WEDNESDAY'S WORD: Revelation 3:22

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches."
Revelation 3:22

John was very advanced in years when he found himself exiled to the isle of Patmos. His unwillingness to stop preaching the word of God and testifying about the Lord Jesus Christ separated him from everyone that he knew and loved. Yet it was on this inhospitable and isolated island, used for the incarceration of political prisoners, that John encountered the Holy Spirit working in his life to give him the last book of the Bible: The Revelation.

After the introductory statements of chapter one, John pens seven letters that are given to the seven churches of Asia Minor. Now my thoughts are not going to relate to the differing views of dispensational ecclesiology concerning these congregations. I simply want you to understand that these were local churches, in real cities, with baptized members, that did all of the things that we do today as followers of Christ. Yes, the cultures were different from ours, as was the normal lifestyle of everyday living, but everything else would be very similar to us today as they sought to learn God's word, obey God's word, and share God's word. Like today, some of these churches were much more spiritual that others, while some were filled with turmoil. Yet in spite of their differences, the Lord had a specific and distinct word for each one. And as you read and study these letters, you quickly realize that within each message is a strong word of wisdom and warning: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

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Why would God have John to write this to all seven churches? Because at any time, and for multiple reasons, we can all be guilty of turning a deaf ear to the voice of God. In 2 Chronicles 33:10, the Bible says: "And the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen." Ouch! Kind of hurts, doesn't it? Why? Because we are all so guilty of the same thing! We are either too carnal, too busy, too arrogant, too foolish, too smart, too wealthy, too poor, too ignorant, or too stupid to listen to Him! Amen? Yes, AMEN

I recently came across this illustration that helps us see this eternal problem in a very unique way. When Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian inventor, discovered the working properties of radio waves, he realized that he could send messages throughout the whole world by means of these invisible waves. He set up his equipment and sent his first message from England to Italy. It traveled through France, populated by millions of people, who had no idea that a message was passing each and every one of them. The message was only heard and understood when it reached the reception station that had been prepared for it in Italy. Just so, we are surrounded by the mighty voice of God night and day. His voice is the voice of grace, life, peace, love, power, and joy. Everything that we could possibly need is abundantly supplied to everyone, every where! There is no problem with His voice! There is no problem with the broadcast! There is no problem with the transmission system carrying His truth to the ends of the earth! The problem lies in the fact that we do not have our receptors turned on to capture His word!

CHURCH! LISTEN! IT'S PAST TIME TO WAKE UP, GET READY, AND HEAR & HEED HIS VOICE! "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches."

Hello? Hello? Can you hear me now?

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