Revelation 2:18

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Revelation 2:18 

“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:” – Revelation 2:18

Over seven days, I will be looking at what John wrote, by the inspiration of God, to the seven major churches in Asia Minor.  In these seven letters, God gives a message to each that is specific to each and speaks of issues that could fit the Churches throughout history.  It is important to look at these and examine our church and ultimately ourselves to see where we stand regarding these. 

We now come to the fourth church, the Church of Thyatira.  Thyatira was a wealthy town on the Lycus River in the Roman province of Asia Minor, or modern-day Turkey.  This is the only one of the messages to the seven Churches where the Jesus is called the Son of God. Its wealth no doubt came from the various industries that is found in the city, those being textile and clothing, coppersmiths, potters, tanners, leather cutters and bakers.  It was also a regional center in the Asian slave trade network.  An inscription mentions a slave trader who oversaw the public market at Thyatira and funded festivities for the imperial cult.  Worship in the city centered on the Greek gods Apollo and Artemis, the protectors of civic welfare.  They were originally Anatolian deities who were identified with Apollo and Artemis in the Greek pantheon.  In fact, the Greek gods were given great remembrance and honor among the people, which probably brought much difficulty to the Church in their work. 

The letter starts by, as in all the letters, declaring the good found in the Church.  “I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.”  Revelation 2:19.  The works of the congregation are specified in four ways: “Love (agape)” which includes love for God and acts of compassion for others.  It means giving oneself for others as Christ did.  “Faith”, which includes faith in God and Christ and faithfulness to God and his people. The faithful bear public witness to God in the face of conflict.  “Service” which probably included actions ranging from witnessing to the lost and providing for the needy.  And He adds that they have grown in the works they do, in that the works they do now are greater than when they started.

However, He has an issue with them as well.  “But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bondservants astray, so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.” Revelation 2:20. Jezebel is a nickname that John gives to the woman at Thyatira in order to compare her to Queen Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab of Israel. “And it came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians and went to serve Baal and worshiped him.” 1 Kings 16:31.  This woman refers to herself as a prophetess, but her teachings are far from truth, specifically she seduces the servants of God to immoral conduct and to the eating of meats that had been sacrificed to idols.  He gave her opportunities to repent, but she did not. “And I gave her time to repent; and she does not want to repent of her immorality.” Revelation 2:21.  And since she did not repent of leading many astray with her evil teachings, “Behold, I will cast her upon a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. And I will kill her children with pestilence; and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.” Revelation 2:22-23.  And as it says in the above verse, “I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of their ways.” Revelation 2:22b.

And to those who do not follow the ways of Jezebel but remain true to God He says, “I place no other burden on you. Nevertheless, what you have, hold fast until I come.” Revelation 2:24b-23. The faithful believers did not fall into Satan’s trap, and they only needed to remain faithful until Christ’s return.

Then Jesus lists His promises to the believers in Thyatira. “The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my father. and I will give him the morning star.” Revelation 2:26-28. At Christ’s coming the saints shall possess the kingdom over the whole earth.  These blessings include along with authority over the earth, victory over all the enemies, and the morning star.  And since Jesus is the morning star, this means He will give Himself to His Church, and be in fellowship with them forever. “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star.” Revelation 22:16.  Is not this a wonderful blessing to us who remain true to Christ and oppose the ways of Satan and his followers?

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Acts 16:14

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Acts 16:14 

“A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.” – Acts 16:14

Many people who read this verse simply see a woman of Thyatira who was a seller of purple.  As a side item, purple was the most valuable color, which was obtained from shellfish.  It was chiefly worn by princes and the rich, and the traffic in it would be very profitable.  So based on this, we can assume she was well off regarding her financial situation.  Yes, Lydia is the focus of this verse, but not her profession or her income.  The most important idea in this story is her religious fervor.

As we read further in our focus verse we see she was a worshipper of God.  It is probable that she was a proselyte to the Jewish religion.  She worshipped the true God, the God of Israel and not the many gods of the gentiles.  She was listening to what Paul was saying about Christ, “and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.” Acts 16:14b.  She was so desirous of knowing the truth, God opened her heart to understand and ultimately respond to the truth of the gospel.  Then in the next verse we read, “And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.” Acts 16:15. Her and her household were saved and baptized.  Paul himself believed she was being faithful to God and accepted her invitation to stay with them. 

Now, Paul did not go directly to her and preach the gospel.  She was simply one of several who had gathered together where Paul and several others had gone to a place to pray.  “And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.” Acts 16:13.  However, in his speaking to the women there, God used Paul to help Lydia understand the truth of the gospel. 

Now I have a similar story regarding a young man who had left the church and his home, thus turning away from God.  I was at a Howard Johnson’s restaurant around 2:00 AM buying breakfast and speaking with a man who was hitchhiking and I had picked up to take him home.  As we were eating, I was presenting the gospel to him, and when I mentioned the church I attended, The Rock Church in Homestead FL, a young man came over to me and asked me if I was a member.  I told him I was and he told me he had gone to the Rock Church in Virginia Beach, VA but when his family moved here, he went to church for a time but then had a falling out with his dad and he left the church and moved in with a drug user and began using them himself.  He then asked me to take him home, so we all left, dropped off the other man who was not interested in hearing about God, and then this young man and I walked along the beach behind his apartment for a couple of hours discussing his situation.  To make a long story short, his dad had nothing to do with him after He left and the only friends he had left were those who took drugs with him.  I convinced him to call his dad and ask him if he could move back home.  I told him he had to move out of there and give up all drugs and go back to church.  After we prayed for a while, I left and he assured me he would follow through. 

I had no contact information and thus lost contact with him.  One evening, about a year after meeting with him, God placed him on my heart and I asked God to show me that he had done as was promised.  Well, that weekend the Christian band I worked with as the sound and lights person was performing in a park in North Miami.  When we were setting up, a young man ran up to me, and it turned out to be the person I met at Howard Johnson’s and spoke to about going back home.  He said he did what he promised.  He made amends with his father and started going back to church, leaving the drug life behind.  He was attending a church in the area with a leader who used to attend the Rock Church but was now a leader in the church the young man was currently going to.  I was so thankful and praised God that this young man came back to God.

It is important that we take every opportunity to be a light in dark places, showing the truth of the gospel to as many as possible.  And as with Lydia and Paul, and this young man and myself, you never know how God will use these opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others through us.  So even though you are speaking with one or several people, be open to who God is speaking to through you, and ensure you are open to helping them to develop a strong and joyous relationship with Christ.  There is no greater joy you will ever experience in this life.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.