A pastor steps up to his pulpit and looks out upon the sea of faces that are the congregation he has been called to serve. His text for the morning’s service is based on the Book of Revelation, specifically centering on the spiritual conditions of the seven churches, "the candlesticks," as described in chapters two and three of that prophetic book.
     He’d been studying intently for weeks, but in the few moments before he was to begin, he was suddenly jolted as if he had been struck by a theological bolt of lightening aimed at him by the Spirit. He immediately realized as he beheld the people, that each one of those churches was seated before him. Everyone of those spiritual conditions were the same throughout all the ages and they were all there in those individuals who were waiting to hear what he was going to say. They were his Ephesians, the Laodiceans, the Philadelphians, Thyatirans and all the others.
     As this revelation took hold of him, the sermon that he had worked so hard to prepare seemed painfully inadequate. The moments were passing quickly and he knew he had to begin. As he was trying to comprehend the needs before him, he prayed silently that the Lord would take over somehow and give him the right words to say.

     “This book is a mirror of our own souls,” he began, as he held the word of God before them. He was startled because those words were not contained within his notes. He was suddenly struck with a sense of urgency he didn’t understand. He bowed his head and when he looked up again, he found that he was struggling to fight back his tears as he realized how much he loved them all.
     “I’m going to be speaking to you this morning about the spiritual conditions of the seven churches. These churches, these seven flames, represent the spiritual condition of the church throughout all the ages and I am going to be lifting up this mirror so we can see ourselves in this looking glass of words. I’m only going to ask you one thing – if you see yourself anywhere in this reflection – then be honest, don’t look away, be willing to allow the Lord to adjust the spiritual appearance of your heart; and please do not hesitate because, children, we are simply running out of time.”

     He looked at his notes and the order in which he had planned to begin, at the beginning with the Ephesians, and then he found himself shuffling through his papers skipping ahead to church number six – the Philadelphians.
     “Now it would seem logical to begin with the first church and continue on until the end, that’s how I planned this study in the beginning; but I felt that the Lord is leading me to lead you to contemplate with me the church of Philadelphia. This is where we must begin because to achieve the spiritual condition of this church should be our divine goal, so we are starting at the top.
     “I want you all to picture a great mountain. Upon this mountain is a collection of devoted souls that have made the climb to its summit. These are the Philadelphia believers. Let’s read about who they are together." –

REV 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
REV 3:8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
REV 3:9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
REV 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
REV 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

     “Out of all the seven churches, this is the church or spiritual condition that the Lord promises to keep from the “Hour of temptation” which shall come upon the entire world, the great tribulation. This does not mean that this church will not experience tribulation, but she will be kept from the great tribulation that occurs before the Lord’s return. This is the faithful bride that has a little strength and has used all of it to rely on her Lord. She has kept His word and has not denied His name. This is the portrait of the uncompromised church.
     “In the last moments of history this church is found on the summit waiting for her bridegroom. Like Moses, she has heard God’s call to meet with Him upon this pinnacle of intimate communion. She has taken off her shoes; she has been willing to remove those man made elements that would hinder this relationship.

     "If we can stand with her for a moment and look back down the mountain, we can see that there are other souls struggling up to this peak. We can see that these ones are the church of Smyrna. They have endured through the centuries and many have experienced martyrdom. These believers represent the persecuted church throughout all the ages.
     "I believe her remnant will cumulate to the Philadelphian collective in the last moments before that great hour of God’s judgment.

     "There are only two churches in the book of Revelation that receive no correction or admonishment from the Lord and that is Philadelphia and Smyrna.
     “God speaks of Smyrna this way –

REV 2:8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
REV 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
REV 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

     “This is a portrait of the faithful, persecuted church through the ages. Please note that the Philadelphians and the Smyrnans both have something in common – the Jews who say they are Jews and are not. These are the ones who will be commanded to bow at the feet of the Philadelphians to behold that this remnant is the seed that the Lord has blessed.
     “Who are the Jews who say they are Jews and are not? They will be in the finale of this study and if we can look down the mountain at the crowds collected below we can see them there scattered among the other churches that are camped around the base of this pinnacle.

