In this daily Bible reading Jesus instructs the Apostle John to write to the seven churches in current day Turkey, identifying both their strengths and weaknesses. None of the churches were perfect, just as none of us are perfect.
Jesus said the church in Ephesus had “left its first love.” I take this to mean that this church had lost its enthusiasm for Jesus and joy in their belief. Jesus said of the church in Smyrna: Some church members say they are Jews but are of the ‘synagogue of Satan.’ In other words, their inward character did not match their outward appearance. They were not true believers. Jesus said of the church at Pergamum that some of its members held to the teaching of Balaam. In other words, they loved money more than they loved God.
The situations that Jesus presented exist in Christian churches today. Many church members are not true believers. They do not live their lives according to God’s instructions provided in His Word. They may be church members because they were put there by their parents and were used to the environment. However, true belief is an individual thing. It is not necessarily gained by association with a religious organization that identifies itself as a Christian church.
