The Pastor's Perspective

     Have you ever felt like you were just "going through the motions" in your faith? On the outside, everything looks fine—you attend church, you say the right things, and you might even be involved in various programs. But on the inside, the fire has gone out. You feel spiritually cold, dry, and perhaps even "dead."       The church in Sardis was the ultimate "zombie" church. They had a reputation for being alive and active, but Jesus—who sees past the surface—delivered a staggering diagnosis: "You are dead."       It is a sobering reminder that a church's health isn't measured by the size of its budget, the number of its programs, or the crowd in the pews. There are churches that are filled with thousands upon thousand of people but that does not mean that they are a church or that the pastor is a true man of God. One pastor reminded me that not everything that "grows" is good, because tumors grow too! God’s standard for a li...

     Have you ever found yourself "straddling the fence"—holding onto your faith with one hand while flirting with the world’s values with the other? It is a common struggle in our modern walk. This is especially true as we see the divide between God and the world to continue to widen.       We often try to hide our compromises and our hypocrisies. We strive to keep on pretending we have it all together, but Jesus reminds us clearly: "I know where you dwell". You might try to cover the scent of compromise with the "perfume" of religious activity, but God sees right through to the truth of our conduct. We play church on Sunday and live like the Devil throughout the week and think that we have fooled everyone. Yet you will never fool God!       The church in Pergamum was exactly in this position. They were living in a "corrosive culture" and, while they held onto their faith in some areas, they had begun to ignore sin and false teachi...

     Have you ever felt like a "stranger in a strange land" because of your faith?. In a world that is increasingly antagonistic toward biblical values, it can feel like you are being pressured to stay silent or keep your beliefs strictly to yourself. We often wonder: is it possible to be truly faithful when the culture around us seems to be moving in the opposite direction?.      The church in Smyrna knew this tension intimately. They lived in a city that demanded emperor worship and indulged in lifestyles that directly contradicted their faith. Because they refused to compromise, they were labeled as unpatriotic, narrow-minded, and intolerant. They didn't just face "mean comments"; they suffered the loss of jobs, property, and even their lives. Yet, when Jesus looked at this suffering church, He didn't offer a critique. Unlike other churches, Smyrna received only praise. While the world saw them as poor and marginalized, Jesus declared, "You are rich...