     “There are five remaining spiritual conditions and each one has a flaw that disqualifies or hinders it from obtaining the mountain’s summit. These errors are consistent and have continually repeated themselves infecting the church through all her history. If we can recognize and address these issues and work to correct them by repenting and bringing them to the Lord to remove, the Lord will be most happy to oblige us, and we will proceed to the mountain’s summit in victory. In order to do that we must understand what they are.
     “We have been visiting the mountain’s summit with Philadelphia breathing in the pure air and enjoying the view. Now I must ask you to climb back down with me and join the crowds below.
     “At this time we can return to the beginning and the Ephesians are before us. We read about them in Chapter two –

REV 2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
REV 2:2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
REV 2:3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
REV 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
REV 2:5 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.

     “The factor that has marred this otherwise excellent church is that she has left her “first love.”
     “Much has been speculated about what this first love is. Here we have to stop and think – What was the first love of the first century church? What was her goal and purpose?
     “Her passion and desire was to preach the Gospel, to save souls and see them birthed into the kingdom of God. This was her purpose. Somehow the Ephesians had removed their focus and centered it upon other issues and their works. It seems they had become wonderful “spiritual policemen” and were able to recognize false doctrine, valued holiness and were fully dedicated to the Lord, but their emphasis had become imbalanced.
     “They are told to remember from where they had fallen. We are saved by grace and they are reminded here that they were sinners at one point as well.

     “The Apostle Paul recognized that John, Peter and James were pillars in the church (Galatians 2:9). Each one represents a spiritual pillar that must be maintained in equal balance to prevent the church from cascading into apostasy.
     “The Apostle John represents the Gospel message – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
     “The Apostle Peter represents holiness for he calls us to be partakers of the divine nature (II Peter 1:4).
     “The Apostle James reminds us that faith without works is a dead faith and he calls us to service (James 2:17).
     “The Ephesians were building on only two of those pillars and had neglected the first. For this cause the Lord tells them that if they do not repent and do the first works, evangelize, He will remove their candlestick, their church; for without the Gospel as its primary purpose the church has no reason to exist.

     “In this mirror can you see if sharing the Gospel with others is as important to you as it is to our Lord and the Christians of the first century church?

     “We proceed to the next camp, the church of Pergamos. The Lord says –

REV 2:13 I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
REV 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
REV 2:15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.
REV 2:16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

     “This is a church that was enduring persecution and doing well to stand for Christ but she was allowing false teachers to bring in doctrines of compromise; doctrines that were tainted perhaps by pagan influences. Here she is paralleled to the spiritual condition of ancient Israel that permitted her sons to marry pagan women. She had begun to embrace the practices of those in the world around her, resulting in sexual compromise. We don’t sacrifice to idols anymore, but the principle here is this - those who have been seduced by these doctrines can no longer discern between what is clean and unclean in the eyes of the Lord and thus they eat without discretion. They were being led away from the pure word of God and its instruction, to dine on polluted man inspired doctrines and distractions.

     "Can the seductive, entertaining images that are continually bombarding our minds through the secular media be likened to those pagan women God has called His people to avoid?

     “The teachers in the church of Pergamos were no longer preaching spiritual separation from the world and holiness. They were abandoning the second pillar we talked about earlier and Peter’s admonishments to pursue holiness were being ignored.
     “I know of those in some churches,” the pastor paused a moment as he scanned the faces in the pews, “who think nothing of living out of wedlock and who do not revere the sanctity of marriage.
     “There has also been a great deal of speculation about who those mysterious Nicolaitans really are. According to the church historian Johann Lorenz von Moshiem, the Nicolaitans were gnostics. Gnostics did not hold to any absolutes, moral or otherwise. Iraenaeus tells of a gnostic deacon in the early church named Nicolas who had been accused by his parishioners of being jealous. To prove he was not, he offered his own wife to the men of his church. This Nicolas is thought by some to have been the representative model for this doctrine that God hates. God speaks through the prophet Malachi that He hates divorce(Malachi 2:16). In the scriptures God likens the relationship He has with His people to a bride and bridegroom. When we no longer revere the sanctity of the marriage union, then how can we truly maintain an uncompromised faithfulness to our Maker? If we embrace the tenets of foreign doctrines like gnostisim which denies the atonement of our Lord, we can no longer claim that we are true Christians.
     “This church, like many of our contemporary churches was compromising with doctrines that God hates. To these ones, the summit of the mountain is very far away indeed - unless there is a genuine repentance.
     “To Pergamos the Lord promises that He will fight against them with the sword of His mouth, which is His word. In the Scriptures the Lord likens His word to a consuming fire (Jeremiah 5:14, 23:29). His word is the convicting element that is designed to burn our chaff away – if we let Him.

