In this four-part Advent series we are looking at four Christmas Carols and the history behind them. But most of all, we will consider the Scripture that motivated being written in the first place. Today we begin with Joy to the World, a song written by Isaac Watts and prompted by his reading of Psalm 98. 

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This passage ends Jesus' letters to each of the seven churches of Revelation. In this letter Jesus writes to the church in Laodicea and calls them lukewarm and says that He wants to spit them out of His mouth! In this message we consider who Jesus is addressing exactly, the relevance to the church today and what the solution to lukewarmness is. 

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All of Jesus' letters to the churches in Revelation are encouraging but Jesus' letter to Philadelphia, like His letter to Smyrna, is encouraging in a different way. In this message we look at four ways Jesus encourages the church so they continue to hold fast to what they have so no one seizes their crown. 

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Our works matter to God, in fact, He prepared in advance the works we would walk in. But more important than the works we do is why we do them. In this letter to Sardis Jesus addresses the deadness of soul and heart that can be masked by good works and how to recover from it. 

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The letter to the church in Thyatira is not only the longest of the 7 letters in Revelation 2 and 3 but the polar opposite of Jesus' letter to Ephesus. The church in Ephesus was faithful to God's Word but growing cold in love. But Thyatira was growing in love but compromising God's Word. What's worse? This message addresses that question and more. 

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There is a belief by some within Christianity that one's faith in Christ should guarantee health and wealth. But in this week's passage the church in Smyrna was a faithful church, with no rebuke or correction from Jesus, but were experiencing tribulation, poverty, slander and for some, prison and death. It's a text that drives the health and wealth proponents nuts and one important for all of us to learn from. 

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As we thank God for His provisions this Thanksgiving, let’s also consider the Lord’s Harvest in Matthew 9:35-38. Jesus’ compassion for the lost and suffering challenges believers to view their communities with the same compassion. While the world’s brokenness reveals a great gospel need, there’s also immense potential. However, with few labourers, the church faces a gospel crisis. Jesus’ call is clear: to pray for workers to be sent out into His mission field.

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These days you can go online and find review of almost everything - from hotels and restaurants to barbershops, and even churches. Those types of reviews can be helpful, but they are highly subjective. But, what if there was a definitive review of specific churches given not by religious consumers, but by Jesus Himself? That is, in fact, what we find in the seven letters Jesus wrote to the seven churches of Asia Minor in the First Century. While these letters were written to specific churches in a specific time and place, they have enduring relevance for every church in every time and place. We begin with the church in Ephesus - a church with much to commend…and one glaring weakness.

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