[Vibrant Church] Introduction

In 2013, I preached a series of sermons based on Jesus’ letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor, recorded for us in Revelation 2-3. This series was pivotal in my own personal life and the life of the church I lead, and I made a note to revisit the series at some point down the road. That point came this past summer as our congregation has sought to turn the page after a season of loss and refocus on who we we are called to be and what we are called to do in Christ. To that end, I have updated, revised, and honed the original messages to identify seven essential characteristics of a vibrant church.

The book of Revelation is the apostle John’s record of a series of visions he experienced while on the island of Patmos. Among Christians today, it is best known for its apocalyptic content which is dominated by judgments, dragons, beasts, and cosmic war. This fixation, however, has led many to miss the fact that Revelation was never intended to be a handbook for surviving the apocalypse. Rather, it was intended to help followers of Christ navigate the season between his ascension and return.

As such, the book opens not with rapture, judgment, or war, but with a series of letters dictated by the resurrected Jesus to John for the seven churches of Asia Minor. These letters, recorded for us in Revelation 2-3, identified common spiritual strongholds that either remain in the believer’s life after salvation or creep back into the believer’s life sometime later. They addressed false teachings and sin which, if left unaddressed, will shipwreck our faith. And they laid out what it takes to be the sort of Christ follower and church that people will be drawn toward rather than repulsed by. In short, it’s about becoming – and remaining – the vibrant church Jesus designed us to be.

By the time John recorded these letters in the mid-90s CE, the epicenter of Christianity was migrating westward. Following the persecution which erupted with Stephen’s death (Acts 8), the church scattered from Jerusalem. Although the ruling council remained in Jerusalem, by Acts 13, Antioch was the launching point for Paul’s first missionary journey, and during his third missionary journey, in Acts 19, the apostle established Ephesus as his new base of missionary operations. From this base, Paul and others traveled throughout Asia Minor and into Europe, sharing the gospel and establishing churches in every city. These churches were then responsible for proclaiming the good news of Jesus to the towns and villages throughout the area. After Paul left Ephesus to continue his third missionary journey, the church there continued under the pastoral leadership of Timothy, and at some point, John arrived to provide apostolic oversight to the growing constellation of churches in Asia Minor.

The churches to which Jesus addressed these letters made sense. They were the largest, oldest, most established churches in the region. Each of them was at the center of their own network of church plants. And yet, each of them had some sort of issue. Five had major internal problems. Two were facing significant external challenges. And if these problems were present in these churches, it was entirely reasonable to expect other churches were facing the same issues.

Jesus’ purpose in writing was to identify the most common, most destructive problems facing churches throughout history and then provide a plan to overcome them so churches everywhere can become places where sinners are transformed into saints (Romans 12:1-2), saints are empowered by the Holy Spirit to truly live and minister boldly (Acts 1:8), and entire communities are challenged and changed for the better (Acts 8:4-8). Certainly, some people react bitterly to such things, but history has shown that, when churches are doing these things, many are captivated by the gospel and Jesus as a result (2 Corinthians 2:16). This is what it means to be a vibrant church.

Specifically, Revelation 2-3 identify seven challenges and solutions. I will address these in more detail in subsequent posts, but here is a quick breakdown:

City	Problem	Solution
Ephesus	Going through the motions	Be driven by love
Smyrna	Fear	Be faithful to death
Pergamum	Mixing truths	Commit to Scriptures
Thyatira	Tolerating sin	Pursue holiness
Sardis	Complacency	Press forward in faith and ministry
Philadelphia	Inadequacy	Focus on God’s opportunity
Laodicea	Pride	Seek holiness

Here is the trick. These solutions must not be mere programs of the church corporate. No, the people who comprise the church must endeavor to incorporate these characteristics into their own lives and become vibrant believers. They must then be woven into every aspect and activity of the church so the church. This was the secret sauce of a vibrant church at the end of the first century. It has been the secret sauce of a vibrant church throughout history. And it will continue to be the secret sauce to a truly vibrant church until the day Jesus returns.