Series: The Radical Call of Jesus
Message: Radical Church
Preacher: Japhet De Oliveira
Daily Walk: Japhet De Oliveira

Refresh: Open with prayer. Read or listen to Psalm 99:1–5.

Read: Revelation 1:1–3:22 (NIV). As you read the New International Version, note 1–3 insights.

Reflect: Eugene H. Peterson in Reversed Thunder challenges us to embrace the message of Revelation as a Church. 

In the Revelation the opening lines call down a blessing on him “who reads and those who listen and keep.” It is assumed that the Revelation we be read and heard in church. That individuals would take the scroll and and go off to read it in privacy of their own rooms is not for a moment imagined. Attention to the Gospel message is always an act of community, never an exercise in private. A believing community is the context for the life of faith (p. 43).  

Our Church is in a pivotal space and with a deep responsibility. The seven churches cover seven distinct periods in history, and when you note the time period that we inhabit (below) you can only start to wonder "What is the Radical Call of Jesus for our Church today?" 

Laodicea was on the major trade route between Ephesus and Syria. It was one of Rome wealthiest cities, with large gold reserves and huge industry of fine materials. In A.D. 60, there a devastating earthquake. Roman historian Tacitus records that they refused financial help from imperial Rome and used their own resources to rebuild the city. They lacked nothing. They also were famous in the ancient world for their medical schools and advanced treatments, including a treatment for eye diseases. Their only problem they faced was that the six-mile-long aqueduct system provided lukewarm water to their city. While this Church is parallel to Ephesus it is also at the end of history. It is the only Church to not receive a commendation; it is in the worst condition. Yet it is loved—and Jesus has a unique call for it. 

Recalibrate: ​ 

1. What is lukewarm about your local Church?
2. What is lukewarm about your personal faith journey?

Respond: Pray for your will to be turned over to Jesus.

Research: What are the pivotal elements that determine the different periods for each Church?