     “The wind that is blowing the smoke from the campfires of Pergamos causes us to follow it to the tents of the church of Thyatira, where the cloud from wood’s consumption by the flames begins to mingle.
     "Pergamos shares the same seeds of compromise as those in Thyatira’s camp, but here the error is much worse, more blatant and devious. We read –

REV 2:18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
REV 2:19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.
REV 2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
REV 2:21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
REV 2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
REV 2:23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
REV 2:24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.

     “Again God likens the spiritual condition of His church to that of ancient Israel. This church of Thyatira, is outwardly a good church, but is harboring a tolerance for the spirit of Jezebel. In the Old Testament Jezebel was the wife of Ahab, a king of Israel. Ahab had married a foreign wife (Jezebel was a Phonecian) in direct opposition of God's word. This indicates a leadership that does not regard the authority of God's word as the absolute guide for behavior. Jezebel caused God’s people to abandon a pure faith in God and to embrace the pagan practice of Baal worship; the worship of these pagan gods always involved sexual sin.
     “The church of Thyatira was being seduced by those who professed prophetic gifts, but holiness and repentance were not part of their messages. Divorce was probably rampant in this church. Some surveys of today’s church reveal that the divorce rate among Christians is equal to those in the world.
     “Those whose minds have been blinded or veiled by this Jezebel spirit can no longer discern between what is clean and unclean and like those in Pergamos eat without discretion. But here the sin goes beyond deception to a more willful knowledge of the wrong and a blatant unwillingness to repent of the sin and be changed.
     “The Jezebel spirit does not want to repent; therefore those in this camp do not preach repentance. Nor do they recognize or acknowledge the corrective scriptures so they cannot be changed by them or the Spirit of the Lord that works with His word. Certain sexual sins that God refers to as abominations are embraced and accepted. These ones prefer to follow Jezebel’s leading and for this cause God pronounces dire judgments. Without repentance those in this camp will not reach the peak, and the great tribulation, the “Hour of His judgment” (Rev. 14) is their future for a certainty. God says, “I will kill her children with death”- so that they will know it is Him. This spirit teaches the opposite. God does not punish. Fear of God is eradicated. There is no correction.
     “God likens those who have embraced Jezebel and the licentious lifestyle that follows to “the depths of satan.”

“The Lord’s grace, the gift of salvation is appropriated by repentance. It is not the “Old Fashioned Way” of approaching God as some have labeled it, it is the Biblical way. It is a characteristic of the Jezebel influenced church to eradicate repentance from its vocabulary. Children, it is the will of God that those who can still hear His voice, fight with the sword of His word to restore the sound of it to the hearts of His people.”

     The pastor paused a moment and looked at his congregation earnestly. He didn’t say the words, but he groaned them in his heart as he watched them. “Are you getting this, children? Are you paying attention? It’s so important.”

     He emitted a gentle sigh and returned his gaze to the text. Then he continued.

