Two weeks ago we started a series on the seven letters Jesus’ wrote to the church in the last book of the Bible, Revelation. The church is called many things in the Bible, including a family, temple, house of God, army, body. But the last metaphor for the church is that she is the Bride of Christ, and that the bride is to get herself ready for the Big Day!    

Rev 19:7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.

This Bride must prepare herself because this is no ordinary wedding, and no ordinary Groom, and also, because she is still a flawed Bride full of “spots, wrinkles and blemishes” (Eph 5:27)  Yet Christ loves His Bride. He loved her while she was a whore running after others and idols. He knows her fully yet loves her fully!

Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. – Ephesians 5:27, TM

Now He writes her a letter, in the context of His covenant love, to correct and direct her. At the end she will be prepared and ready. Jesus signs off every letter with His most often quoted statement recorded in the Newt Testament: “If anyone has ears, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” 

If you want to hear, you can listen to the first two parts below:

• Intro and the Letter to the church that lost its first love…
• The Letter to the church that just got an encouragement to “be faithful, because it will be worth it!”

Next week, don’t miss the letter to the church that needed to get rid of the for-profit prophet, and the too lofty leader…

This week…be faithful. It will be worth it!