Feb 17, 2022

Lenten Lunches 2022

seven-churches-of-revelation-3

For Lent on seven Tuesdays, starting March 1st at noon (I know that technically Lent does not begin until “Ash Wednesday” which is March 2nd),  we visited those churches. The following is a video record.

According to Revelation 1:11, on the Greek island of Patmos, Jesus Christ instructs John of Patmos to: “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches [in Asia Minor, today’s western Turkey], to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” See Revelation 2 and 3

  • 3/1 EphesusThe Church that Has Abandoned Its Love for Christ and His Teachings (Rev. 2:1-7)  “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. Watch Video #1
  • 3/8 SmyrnaThe Church that Remains Faithful Amidst Persecution (Rev. 2:8-11)  “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. Watch Video #2
  • 3/15 PergamumThe Church that Compromises Its Beliefs (Rev. 2:12-17)  “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. Watch Video #3
  • 3/22 ThyatiraThe Church that Follows False Prophets (Rev. 2:18-29) “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze. Watch Video #4
  • 3/29 SardisThe Church that is Spiritually Dead (Rev. 3:1-6) “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. Watch Video #5
  • 4/5 PhiladelphiaThe Church that Patiently Endured Despite Weaknesses (Rev. 3:7-13)  “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. Watch Video #6
  • 4/12 LaodiceaThe Church with a Lukewarm Faith (Rev. 3:14-22)  “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. Watch Video #7

Note: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea were literal churches that existed in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) during the first century A.D. Named for their geographical locations, the churches were strategically located along a major Roman road. Nothing remains of these churches today. Persecution has been an ongoing threat to Christianity in Asia Minor, particularly since Constantinople fell to the Ottomans in 1453.