Pulling the plug

In Revelation 2-3, Jesus, through the apostle John, addressed seven churches. Five of them, including Ephesus, needed to repent of various problems. Jesus told the Ephesians, “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent” (Revelation 2:5-6).

The “candlestick,” in this highly figurative language, represents the identifying mark of a church of Christ. Revelation 1:20 says, “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.” Therefore, having the candlestick removed would mean that the Lord no longer recognized the church as one adhering to Christ.

How about your congregation? Can it give a “thus saith the Lord” for everything it does? If not, why not? Is it because the members have not studied closely enough (2 Timothy 2:15)? Is it because of open rebellion to the truth (2 Timothy 3:8; 4:4)? On the day of judgment, God will require of people a reckoning as to how well they followed the pattern of the Bible (Romans 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:10). If you can look around and see that the church where you attend does not follow the New Testament, contact us for further study. We would love the opportunity to discuss the Bible with you.

Kyle Campbell