     “The next camp we are about to explore at the base of the mountain is the church of Sardis. You will notice from the previous scriptures that before the Lord gives an admonishment, He always exhorts them for the things they are doing well first. But there are two churches that our God has absolutely nothing good to say about initially; and those churches are Sardis and Laodicea. We’ll begin by uncovering the errors that are harbored in the spiritual camp called Sardis.
We read; -

REV 3:1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God,(these seven spirits are symbolic of the Holy Spirit) and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
REV 3:2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
REV 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
REV 3:4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
REV 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

     “This is a church that the Lord views as spiritually dead. It may look like she’s doing well on the surface, the name lives, but there is nothing on the inside. There is no relationship with Christ. She is admonished to be watchful – to examine herself and to strengthen what remains, those things she is about to lose permanently.
     “The key to understanding what is really wrong with this church is found here. God says “Remember therefore how you have received and heard, hold fast and repent.” This church was abandoning the Gospel. Unlike the Ephesians who believed the Gospel and had simply allowed other emphases to take predominance over it, the church of Sardis was losing it.
     “This spiritual condition would be a parallel to today’s liberal church that would deem it politically incorrect to preach that Jesus is the only way to salvation (John 14:6).
     "And unlike the Philadelphians who are seen cleaving to the word of God, Sardis disregards the word of God as her only guiding influence, because in her eyes God's word is subject to interpretation and can be adjusted to suit the mood of the day.
     “God warns this church that He can return for her at a time when she will least expect it. Here we are reminded of the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25). There are five virgins who have let their lamps go out because of neglect. They have run out of oil. The Holy Spirit is likened to oil in the scriptures and is called the Spirit of Truth (I John 5:6). When the oil of the truth of the Gospel is gone there is no light, and no salvation. These virgins are unprepared when the Lord returns and He says that He never knew them. They are no longer recognizable to Him, because by denying that He is the only way, they have abandoned their own salvation.
     “The Lord promises that those who overcome will walk with Him in white and He will not blot out their names from the book of life. The only way someone can get his name blotted out of the book of life is by denying Him and not forgiving others. These are the only two things contained in the Scriptures that can cost someone their salvation.
     “Jesus said, “If any one denies Me before men him will I deny before My Father (Matthew 10:33).” And we are also admonished that in order to obtain the outcome of our faith which is the salvation of our souls, we must remain in the faith (Hebrews 3:6, I Peter 1:9 ,Romans 11:22). Do not allow any man made doctrine or philosophy to lead you away from the Word of God and the salvation contained within its pages.
     “We can know for sure we are saved by the oil, the Holy Spirit of God that dwells within us; for Paul assured his friends that their names were written in the book of life, (Philippians 4:3) for he knew they were standing firm in the faith of our Lord Jesus.

     “Are you standing firmly in the faith of our Lord today my beloved ones?”

     Once again, the pastor earnestly scanned the faces of his people before he resumed.

     “And now for the finale, the last and struggling among the least is the church of Laodiceans, poor things. Let’s read about them here –

REV 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
REV 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
REV 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
REV 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
REV 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
REV 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
REV 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

     “This is a portrait of the spiritual condition that envelopes someone who has stopped seeking and enjoying God. It is the picture of someone who prefers the things of men above the riches found in the word and God’s Spirit. It is a painting of a woman who is no longer in love with her bridegroom and is allowing herself to be wooed by other loves.
     “She finds her satisfaction in the pleasures and treasures of this life and is content adorning herself with things that our God views as the trappings of spiritual poverty.
     “This one has been dancing around the golden calf at the base of a mountain she is not willing to exert herself to climb; she is perfectly content in her complacency.
     “Jesus spews this lukewarm soul out of His mouth for He finds no pleasure in her at all. He is refreshed by zeal and this church has absolutely nothing to satisfy His thirst.
     “We have to ask ourselves here, is it our desire to please the Lord with our lives?
     “He counsels us to go buy of Him gold tried in the fire. The technique He uses to correct a straying wife is to allow her to walk through the fires of tribulation so the things that are blocking her view of heaven can be removed until she can finally see again to find her way home.
     “Like the five virgins and her sister Sardis, Laodicea is commanded to go and “buy” before it is too late.
     “Jesus is seen knocking at the door of this religious, materialistic church hoping she will open to Him and desire a genuine relationship with God.
     “In the meantime she is wallowing in her spiritual poverty as the dark cloud of tribulation’s fury begins to form above her comfortable existence. Will she look up to see it in time and desire to flee to the mountain for her safety? Will you my dear ones?”

     At that point, the pastor found again that he was struggling to fight back his tears.

