Jesus judged the church at Thyatira for the company it kept, tolerating a spiritually toxic teacher in their congregation. Our Savior’s words force us to open our eyes, look in the mirror, and look around to make sure that our teaching is pure in the sight of the One whose eyes are “like blazing fire.”

Despite severe pressure, the church at Pergamum did not deny the name of Jesus…but it did compromise its standards. Churches today face the same temptation, to believe that they are being faithful to Christ while subtly compromising their values. This message calls us to repent, hold to all of God’s standards, and trust that Jesus is well worth it.

While Jesus never promises us an easy love, he does promise us two immensely important blessings: His knowing presence and eternal life. In our day, his promises have not changed, meaning that we can suffer well, trusting that our Father knows what we are going through (Father’s Day connection!) and has the crown of life waiting for us at the end.

Jesus knows everything that happens. In every church. In every soul. He proves that by judging the church at Ephesus, praising what was good, pointing out what was bad, and demanding an end to all that was ugly and ungodly. In the same way, our Savior judges our lives out of his deep concern for our faith and our faithfulness to the Father.

John describes the indescribable day when he saw the risen Jesus, glowing and glorious. This image reminds us that Jesus is not meek and mild, but the mighty Son of Man who sits in glory at the right hand of God, ruling over all of creation for the good of his Church. In the midst of our own suffering, such a vision gives us comfort and allows us to endure until He returns.

We live in a world of us-them, a culture of our people-their people. Such divisions are often the line where love stops, even among those who confess Jesus as their Lord and their Savior. Yet Jesus himself urged his first disciples to love not only one another but also the “other,” the enemy, the outsider, and the unlike-us people in their lives. Our Lord does the same thing today, encouraging us to treat them like our Father has first treated us.

Why is there so much hate in our world? If t-shirts, Pinterest posts, and Bible passages tell us to love one another, why do we so often choose the opposite of love? Jesus’ simple answer was that our hearts love to hate, because love is hard. Love costs us. Love is sacrificial. Love isn’t self-seeking and we love to seek ourselves. Since we love to put ourselves first, hate becomes our first choice. This message helps us to see the battle behind our daily choices to love and the selfless Savior who gave up his life to prove his love for us all.

Most people, even unchurched people, know that Jesus taught us to love one another. In addition, perhaps the most quoted Bible passage in contemporary culture is “Do not judge,” a phrase meant to end any disapproval of another’s behavior. Yet few people have closely read the words of Jesus to understand what he meant (and didn’t mean) by “love.” This message looks at Jesus’ life to study his call to love, his confrontation of sin, and his willingness to die for even his enemies.

One of the fiercest debates in this generation is the definition of the word “love.” Some define love as speaking the truth, no matter how hard it is to hear. Others define it as acceptance, approval, and applause. Therefore, what one side calls love, the other calls hate. And vice versa! So, what is love? This message opens up to the most love-packed passage in Scripture and searches for God’s definition of love.

Although we all would prefer to stay positive and only speak when we have something nice to say, our souls need more. We need clear teaching on what is true and what isn’t so that truth isn’t lost in our generation. Jesus’ brother Jude encourages us to fight for the faith and guard the truth that has been entrusted to us.