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Final Lessons from the Seven Churches

Now that we have looked at each of the seven churches of Asia in Revelation 2-3 and have seen the strengths and shortcomings of each one, what additional lessons can we draw from them as a whole? Several things stand out to me, the first of which is that there are no perfect churches. Often Christians are looking for the perfect church where their every need will be met, every expectation satisfied, and there are no problems. Don’t get me wrong. Every church should strive to be the best it can be in the sight of God (cf. Eph 4.11-16). But we also need to be realistic. The fact is, a local church is made up of people--broken people who are at different stages of growth, come from different spiritual backgrounds, hold different ideas and viewpoints, and are at different stages of maturity (or perhaps more accurately, different stages of brokenness). A number of the members might not even be real Christians (cf. Rev 3.4). What makes a church good is not how close to perfection that church is, but how well people are able to work together and tolerate each other in their brokenness, while also holding one another accountable. Often Christians are ready to give up on a local church and leave at the first sign of trouble or failure, or they simply go look for another church if the one they are at does not measure up to their satisfaction. Rather than stick it out and be part of the solution, they become part of the problem by their lack of commitment. It has often been said that if you ever find the perfect church, don’t join it because you’ll mess it up.

On the other hand, some churches are certainly better than others. Two of the seven churches of Asia had nothing bad said of them, while the others were in danger of having their lampstand removed (that is, even Jesus was about to leave). We cannot use the flawed and dysfunctional nature of the various NT churches as an excuse for low expectations. While we need to show a lot of grace and tolerance toward one another (cf. Eph 4.2), we also need to hold one another accountable. Learning to accept one another in our failings while striving for excellence is a fine line to walk.

Another lesson I learn from the seven churches of Asia is that churches are often influenced by their culture more than they influence culture. When you compare historical data from these seven Asian cities to the particular problems in each respective church, you find that several of the churches reflected the characteristics of the city around them. To a degree we should expect that, since the local church is made up of local people. But the point of being a Christian is to be different. We are supposed to change, to come out of the darkness and be a light to lead others out. Again, there is a fine line between the noble goal of meeting our culture where it is at (1 Cor 9.19-23) versus coming out and being separate (2 Cor 6.14f) so that we can be lights in the darkness (Mt 5.13-16).

Finally, from the seven churches of Asia we learn that local churches are never permanent. Not one of these seven churches exists today. They all eventually had their lampstand removed. In that I find both a warning and a comfort. We are warned by their example that tolerance and grace only go so far. Jesus will remove his own presence at some point (cf. Rev 2.5). But the ephemeral nature of local churches should also be a reminder to us of what is most important. Even if a church is “perfect,” it won’t be forever. Eventually problems will arise and at some point that local church will split or die out or simply dissolve. But individual souls are eternal. So let us keep our focus on the right thing. It is not about me enjoying fellowship in a perfect church, but about being faithful, loving my brethren, and helping others get to heaven—where the only perfect and permanent church exists.