This is the summary page for seven posts based on themes from Revelation chapters 2-3. The posts contain quotes and prayers useful for sermon preparation or devotional purposes. In these scriptures, Jesus Christ reveals the timeless message of what His church should look like.

John Stott, in his book What Christ Thinks of the Church, writes:

In each of the seven letters Jesus Christ lays emphasis on a different mark which should characterize a true and living church. The Ephesian Christians are urged to return to their first, fresh love for him, while the Christians of Smyrna are warned that if they do not compromise they will surely suffer. The church in Pergamum is to champion truth in the face of error, and the church in Thyatira righteousness in the midst of evil. In Sardis the need is for inward reality behind the church’s outward show. Before the Philadelphian church the risen Lord has set an open door of opportunity for the spread of the gospel, and he bids them step boldly through it. The seventh letter is addressed to the church in Laodicea; it combines a fierce denunciation of complacency with a tender appeal for wholeheartedness.

Letter 1, Ephesus: God is our First Love
Revelation 2:1-7

Letter 2, Smyrna: Suffering and Sacrificial
Revelation 2:8-11

Letter 3, Pergamum: True to the Name, Jesus Christ is Lord
Revelation 2:12-17

Letter 4, Thyatira: Look Like the One You Love = Holy
Revelation 2:18-29

Letter 5, Sardis: Alive and Awake
Revelation 3:1-6

Letter 6, Philadelphia: Open to Opportunity
Revelation 3:7-13

Letter 7, Laodicea: On Fire for God
Revelation 3:14-22