In our final message of our "Dear Church" Series, Dr. Brian Kinlaw reviews Jesus' letter to the church at Laodicea and discusses the danger of being neither hot nor cold for Christ, but rather only "lukewarm", something Jesus despises.

In the letter to the first century church at Philadelphia, Jesus commends the church for keeping His Word and not denying His name even in the face of continuing persecution. These words of encouragement are applicable for today's Church. Jesus promises believers everywhere that if we will stand firm in the face of persecution, stay faithful to Him and keep His commands, He promises to be our provision, our vindication and our protection. Stand ever ready, as no man knows the time or hour of His returning.

On average, 80% of churches in North America have reached a plateu or are declining. If we are to continue to be effective for God's Kingdom, we must not simply look back on our past accomplishments, but must continue to stand diligently in the present. We must be alert, strengthen what remains and where necessary, repent for our misdirections and our falling aways.

In message 4 of our "Dear Church" series, we look at Revelation 2:18-29. Jesus is commending the church at Thyatira for their love, faithfulness, service and endurance to God. But He also offers up a serious criticism~ some in the church are allowing the surrounding pagan culture to begin to creep into the body of believers. As followers of Christ we must take a strong stand against false teachings, we should seek to continue to grow in godly deeds and we must stand in the face of the pressures of the world.

In the letter to the church at Pergamum, Jesus commends them for their faithful witness and their endurance under persecution. However, He also criticizes for their failure to stand completely against the pagan rituals and practices that had begun to creep into the church. He offers one word of advice: repent. Today, the message is the same~ we must guard our hearts and minds against false teachings and teachers; we must avoid compromise that betrays a faithful stance upon the truth of God's Word and the church must confront, in love, those in error.

In message 2 of our "Dear Church" series, Dr. Brian Kinlaw discusses Jesus' letter to the first century church at Smyrna. He commends them for remaining true to Him despite being persecuted for His sake. Dr. Kinlaw then challenges believers today to acknowledge, pray for and actively seek to aid those being persecuted for Christ's name still today, to realize such persecution could happen in America and to challenge us to remain true to Jesus no matter what may come...that in the end, He will set all things right.

In message 1 of the series "Dear Church", Dr. Brian Kinlaw reviews Jesus's message to the church at Ephesus found in Revelation 2:1-7. Jesus commends the church for it's perseverance and endurance of persecution and hardships for His name. But He also condemns the body of believers for ultimately falling away from their first love: Jesus. It is important that the church continues to stand against heresy, faithfully endures persecution but also returns to her first love.

The conclusion of our Transformational Church series, this message highlights the importance of maintaining and developing a missionary mentality; Like Paul and the early church, believers must submit to God's mission; engage the community where we are and share God's concern- the Gospel.

In message 5 of our Transformational Church series, Dr. Brian Kinlaw discusses the importance of God's people gathering faithfully on a regular basis for worship, teaching and fellowship. We look at Acts 20:7-12 to see how first century Christians approached this idea and how their practices still apply to our lives today.

In message 4 of our Transformational Church series, Dr. Brian Kinlaw discusses four aspects of biblical community and fellowship that were key to first century believers and remain crucial to believers even today~ Relationship; Partnership; Stewardship and Companionship.