The Faithful Christian a blog of The Lighthouse Ministries

  Buried in a letter to the Church of Ephesus ( Revelation 2 ), John has a number of remarks against this church located in a city that had a famous temple to Diana (the Roman version of the Greek god Artemis). Ephesus, compared to a number of other churches that received letters in Revelation, had quite a few good marks from God. Aside from growing a bit stagnant in their fervor for God, they had resisted wicked practices, endured persecution, and weeded out false apostles from destroying their church. The letter also makes one more positive remark. They hate the practices of a group called the Nicolaitans, which God also appears to hate ( Revelation 2:6 ). Although it’s not out of the ordinary for God to hate practices of pagan groups, such as the child sacrifice of the Canaanites ( Leviticus 20:2-5 ), this group mentioned seems to stand out from other sects that have arisen in Scripture and throughout church history. Nicolaitans have drawn a great deal of scholarly debate, because m

        I once read a story set in the Wild West of a young man who saved a boy trapped on a runaway stagecoach. The man eventually became a judge and the boy, a criminal. Years later, the criminal appeared in the judge’s court, accused of a grievous crime. He recognized the judge and appealed to him, based on their earlier experience, to save him from the death penalty. The judge replied, “Son, on that day I was your savior. Today, I am your judge,” and sentenced him to the gallows. The judge did his job that day, called to administer right judgment based on the facts at hand. There’s an important balance between God’s love and His holiness. Love without boundaries is dangerous. True love requires love for the truth—in fact, as the Apostle Paul said, “Love rejoices in the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6). And that truth forms the boundaries for love’s expression. So in Scripture, we see that Jesus loves all kinds of people, including the ones many of us would have a hard time loving: doubt

  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.    Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?    And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Mathew 7:21-23   Those words of Jesus should terrify everyone who professes to be a Christian.    You should be asking yourself if you are doing the will of God.    You should be examining yourself to make sure that Jesus know you.    Make sure that there are changes in your life, in your habits, in your thinking.      Have you truly been changed, from the inside?    You want to know what burdens my heart more than anything else.    It’s not lost people that simply don’t care about the things of God.    It’s people who profess to be Christians and are deceiving themselves or they have