Walking in Truth

The Church has grown entirely too comfortable with corruption within our ranks. We may mean well - we want to treat others with grace - but that doesn’t mean we should allow and even approve of sin. Today, as Pastor Johnny examines the letter to the church of Thyatira, we’ll be warned against corruption within the Church.

The power and positions of this world will pass away. So will all the stuff that comes with wealth. Yet, we find many believers and entire churches that have compromised the Gospel for the sake of these things. Today, Pastor Johnny will warn against this dangerous trend, and challenge you to stand strong in the Gospel.

The god Balaam may not be familiar in our world so far removed from the antiquated idea of gods and goddesses, but the sin he represented is still prevalent in our society. As Pastor Johnny will warn us in today’s message, we need to focus our energy on our Savior and His Word - not on the shiny things our neighbors have. 

Fear of this world or the ruler of darkness doesn’t belong in the heart of a believer. To let it in is to let a loser maintain power even after his authority in your life has been removed. As Pastor Johnny will remind us in today’s message, Jesus has already secured our victory and we need to stand fast in Him and His truth.

Praise God for the life-giving power of those words! His love is more powerful than the vilest of sin. As Pastor Johnny continues our study of Jesus’ letters to the seven Churches, we’ll be reminded of how great God’s love is for us. Nothing in this world can separate you from that love once you’ve accepted it into your heart.

While you may mean well, when you encounter someone in the depth of a trial, you don’t need to have the answers for them. You don’t need to figure out why they’re there. As Pastor Johnny will point out in today’s message, at that moment, just being there with them is a better help than trying to fix their problem.

Why is it so easy to find excuses not to go to church? Maybe it’s too rainy, or maybe it’s a beautiful day and your fishing rod is calling… As Pastor Johnny will point out in today’s message, it’s sobering to think that there are people who are willing to die for the Kingdom of God, while we struggle to give up our Sunday morning. 

As Pastor Johnny will point out in today’s message, this is all too common in today’s Church. You can readily find congregations and entire denominations that won’t even reference Scripture, or worse, the name of Jesus, for fear of offending or coming off as radical. Jesus should be our entire reason for existing as the Church.

Have you ever tried walking up a hill covered with wet grass? It’s an exercise. One carelessly placed step can easily send you sliding down the hill. As Pastor Johnny will warn in today’s message, as believers, we can easily find ourselves sliding back into sin - we need the hand of the Holy Spirit to pull us along.

In today’s message, Pastor Johnny will examine Jesus’ letter to the church of Ephesus. Usually, it’s polite not to read other people’s mail, but in this case, the Church of Ephesus - while a real group of believers, also represents a type of believer or church, and bears the truth that all of us can benefit from.