The Church God is Pleased With

We know that nobody is perfect, and we also know that there is no perfect local church. Wherever there are people, there will be problems. However, is it possible for us, in our imperfections, to please God?  In the Book of Revelation, chapters two and three, Jesus speaks of 7 Churches:

1. To the Church in Ephesus
2. To the Church in Smyrna
3. To the Church in Pergamum
4. To the Church in Thyatira
5. To the Church in Sardis
6. To the Church in Philadelphia
7. To the Church in Laodicea

Each of these churches represents precisely the kind of church we have today. I believe that every local church will fall into one of these categories. 

The Church in Ephesus 

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. ² I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. ³ You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

⁴ Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.⁵ Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.⁶ But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

⁷ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Revelation 2:1-7 (NIV)

Positive:

1. Hard-working.
2. Known for her perseverance.
3. There is no tolerance for wicked people.
4. Expose false apostles.
5. Endured hardship.
6. Have not grown weary.
7. Hate the practice of the Nicolaitans (This is related to sexual sin)

Negative:

1. She has forsaken her first love. This is a significant offense; they receive a severe warning and are told to repent. 

To the Church in Smyrna

⁸ “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. ⁹ I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. ¹⁰ Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.

¹¹ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death. Revelation 2:8-11 (NIV)

Positive:

1. This church is rich even in her affliction and poverty.
2. This church is harassed by what is called the synagogue of Satan.
3. This church is persecuted.
4. This church encouraged to be faithful even to the point of death.

Negative:

Nothing negative is said about this church.  

To the Church in Pergamum

¹² “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. ¹³ I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.

¹⁴ Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality.¹⁵ Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.¹⁶ Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

¹⁷ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it. Revelation 2:12-17 (NIV)

Positive:

1. Faithful to God’s name even as they are in a satanic place.

Negative:

1. It is under judgment because some are involved in the doctrine of Balaam and also the Nicolaitans (Both sexual sins)

To the Church in Thyatira

¹⁸ “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. ¹⁹ I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.

²⁰ Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. ²¹ I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. ²² So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. ²³ I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

²⁴ Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, ²⁵ except to hold on to what you have until I come.’

²⁶ To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— ²⁷ that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father.²⁸ I will also give that one the morning star. ²⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Revelation 2:18-29 (NIV)

Positive:

1. It is a very loving and faithful church.
2. A hard-working church.

Negative:

1. Tolerates Jezebel, a false prophet who misleads the people into sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols. 
2. Under severe judgment, she is in danger of God striking her children.
3. Has allowed satanic teachings to infiltrate the church.

To the Church in Sardis

3 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.² Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. ³ Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

⁴ Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. ⁵ The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. ⁶ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Revelation 3:1-6 (NIV)

Positive:

NONE! 

The church is in trouble and under severe judgment from God, but it still has some people who are walking right with God. 

This church is not doing anything right before God

Negative: 

1. This church has a reputation for being alive; however, before God, she is dead. (Wow!) Under the severe judgment of God. 

To the Church in Philadelphia

⁷ “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. ⁸ I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. ⁹ I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. ¹⁰ Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.

¹¹ I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. ¹² The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. ¹³ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Revelation 3:7-13 (NIV)

Positive:

1. This church does not look like much. However, it has kept God’s Word and has remained firm in not denying his name. 
2. She has endured suffering patiently. 

Negative: 

NONE

To the Church in Laodicea

¹⁴ “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. ¹⁵ I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷ You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. ¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

¹⁹ Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. ²⁰ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

²¹ To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne,just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²² Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelation 3:14-22 (NIV)

Positive:

NONE

Negative:

1. Severe judged by God
2. Neither cold nor hot: lukewarm (In the vomit zone of God).
3. This is a church with plenty of money and resources. However, God describes this church as wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.

In Conclusion

God looks at things differently than we do. There are two churches that God has nothing good to say about:

1. Sardis: This church is known for being alive; however, God describes her as dead. 
2. Laodicea: This rich church seems to have many resources, but God calls her lukewarm. This church has one leg in the things of God and one leg in the things of the world; they want the best of both worlds. This is a polluted and compromised church. 

On the other hand, there are two churches in good standing with God; neither one of them looks like much:

1. Smyrna: This is a poor church experiencing a great deal of affliction. However, they stand firm for God, and He judges them as rich. Jesus has nothing negative to say about this church.
2. Philadelphia: This church is described as having little strength but has kept God’s Word and been faithful to His name. Again, Jesus has nothing negative to say about this church. 

I can’t help but think of all these mega-churches that are friends of the world and who no longer preach the gospel. Their preachers have become motivational speakers and only preach and teach feel-good messages in the name of love. In the name of love, they don’t point out sin; they ignore the coming judgment of God and do not even consider speaking about the fear of God. I can’t help but think of all those so-called charismatic churches that have convinced themselves they are so alive, but God calls them dead. Those churches see the big buildings and big congregations as a sign of God’s favor, but God calls them poor and lukewarm. God… help us!