ENDTIMES CHAT with GJ and DAN

Can you believe we are broadcasting our 100TH episode?

Our message today is simple. Use your voice. Your voice can be through speaking to others, writing, your actions, and anyway you communicate with others. You just need to be reminded that you have one!

There are FOUR powerful ways that you can use your voice.

1. Comfort - use your voice to comfort others. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 says, "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen [b]asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who [c]sleep in Jesus. For this, we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are [d]asleep.

For the Lord, Himself, will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."

2. Encouragement - use your voice to be an encourager. There is so much bad news that we have no trouble filling our minds with discouragement.

The NUMBER ONE thing you can do to be effective is to be encouraged. Then you can go an encourage others! Let your life and your voice speak out loud and make some noise that will bring LIGHT and LIFE to those in your influence. Speak life.

TUNE IN TO THE SHOW TODAY for the other two and celebrate our 100th broadcast!!

PRAY. PREPARE. PROTECT. PROCLAIM. PERSIST. PERSEVERE. PRAY AGAIN. PASS IT ON. POWER UP. POSITION PROPERLY. PAY ATTENTION. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.

Check us out at endtimes.chat

Laodicea was the ancient capital of the province of Phrygia. It was a part of a tri-city metropolitan area that included the cities of Hierapolis and Colossae. Located in the Lycus Valley on a major highway, the city was surrounded by mountains, and its location made it an excellent fortress to guard the main road and the greater metropolitan area. It was located about forty miles southeast of Philadelphia.

In addition to being the judicial seat of the province, it was a center for the banking industry and included a prosperous economy with the manufacturing of cloth as one of its primary assets. Beautiful garments and carpets were designed from the wool of the black sheep of this region. The wool was known to be extremely soft in texture and glossy black in color, making it highly desirable around the empire. The medical school was quite famous, and its physicians claimed success in mixing medicines for certain diseases.

They produced an ointment for the ears as well as a powder for the eyes. Aristotle called it "Phrygian powder." The physicians demonstrated allegiance to the serpent god Asklepios, which dominated the medical school of Pergamos. Laodicea was a center of emperor worship, as one might expect after seeing its strategic location.

Although destroyed by an earthquake in A.D. 60, the city was rebuilt without any financial help from Rome. It proudly refused imperial financial assistance in rebuilding. – They were people who liked to do things on their own…- WHICH can lead people into living in default mode. The church there had become complacent, trusting in the wealth and riches of the area.

They hit default mode. When we hit a crisis, and even in no crisis, it’s easy to live in the DEFAULT mode. That’s where you just go along day to day and do what you did last week. Not real stretch goals. And you’re worried that we will end up like the church of Laodicea – neither hot nor cold – essentially COMPLACENT.

So what can we do to get out in front and become HOT?

This broadcast today is about understanding that as long as we have breath, there is something God wants us to accomplish. When we accomplish one thing, there is another, and another, and another thing we need to accomplish. The idea is that we cannot accomplish it on our own. We need God, and we need others to get it done. How can we build momentum and not slip into the complacency of Laodicea?

Complacency is one of the most dangerous places we can live. Complacency says, “There is nothing I can do to change what is going on around me. Therefore, I will just continue to do what I have always done and not strive to make a difference. We will dive more into Laodicea in the coming weeks. What we need is the FIRE of God’s Spirit to ignite, or re-ignite a passion in us to live like Jesus lived, activate the supernatural through our obedience to Jesus, and follow his example as He lived it out.

PRAY. PREPARE. PROTECT. PROCLAIM. PERSIST. PERSEVERE. PRAY AGAIN. PASS IT ON. POWER UP. POSITION PROPERLY. PAY ATTENTION. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.

Check us out at endtimes.chat

THE PROTECTION OF JESUS

The Church of Philadelphia is commended for their dependence on the Lord’s strength, their dedication to God’s Word, and their Devotion to the Lord Himself. He promises protection to the church there for their faithfulness to Him.

There are two areas of protection we can receive because of the level of faithfulness the church in Philadelphia had: Jesus will honor us in the eyes of non-believers who have been hostile to us. These are such wonderful words to a believing heart, especially for the one who has endured a great deal of pressure and hostility from unbelievers.

No matter how extensive the verbal and even physical abuse some believers have experienced, the Lord will one day show them how much He loves them. Jesus will keep us from the hour of trial which shall come on the whole world. The reason for this promise is the perseverance of the believers under persecution and pressure from the society in which they lived.

God has a wonderful reward for all who stand firm in their faith and remain dedicated to the Word of God no matter what trials they face. Jesus then tells the church, “I am coming soon.” Then he gives them (and us) a challenge. The challenge. The challenge is to "Hold on to what you have." This was stated before in these letters (Revelation 2:13, Revelation 2:25; Revelation 3:3).

Dedication and loyalty are being urged. Today we might emphasize this message with the word commitment.

How committed are you to the message of God's Word?

What do you do when pressured to deny Him or to remain silent when you should speak?

John wrote elsewhere: 'And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming" (1 John 2:28). The consequence. Jesus Christ urged us to be faithful and loyal "that no one will take your crown." He did not say "crowns," but used the singular form. It is the "crown of life" (Revelation 2:10) to which He is referring. It is the symbol of final victory-living forever with the Lord. Those who deny the Lord and do not hold fast to their commitment will be lost forever.

There will be no crown for them. Then come the PROMISES to those who overcome! Jesus promises to do two things: He will make the over-comer a pillar, and He will write on him some wonderful names. These are issues of permanence, security, and identity. It is the promise of a permanent place.

