“These people honor me only with their words, for their hearts are so very distant from me. They pretend to worship me, but their worship is nothing more than empty traditions of men”.

Matthew 15:8-9 TPT

🎶ABCDEFG🎶 Do you remember when you first learned your alphabet? Do you remember when your kids did? I bet you do cause that song just sticks in your head. And at least, for me, I remember singing it all the time!

The excitement of learning something new. The passion of a song. The eagerness to tell others what we know. Something we use every single day, but somehow, we tend to take the ABC’s for granted now. They are just a way of life – a way to communicate. By putting our ABC’s together with words, we tell people who we are, what we want, and what we stand for.

And so it goes with our faith. In Revelations 2 and 3, John speaks to the seven churches as a result of His vision from Christ. He commends them for what they are doing right, but also reprimands and warns them, giving them guidance on how they need to improve. He points out how they are taking their faith for granted and living as Christians in name only, rather than with the passion for the root of their name sake, Christ.

His commendations include their hard work, perseverance, faithfulness, their love, service, good deeds, that they stay true to the name of Jesus, and that they are doing more than they were before.

But he also reprimands them for forgetting their first love, for compromising their allegiance by worshiping their false gods (idols), for tolerating sin to the point of engaging in it themselves, by being so fixated on being right or relevant to their personal agendas that their words and actions fall on deaf ears and lost souls, and that the Spiritual gifts they once fanned into flames are only simmering in a rubble of ash.

These commendations and reprimands are just as relevant today as they were back then. In fact, I believe that John’s vision was looking ahead at us today. I believe that God knew at some point in our walk, we would begin to just complacently go through the motions of our faith, being unmoved by the Spirit but propelled, because it’s imbedded in our minds and our title. Just as our alphabet that we use every day, we can demonstrate faith without impressing the need of a Savior or expressing the love of a friend. We can know the words to say, but they are meaningless unless they are powered by the Spirit.

But because our God is a God of hope and second chances (sometimes third and fourth), we can take these reprimands as a challenge to remember, repent, and respond.

Remember the first time Jesus wooed you. Remember the warmth of your soul and the kindling of your heart. Remember the songs you sang in praise and worship. Remember the times He comforted you, healed you, loved you, protected you, and forgave you. Ask Him to rekindle the passion of learning more about him, to re-ignite the joy of singing His songs, and to re-engage the eagerness to spend time with Him and to tell of Who He is and what He’s done for you.

Repent for the things that distract you and for letting the world consume your thoughts instead of the promptings of His Spirit.

Respond with acknowledgement that we can do better as individuals and as the church. Respond with diligence to turn from your indifference. Respond with acceptance of our responsibility – to communicate who we are and what we stand for, not by calling ourselves Christians, but by knowing Christ and being filled each moment by His power and love.

Our commitment to holiness is a hard one! We are not perfect, and we never will be. But it’s through our constant prayer, study, and fellowship with like-minded people, that we are able to accomplish our mission. At the end of every reprimand, the promise remains – “to those who overcome, I will bless…”. And it’s through our blessings that we are able to bless others with fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.

Remember. Repent. And respond. Fan back into flames, not only our calling as Christians, but also our calling from Christ. His love is our first love and His life should be reflected in ours. Not just in our words or our deeds or our service, but in every moment, every movement, every motion, of every day. Fan back into flames the gift of His Spirit and sing His songs of praise!