why would we not preach the gospel and try to help as many people come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior? You know, we're to be going out and helping find the lost, bring them to Jesus. And that's what we do as a as a ministry beyond the church walls. Yeah is about taking faith outside the building of the church because the king is coming, right? And we should serve people, sharing the gospel, sharing Jesus, discipling, helping, praying, and doing what he has assigned us to do. And not everyone's assignment looks the same, right? But every believer has one.

SPEAKER_00 39:00

That's true. So we're gonna talk about gifts and assignments, and you know, honestly, that kind of stood out to me too, because I think many believers maybe disqualify themselves, though they think calling is only for pastors, teachers, worship leaders, you know, missionaries, or people with platforms. I know I thought that at one point right before a revelation series, yeah. But you know, God uses people everywhere, whether it's in our homes, hospitals, schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, shelters, and maybe just in our ordinary conversations with people, your assignment may not look like a pulpit, it may just look like faithfulness in your family, it may look like caring for someone, maybe for a sick loved one, it may look like discipling one person, it may look like just serving quietly, or it may look like using your testimony to encourage someone else.

SPEAKER_01 40:01

Yeah, and that's so good. And I know as a nurse, I know ministry does not always happen in church. Right. You know, I've seen I've seen it in hospital rooms, you know, where it can become holy ground.

SPEAKER_02 40:12

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 40:12

You know, I have seen moments with patients and families where compassion, prayer, and presence matter deeply.

SPEAKER_02 40:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:19

Um, and sometimes people are waiting for a title when God has already put ministry right in front of them. You know, I talked about when we did our study before, um, the first time, you know, during COVID when I had a 90, I think it was 92 or 93, I don't know how she was in her 90s, and you know, I was working in the COVID unit. And she said the word, you know, and I had never really outright at that point in my love walk, I I would pray for people, but never did I lay hands on somebody and pray with them. I just I was uncomfortable at that point. Yeah, and she, this little old lady who was bedridden, I was take taking care of her, and she said she was scared. And I'm like, Oh, honey, do you want me to pray for you? No, I'm gonna tell you straight up that normally would never have come out of my mouth. I would pray for people, but never to just offer up prayer like that. And she said yes. I'm like, oh well, here we go, I guess. And that parable of the talents really brings it home. God entrusts different things to different people. Right. The question is not whether I have what someone else has, the question is whether I'm faithful with what he has given me.

SPEAKER_00 41:24

Yeah, and you know, comparison can become an excuse. You know, we look at someone else and say, Oh, I can't do what they do. But God isn't asking for us to do what they do. That's right. He's asking us to obey him with what is in our hands, with what he has entrusted us with.

SPEAKER_01 41:44

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 41:45

And fear, you know, can also become an excuse. We can bury something and tell ourselves that we're being careful when we're really just avoiding obedience.

SPEAKER_01 41:56

Yeah, it's true. And doing nothing with what God gave us is not neutral. If he gave it to us for his kingdom, we bury it, that matters. I mean, we talk about the talents, you know, when one just buried it because they were afraid. Yeah, you know, that is what he's referring to. You know, that doesn't mean we rush ahead without wisdom, though. It doesn't mean we never rest, it doesn't mean we do everything all at once, but it does mean we stop making excuses for disobedience. You know, maybe God gave you a gift to teach, or maybe he gave you um compassion for the hurting, or a testimony that you could help someone with. You know, all these things, he maybe there's wisdom that you're walking through in someone, you know, you can influence someone in your family or workplace, you know, use whatever it is he's given you.

SPEAKER_00 42:46

And I like that the study reminded us that nobody is too young or too old. That's right. As one of our pastors used to be. If well, if you're not dead, you're not done.

SPEAKER_01 42:57

Right. And there's also there's no junior Holy Spirit, right? That's right. Age doesn't matter here.

SPEAKER_00 43:02

So scripture gives examples of God using people at different ages in different stages. So I know I have used my age as an excuse, not like in ministry, but I'm like, oh, I'm too old to have kids. Well, the Lord's like, ha ha, let me show you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:17

Expecting your second right now, so there you go.

SPEAKER_00 43:20

So, you know, a painful past is also not an excuse. That's right. You know, feeling weak is not an excuse.

SPEAKER_01 43:29

If God calls you, he will also give you the grace to obey. He will equip you with what you need, you know. And that painful past is a testimony that may help someone. Absolutely, use it.

