Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 135

May 15;    Revelation 2:2;    135/260(II);    ‘I Know Your Works’

Revelation 2:2 "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;

 Ephesians 1 teaches us that the Lord Jesus, when He was raised from the dead, was seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven.  The Lord Jesus is Head of the Church. The Lord is addressing the 7 churches in Revelation chapter 2 & 3.  Different commentators have different opinions of what these churches represent.  Some teach that the churches represent the church in different dispensations of time.  Some teach that they are a picture of the church progressing throughout history.  Though there may be truth in these opinions, I believe that collectively, these 7 churches make up the good and bad aspects of all churches.  The key here is to understand that the Lord Jesus knows the works, or what is going on in each church.  The Lord tells each of the 7 churches that He knows their works.  That means very clearly that our Lord Jesus Christ knows everything that is going on in this church or whatever church you may attend.  The Lord praised the church for the positive things that they were dong and then He corrects the church for things going on that He did not approve.  Knowing this must be a very sobering truth to the Pastor of each church.  He is accountable to the Lord Jesus for what transpires in that church.  I exhort every believer who is part of a local church (and all of us should be), that now that you know this, pray for the Pastor and ask the Lord to help him in every aspect of pastoring ‘his’ church.  That is love in action.