     “We have covered all the churches now except for those stragglers we mentioned in the beginning; the Jews who say they are Jews and are not. They are mingling throughout the five camps of those churches that are clustered at the base of the mountain where our Philadelphian remnant is waiting on the peak.
     “In order to understand who these Jews who say they are Jews and are not, really are, we must take a moment to see what it means in God’s eyes to be a real Jew.

     “When Abraham was ninety-nine years old, God made a covenant with him. He says,

     “I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generation for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee” – (Genesis 17:7).

     “In this particular encounter God changes the name Abram to Abraham. The addition of the “ah” signifies a joining with “YAWH” – God’s holy name. This depicts a change in the relationship. Abraham is being brought into a union with God (Genesis 17:5).

     “God instigates the sign of this covenant which is circumcision.

     “This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and thy seed after thee; every man child among you shall be circumcised” – (Genesis 17:10).

     “Let’s pause a moment to comprehend the enormity of this act – God makes a holy covenant with a human being, and the sign of it is to be placed on the most intimate part of a man’s body, that which is used to be joined to a woman; that which is used to make a man and woman one.

     “What is God trying to convey to us here? He is saying that it is His desire to be joined to His people in an intimate spiritual relationship. He desires to be one with His people.
     “Abraham, the Hebrew was circumcised and that was the moment when the Hebrew became a Jew. Prior to that moment he was just like any man. Therefore the Biblical definition of being a Jew is someone who is spiritually separated to God in intimate relationship. This relationship has nothing to do with “Religion.” His relationship with God was not one of legalistic law keeping, for at that time there was no written law. Abraham obeyed God naturally through his relationship with Him. This relationship was a foreshadow of the relationship that is given to us through Christ.

    "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly: and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God - Romans 2:28,29.

     “In the Old Testament God likens His people to His bride and He speaks to her as a passionate lover – Thy Maker is your husband; the Lord of hosts is His name; and your redeemer the Holy One of Israel. As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over thee. When I passed by thee and looked upon thee, behold, your time was the time of love, and I spread My skirt over thee, and I covered your nakedness; yes, I swore unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and you became Mine. I will betroth thee unto Me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto Me in faithfulness and you shall know the Lord (Isaiah 54:5, 62:5, Ezekiel 16:8, Hosea19,20).
    God also tells of a time when His people would call Him Isis (eesh) which can mean husband (Hosea 2:16). And today, in the pages of the New Covenant God calls His church the Bride of Christ, whom He is calling to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7-9).

     “In the new Testament, the prophesied new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31) has been fulfilled in the Messiah Jesus. Those who have sincerely entered this covenant by faith in the death and resurrection of our Lord have been circumcised in the heart through His atoning blood. They are grafted in (Romans 11:17) and are now part of the vine that is Israel. We are His Jews. -And if you are Christ's then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise - Galatians 3:29.
     “Just as there are tares among the wheat (Matthew 13:25-30) and goats among the sheep (Matthew 25:32) so there are those who are not all Israel, which are of Israel (Romans 9:6) – Jews who say they are Jews and are not.
     “Without the circumcision of the cross, those who claim to be Jews can only pretend.
     “Without a genuine commitment to Christ through His atoning sacrifice, those who claim to know Jesus, know Him in name only and will always remain at the base of the mountain looking up at the true bride of the Messiah.
     “The mountain she stands upon represents a place of commitment, spiritual separation and communion with her Lord.
     “Those of us that are among the five camps at the base of the mountain must begin to look up and desire those heights before it is too late. My children, will you be willing to make that climb of faith with me and join that Philadelphian bride?”

     The pastor once again scanned the faces of the people before him in the last few seconds before they were dismissed. He was gratified to see that some of them were weeping; others were bent over in their seats in prayer. But there were those who merely stared at him impatiently for lunch time was approaching and the sermon had already been too long. And he could perceive that some others were obviously annoyed that he’d had the audacity to challenge their religious veneer. And the glares from Jezebel’s children were missiles designed to destroy his soul.

     But he was smiling. He couldn’t stop; because the Spirit that had given him his words that day was whispering to his heart –

     “Well done, My son. Well done."

"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore and repent" - Revelation 3:19