SPEAKER_02 43:41

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 43:42

Um, and sometimes we want God to reveal the whole plan before we take that first step. But faithfulness starts with that one step. We start, we take the one step of obedience, and he will provide. Yeah, you know, so serve where you are, you know, start with who's in front of you, if that's your family or if that's. You know, like the homeless shelter we go to or whatever it is, just use it.

SPEAKER_00 44:04

This brings us to the question: how shall we live? And I appreciated that the study did not end with speculation. It actually ended with application. It brought everything back to the way we actually live. Because the return of Jesus should affect our priorities, our relationships, our choices, our service, our holiness, and our urgency.

SPEAKER_01 44:30

Yes, and readiness does not mean perfection, certainly. I think that's important to say. Yeah. If readiness meant perfection, none of us would have hope. Nope. You know, readiness means surrender, it means repentance, and it means stay awake. It means when the Holy Spirit convicts us, we need to respond. And it means we're not making peace with sin ever.

SPEAKER_00 44:52

Nope.

SPEAKER_01 44:53

It means we're walking with Jesus and allowing him to shape our lives.

SPEAKER_00 44:57

Yeah. And holiness, you know, fits into that. Holiness is not legalism. Legalism says I have to perform so God will accept me. Holiness says I belong to Jesus, so I want my life to honor him. And let's be real, no amount of performance will ever get God to accept you. That's not true. No, so that's a very different motive. We are not trying to earn God's love. He already loves us. We can't earn it. He gave Jesus for us, but we are just responding to his love.

SPEAKER_01 45:32

That's right. And the bride imagery is beautiful for that reason. You know, a bride prepares because she loves the groom and is looking forward to being with him.

SPEAKER_02 45:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:42

Now that's how we should think about being ready for Jesus. Not panic, not dread, not a performance, a religious performance, but love, devotion, surrender, and with expectation.

SPEAKER_00 45:53

Yeah, and I will say that was probably one of my favorite imageries that John Bevere used because it really kind of brought it to, I don't want to say to life, but like, you know, you talk about, I think back to my back to my wedding day, like the preparation, the dress was clean, pretty, you know, the makeup, everything was just done. And then like, imagine your bride being unkept, having stained clothes, and just looking like you didn't give two crap, so you're getting ready to walk down the aisle. And that's what we that's what we look like when we come to Jesus. Like we come stained, we come broken. And it's like, but I want to be washed, like I I want, you know, Jesus to change all that. Like, I don't want to come to him unkept. Like it put a whole image in my head. Like, if I showed up at the back of church and Angus, like, I am not marrying this, like, what did you? I am not marrying her. Like, how much do you love me that you couldn't even, you know, get prepared for me like presentable? Like, what the heck? I love that he did that because it really, you know, really put it into perspective for me. Okay, so to get back to what you had mentioned earlier, so love, devotion, surrender, expectation, you know, if that is our posture, then prophecy will not make us strange in the wrong way. It will make us faithful, it will make us less attached to the world, but more useful in the world. So we won't be hiding, we'll be serving, we'll be loving people, we'll be sharing the gospel, we'll be living with eternity in mind.

SPEAKER_01 47:28

Yeah, that's the balance. We are not of this world, but we are still sent into it. That's right. You know, so if the king is coming, we should be awake, holy, loving, truthful, faithful, and active in what he called us to do. You know, that is the message I walked away with. No fear, no obsession, no date setting, not arguing over every detail like pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib stuff. Right. But readiness. Exactly. You know, yeah. So, Crystal, what would you say is your biggest personal takeaway from this final week?

SPEAKER_00 48:03

Uh, for me, it was Laodicea and Sardis together. Uh, Laodicea because lukewarmeness, you know, can feel normal, and Sardis because activity can look like life even when you know something is missing. And that made me examine whether I'm truly hungry for God or just familiar with Christian routines. Because you can be around the things of God and still need the Lord to wake, you know, to wake your heart up.

SPEAKER_01 48:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 48:34

So, you know, my prayer tonight, you know, will be something like, you know, Lord, don't let me assume I'm fine, just keep my heart tender. Show me where I have become casual.