The Lord will make this happen; we can't. “A pillar in the temple of My God" is, of course, not to be taken literally but figuratively. According to Revelation 21:22, there is no literal temple in the eternal city. The "temple of My God" refers to the dwelling place of God, and the fact that we are described as "a pillar" indicates that we have a permanent place with the Lord forever and ever. It is the promise of a special identity. In three ways, we are assured of a special identity and relationship with the Lord forever.

The Lord will write three things on us:

(1) "The name of My God,"

(2) "the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem," and

(3) "My new name.”

Our relationship to God the Father, the Son, and the eternal city, the New Jerusalem, are all secure by this wonderful promise. It's like one giant summary statement- we belong to the Lord-nothing can ever change that fact! This wonderful letter of encouragement to the faithful and the overcomers is a reminder that one day it will be worth it all when we see Jesus.

PRAY. PREPARE. PROTECT. PROCLAIM. PERSIST. PERSEVERE. PRAY AGAIN. PASS IT ON. POWER UP. POSITION PROPERLY. PAY ATTENTION. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.

Check us out at endtimes.chat

Jesus says, “Write this to the angel of the church of Philadelphia.” “This is the message from the one who is holy and true.” Rev.3:7 These two attributes, holy and true, are used to describe the Lord in Revelation 6:10 by the martyrs who appeal to God regarding His revenge on those who killed them and thought they would get away with it. God’s holiness demands justice be done, and the fact that He is true (genuine/faithful) demonstrates that His character can be relied upon.

Justice will come in God’s timing. The POWER of Jesus Christ has already won. He has the ultimate authority and control over heaven and the treasures there. Because God is holy (will not lie) and because He is true (totally reliable), we can trust Him to reward us wonderfully when we respond to Him. Rev 3:7 goes on, “the One who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open.”

The “Key of David” is referred to in Isaiah 22:20-25. A man called Eliakim, who was the manager in King Hezekiah’s household, was able to open and shut the doors that led into the treasures of the King.

Jesus is the one who holds the Key of David, and opens and shuts the door into His Messianic Kingdom. If the “door” is the symbol of opportunity and entrance, then the “key” is the symbol of authority and control.

Revelation 3:8 continues, "“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.” Jesus knows all of the things that we do that are in obedience to Him and he also knows all the things that we do that are not. This is seen in his words, “I know all the things you do.”

The city of Philadelphia and the church there were located in a strategic city — a gateway to many areas of the ancient world. This was a city dedicated to the spread of Greek language and culture. What made this group of believers in Philadelphia so special that they would receive such a wonderful encouragement from Jesus?

Three reasons are given, and they can be strong recommendations for us today. Dependence on the Lord’s strength. They were not the strongest Christians in the empire nor the most influential. They did not have great numbers of people, nor outstanding leaders or unusual talents.

Their “little strength” brought encouragement from Jesus himself. Dedication to God’s Word. They guarded the Word of God in such a way as to bring a commendation from Jesus. They were loyal to God, proving the validity of their faith. Obedience to God’s Word is still proof of our love for Jesus (John 14:21, James 1:22-25). Devotion to the Lord Himself. They were loyal to the name and character of Jesus as they did not deny His name. They believed that Jesus is God in human flesh and that to deny His true nature means that you are not a believer and that you have the spirit of antichrist. The Church in Philadelphia was the only one out of seven that did not receive a rebuke.

As a matter of fact, they received and will receive divine protection. This is a security that no one can take away. But as we will see in a few weeks in part 2 of the Church of Philadelphia, the church had directions on how to keep this security.

PRAY. PREPARE. PROTECT. PROCLAIM. PERSIST. PERSEVERE. PRAY AGAIN. PASS IT ON. POWER UP. POSITION PROPERLY. PAY ATTENTION. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.

Check us out at endtimes.chat

The spiritual condition of a church is not easily known. We THINK we know what a church is like.

Some of us even think we know all about a church with just one visit. Someone who may have visited the church in Sardis (John's fifth letter written by him from Jesus in Revelation 3:1-6) would have seen a church that had a good reputation. In most people's eyes, the church there was "spiritually alive."

The caution is not to be too quick to judge the outward appearance or performance of a church or a person. The important questions deal with the inward person, the realm of the unseen, the heart of the individual.

Our reputation is no guarantee of inward character. Many of us major in a good reputation.

We want people to think well of us and to say nice things about us. But our reputation is only what people think we are; our character is who God knows us to be. The church in Sardis had a "name", a profession, a reputation, but it was not the truth about their spiritual condition. Jesus said this church was unconcerned about their spiritual condition.

They were "asleep." Jesus said they were unaware of how serious their condition was. They needed to "strengthen the things that remain." Jesus said they were unresponsive to what the Lord wanted when He said "I have not found your works perfect before God." He also told this church (and our churches)to remember what the Bible teaches, re-establish our loyalty and obedience to what God teaches in His Word, and to repent of our wrong attitudes and practices. Jesus also promises that if we do these things, there are three wonderful promises that await us:

1. Perfection - as we will walk with Him in white, clothed in white garments.

2. Security - Jesus will NOT blot out our names from the Book of Life.

3. Acceptance - Jesus will confess our name before His Father and before His angels.

Tune in to find out more!

PRAY. PREPARE. PROTECT. PROCLAIM. PERSIST. PERSEVERE. PRAY AGAIN. PASS IT ON. POWER UP. POSITION PROPERLY. PAY ATTENTION. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.

Check us out at endtimes.chat