Pastor Ray Bentley on Jesus message to one of the churches of revelation. I believe that Jesus not only spoke to the local church of Philadelphia, 2000 years ago, but he was also looking far into the future before the Second coming of Christ. That there would be a Church of Philadelphia with an open door of opportunity and and literally being able to bring the whole gospel to the whole world and fulfill the Great Commission.
Pastor Ray Bentley points out, Jesus had some words of observation about the Church of Philadelphia. Jesus also praised this church for being faithful to his Word. They were discipling in the word. They were evangelizing the word. They were sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. This church not only knew the word and the truth, but they were seeking to live it to the best of their ability.
Pastor Ray Bentley reminds us where to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. But there is another thing that distinguishes us from every other group Jesus said, you also must love your white enemies. How can we use all of our time, energy, money, resources, emotion, heart, passion, creativity to love those who are our enemies and love one another?
Pastor Ray Bentley. Every day is a gift from God. A day that we can rejoice. And may I add your setting. The patterns of your own life and nature character that will flow right into your first day in the Kingdom of God. No man knows the day that eternity will invade his or her life. Saint Augustine said the last day is a secret and that every day must then be washed.
Pastor Ray Bentley with insight on repentance. Is there a place, or are there situations or circumstances or even old relationships that need to be severed in order that you might be totally, completely given to the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you destroyed the Old Kingdom? You're totally sold out to him. That's what repentance really means. Does it mean to turn around and go in the opposite direction?
Today, pastor Ray Bentley highlights Jesus message to the church of Sardis, a warning that could well apply to some of today's churches. This church was not attacked from the outside. There was no persecution. Why? She wasn't a threat to the enemy. She was so lifeless she wasn't even worth attacking. The church was more interested in appearances than they were interested in faithfulness to the Word of God, more interested in what people thought than what God thought spread disease.
Today, pastor Ray Bentley points out how the Lord reserved some strong words of critique for the church of Sardis as recorded in revelation. Jesus wants the church of Sardis, and he wants every church to know that he desires to lead and guide his church by making the Word of God come alive and fitting into our lives and into our church life and community, to be led by the Holy Spirit.
From our study and revelation, pastor Ray Bentley helps us move forward along the path to holiness. Holiness is not a quality of our outward performance. Instead, it is the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit inside of our lives. And because he is holy, I am holy in him. He imparts his holiness to me as I abide in him.
The devil wants to isolate you. Everyone is in it for themselves. Pastor Ray Bentley warns us of the loneliness of letting Satan inflow into our lives. So what? The devil's plan for you is to isolate you and to get you away and alone. The gospel, on the other hand, the good news restores us and unites us. It connects us to others.
Just like our forefathers, we are tempted toward idol worship today, pastor Ray Bentley explains as we dig into the Book of Revelation. It's a heart problem, and the heart problem is that we need to be reconciled. Our real father, who is in heaven, the only true God and His Son, the son the way, the truth, and the life.
The Lord created us to worship him. The Lord wants to be number one in our lives. Pastor Ray Bentley says, if something comes before the Lord, that's an idol and that's a problem. An idol is not a piece of wood or stone. An idol is anything that becomes the major preoccupation of your thoughts, your energy, or your heart.
From revelation, pastor Ray Bentley lays out the choice before us. As last days, believers engaged in the spiritual warfare going on around us. Either we overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, or the world flesh and the devil will overcome us. That concept of overcoming is found by the Lord Jesus and all seven letters to the church.
Pastor Ray Bentley describes what's so good about the good news. Have you ever had a time in your life where you wanted maybe a new identity? And sometimes you go, look, I am who I am, and I like certain parts, but if I could just get rid of certain elements of my life, if that could just somehow be erased and I could be a brand new person, how awesome that would be.
Pastor Ray Bentley helps us examine Jesus message to one of the churches, a revelation, one that didn't keep herself sanctified. Pergamum has therefore represents the mixed marriage of the world and the church. Satan loves his throne in the midst of the worldly and in the midst of the wealthy, and the midst of the powerful. He likes to blend in, watered down, and really to bring compromise.
Coming up today, pastor Ray Bentley highlights one of Jesus messages to the seven churches of revelation. Pergamum was called the greatest city in Asia minor. Pergamum represents a period in church history when the church and the state became one and the devil, instead of going for outright victory, decided, well, if I can't conquer them, then maybe my strategy should be to get the church to compromise.
Pastor Ray Bentley says persecution doesn't dampen the growth of the church. Smyrna and the persecution it experienced set the stage for the next 200 years. The church was oppressed and persecuted by the Roman Empire. Ironically, today they say there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 2.5 billion. Whether it be followers of this man, Jesus. Smyrna had the fragrance of Christ
The Bible talks of returning to our first love. Today, pastor Ray Bentley explains what that is. First, love is the love of God. His love is burning. His love is consuming. His love is overflowing. His love is penetrating. His love is dynamic. His love is alive. His love cannot leave whatever it touches. The same as it was. That's the love of God.
Coming up today, pastor Ray Bentley points out the need for fellowship, especially during the last days. You and I, as human beings, were made for community. That's where we function at our best, at our premium, at our highest level. The greatest joy of the Lord is to be in the midst of his people and in the midst of the church.
Pastor Ray Bentley on Prophets and Angels, as explained in revelation. The word angel means messenger. Sometimes the messenger is an angelic being. Sometimes the angel or messenger can be a human being on behalf of God. And the chief mark of a biblical prophet is that he stands in the presence of God and in the presence of angels during the sessions of the Heavenly council spread.
The book of Revelation speaks to our generation today. Pastor Ray Bentley says we need to listen. My hope and my prayer is that pastors and churches would read. Just read the book of Revelation. Do you know the Book of Revelation was meant to be read to the body, to the congregations within the churches? The seven churches and the seven letters was to be read to them, and for the church to hear it and to have the hope of the coming of Christ spreading.