SPEAKER_01 48:47

Being too familiar can be dangerous if it turns into casualness, right? We can hear scripture so much that we stop trembling at it. And we can sing worship songs, but not really worship the king. Yeah, you know, and you know, attending Bible study as we do, but not let the Bible study us, yeah, you know, and change us, right? Yeah, so for me, Stardust really stayed with me too. I don't want to just look alive, I want to be alive in Christ. You know, I don't want to be so busy doing things for God that I stop being close to God, yeah, you know, and that is a real warning for anyone in ministry. Uh, ministry can become just activity if we don't, you know, guard the intimacy.

SPEAKER_00 49:35

Yeah, I agree with that. And I would say probably another takeaway for me was um Philadelphia. You know, I found that encouraging because they had little strength, but Jesus still praised their faithfulness. You know, sometimes people feel like they don't have much to offer, but Jesus isn't asking us to be someone else, he is asking us to be faithful with what we have. And you know, that gave me hope because God sees small obedience, and I think about the the worship songs that talk about like, I'm gonna give you my worship because that's all I have to give you. Sometimes that's right, our worship is all we have to give.

SPEAKER_01 50:11

So yeah, and I think that is such a good place to land because this whole study could feel heavy if we focus on the warnings, yeah, yeah, but there is so much hope in it. Jesus corrects because he loves, he warns because he wants his people ready, and he sees suffering, he honors faithfulness, and he opens the doors, right? He invites the lukewarm to repent. Jesus rewards what is done for him. Um that is not a hopeless message, that is a wake-up message, you know, a hopeful message.

SPEAKER_00 50:46

That's true. So for anyone listening, we want to encourage you not to just finish this episode and move on, but take the time this week to actually sit with the Lord. You know, like we mentioned earlier, you know, read Revelation 2 and 3 slowly. Don't read it thinking about everyone else, and then ask the Lord, what are you saying to me? Where have I left my first love? Where have I tolerated a compromise? Where have I looked alive but grown dry? Where have I become lukewarm? Where do I need to repent? And where do I need to be encouraged to keep going?

SPEAKER_01 51:32

Then read Matthew 25 and ask, Lord, what have you placed in my hands? You know, am I using it? Have I buried anything because of fear or insecurity, compromise, or comfort? And then ask him what obedience looks like now, you know, not someday, not when everything is perfect, but now. And maybe it's repentance, maybe it's forgiveness, maybe he's calling you to serve or you know, get planted somewhere, having those hard conversations or picking up something or putting something down. Maybe it's letting go of something you have tolerated, but whatever he shows you, respond. That's the most important part.

SPEAKER_00 52:15

Yeah. The king is coming, and that should not make believers panic. No, it should make us faithful.

SPEAKER_01 52:21

Amen. So let's live ready. So, Christopher, you want to close us up in prayer.

SPEAKER_00 52:27

Father God, we thank you for this study and for the way your word speaks to us. Lord, we don't want to walk away with more information and no transformation. We want to be changed, we want to be awake, we want to be faithful, we want to be ready for Jesus. Search our hearts, show us where we have left our first love, show us where we have tolerated things that are pulling us away from you. Show us where we have looked alive outwardly but grown dry inwardly. Show us where we have become lukewarm, distracted, or self-sufficient. But Lord, help us respond with repentance and not shame. Draw us closer to Jesus. Teach us to walk in truth and love, help us speak truth with humility and love people without compromising your word. Help us be faithful with what you have placed in our hands, purify our motives, strengthen what remains, wake up what has gone dormant, and help us build what will last. And Jesus, when you return, may you find us faithful, awake, surrendered, and full of love for you. In Jesus' precious and mighty name we pray. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 53:39

Amen. So we want to thank you for joining us for this final week of the King is Coming Bible study recap.

SPEAKER_00 53:46

We hope this conversation encouraged you, challenged you, and pushed you back into the Word for yourself.

SPEAKER_01 53:53

And if you want to connect with us, follow Beyond the Church Walls Ministry on Facebook. And if you're local, we would love to have you join us for Tuesday night Bible studies at the Blogger Center in Chesterton at 6 p.m.

SPEAKER_00 54:06

Yep. And we share this episode with someone who needs encouragement to stay awake, to stay faithful, and to keep their eyes on Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 54:13

And we will be starting our next Bible study June 2nd, Tuesday night, 6 p.m. And we're going into a 12 week Deuteronomy. Until then, stay grounded, stay hungry, and stay unfiltered in your walk with Jesus. This is Unfiltered Faith beyond the church walls. We love you and we will see you next Thursday. God bless.