Sardis

The fifth church is Sardis. In the salutation, Jesus reminds the church that he holds the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars. He is reminding them of his authority. He has power to bless, and power to bring judgment. Their place, and effect, in the world is a result of their relationship to him.

The church has a reputation for life. But that is not true. It is like a church who has a lively, well-attended, Sunday morning, but has no walk with God the rest of the week. God encourages them to wake up. To share the gospel. To demonstrate God's character by acting in love. To move into a life of obedience. He urges them to remember what they have been taught.

There are some who really follow God among them. And those who live, like they do, are the overcomers. God will judge them worthy of walking with him. Their names will be listed in God's Book of Life. And Jesus will announce their names before God's throne, and to all the angels.

Jesus will remember a life of faithfulness, a life of love, and service, in the background, without being noticed. 

Thyatira

The fourth church is Thyatira. In the salutation, Jesus reminds us that his eyes are like fire, and his feet like burnished bronze. He is reminding the church of his purity, righteousness, and holiness.

Then, he praised the church for the good in it. It is growing in love, faith and service.

But it is not correcting ones in the church, who are being influenced by a woman, who promotes herself, and a sensual lifestyle. She has been urged to repent, as well as those under her influence. And she refuses. So, there will be judgment, so that everyone will realize the purity, the righteousness, and the holiness, of God. They dishonor him by their lifestyles.

Throughout history, there have been people, who say they are the real deal, but promote ideologies, and practices, that distort, and diminish, the gospel, and the word of God.

He urges, and encourages, the ones, who are still holding onto truth, to persevere. The overcomer is the one, who keeps God's word, and God promises to give the faithful ones authority over nations. Those, who walk with God, will have influence beyond their numbers, and station in life.

And they will have the morning star. That is, they will see new hope, new light, new direction, and new life.

Pergamum

The third church is Pergamum. The salutation is a reminder that the power of Jesus' words are like a two-edged sword. They are powerful. They can cut through all darkness, ignorance, lies, deception, and false philosophies. 

He assures the church, that he is aware of their situation. They live in a wicked place. Satan rules in that place. So, all sorts of evil is happening. But he commends them for remaining faithful. They did not cave into the surrounding culture, and lifestyle.

But there is a particular wrong that some are following. Some hold the teaching of Balaam. Many think that this is an encouragement to compromise God's standards. Some are saying that stuff some people believe, and do, is not really that bad. We should ignore those things, so we can all get along. We see in the book of Judges, that Israel developed this attitude in a lot of ways. And bad things resulted from it. Israel did not develop into the kind of people God wanted them to be. They did not represent him well. And they suffered for it.

Many people today have not paid attention to God's word. They have accepted current political thinking as more important than God's word. So, they do not put God, or his mission, or his values, or a lifestyle that is derived from those things, first. That's why he reminds us of the power of his word in the salutation.

He urges repentance. To return to wholehearted obedience, and faithfulness, to God's word. There will be a judgment against those who are not faithful to what God has revealed.

The overcomer, the one who remains faithful, and obedient, to what God has revealed, will be fed, and supplied for, by God's grace. And he will give each one a new identity. They will be transformed. The transformation will be hidden, because it will be developed between God and the person.

Smyrna

The second church is in the city of Smyrna. The salutation is a reminder that the eternal God, entered into the world, and was persecuted. That persecution resulted in his death. But death could not hold him. He returned to victorious life.

He is reminding the church that persecution is not the end.

Jesus tells them, he is very aware of their tribulation, and poverty. He is aware of the slander of people, who say they follow the God of Israel, but, in reality, they follow Satan.

Then, he encourages them not to be afraid. There will be tribulation and imprisonment for some. But, they have way more than they realize. The world may think they are poor, but God thinks they are rich.

Those who overcome, who remain faithful in light of all issues, and problems, will not experience God's judgment. They will experience God's life. The grace God gives to live life, to demonstrate who he is, is extraordinary, when living in extra negative, extra difficult, circumstances. We demonstrate God's love, and grace, in the way we live, and the way we interact with people. It is more powerful when life is difficult, and toward those behind our problems.