Revelation 3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Wouldn’t you like to join the perfect church? Ah, there is a problem. The moment you and your family join the perfect church it will no longer be a perfect church because your family is not perfect. No family or church is perfect, yet while we are not perfect, we can all be better. We can all be more of what God made us to be.
How can we do that? Well, in Revelation 2-3 God is addressing His churches, and what you find is that the only way to be what God made you to be is to accept His estimation of what you are. First, God knows. God knows us, the good and the bad. In Revelation 2:2 He says, “I know thy works, and thy labour.”
Each time He addresses one of the churches He says, “I know your works.” God knows your labor of love. God is not unrighteous to forget your labor of love. No one else may know what good you are doing, but God wishes to work through you and God is aware when you allow Him to do that. On the other hand, in verse 14 the Lord says, “But I have a few things against thee.” So, God knows. It is God’s place to know us to our core.
Second, it is our place to hear God’s message. Revelation 2:7 says, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” Now I am not at Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, or any of these other churches, nor are you, but that is why God says, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” We can learn from what the Lord had to say to these churches. He is speaking to us in each case.
Third, it is incumbent upon us to remember and repent. That is, God knows our hearts, we need to hear His word, and then we need to respond to it by remembering and repenting. Revelation 2:5 says, “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works.” To remember means “to call to mind.” To repent means “to change one’s mind.” God only has you if He has your mind. If you are not thinking God’s thoughts after Him, you are not following God’s steps after Him. So, remember and repent.
At the end of these two chapters the Lord pictures Himself as standing at the door. Revelation 3:20 says, “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.” Fellowship with the Lord is His desire, but it is our choice. He will not force it upon us. He knows our heart. We should hear His Word. We should remember and repent. And, He is standing at the door knocking.
Fellowship with God today, whether in my home or at my church, is a matter of having the humility to hear and the obedience to follow. “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”