The apostle John was exiled on the island of Patmos, in the Aegean Sea, which is now part of the territory of Greece, when he received from Jesus the mission of writing messages directed to the seven churches of Asia (Turkey):

Revelation 1:11 which said: Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.

The words of Jesus given to John were clear: Revelation 1:19 Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.

Jesus was interested in spreading to his churches messages of warning, alert, guidance, comfort, hope and obviously of power.

If you read the messages written in chapters 2 and 3 of the book of Revelation, you will see that each of the churches faced different situations in their midst.

In all the letters Jesus showed the virtues, sins and weaknesses of each of the churches.

Then, Jesus guided what were the changes that should take place in each of them and what were the promises that He had and still has for them.

Jesus also recommended and warned that churches should listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Revelation 2:7;11;17;29;3:6;13;22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

We know that the church of Christ is us (people), so it is essential that you know these letters and identify which church or churches you are currently attending.

Observe and receive the admonitions, guidance and advice of the Lord and rejoice in the promises and rewards that await you, for at some point, for sure, the return of Christ will happen.

Practice daily self-examination of your spiritual life, for the Lord Jesus himself guided us that we should examine ourselves.

1 Corinthians 11:28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.

The desire of Jesus is that we, daily, seek to be better for God.

But for that to happen we need:

• First, KNOW the will of God;

• Second, EVALUATE what we must change in our lives to achieve God's promises and rewards;

• And third, simply ACT.

As you can see, it is not difficult, you just have to please God, seek the things that are his and fulfill his Word, because the Word of God teaches us all the ways to be blessed and to reach salvation in Jesus Christ.

As I already said: YOU JUST WANT AND THEN ACT!

The Lord bless you and keep you.

Pastor Val Martins