James 1:27 (ESV) Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
James 1:22 (ESV) But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
In this letter, Jesus is reminding the church that it matters how you live and act. Not that you simply know the truth, but that you do it as well.
How well do your actions reflect Jesus? (both in what you do and what you refuese to do)
We also start to see emerging from these letters to individual churches, a holstic view of what the Church is meant to look like.
Thyatira:
* Longest Letter is to the smallest and least influential of the seven churches
* No special religious significance
* Gateway to capital city of Pergamum
The G_ood_
Revelation 2:19 (ESV) “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.
Looked terrific on the outside
The B_ad_
Revelation 2:20 (ESV) But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
Though not an influential city, Thyatira was a city of great commercial importance filled with Trade Guilds.
Woman labeled Jezebel, who had influence in the church, was teaching that it was ok to compromise with the worlds standards. Even the religious and loose moral aspects of the trade guild meetings.
What is your work culture? And are there areas where you may not be able to join in or go along?
The
Interesting to contrast the churches of Ephesus (Rev 2:2-4) and Thyatira.
One was weakening in its love, yet faithful in judging false teachers, and the other was growing in love, yet too tolerant of false teachers/doctrine
The Radical Middle: Ephesians 4:15 Rather, speaking the truth in love (agape), we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.