The Revelation Of Jesus Christ: “…the last to be more than the first”

Revelation 2:19 KJV

(19)  I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.

 

 

 

One of the commendations the Lord gives to the Thyatira assembly is that their service their acts of service has grown over time.  Their works, charity, service, faith, patience and the effort they have expended had all increased (“the last to be more than the first”).

What a wonderful thought… as an assembly or as individual Christians, to know that, since we made our commitment to serve our Lord, our service has grown in quality and amount.   This should be one of the great goals of our lives… to shine more brightly for Him as we live our lives on earth…

Proverbs 4:18 KJV –  But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.   

 

So how do we do this?  How do we increase in our life of service to our Lord?  The Apostle Peter has much to say on the subject…

1 Peter 2:1-3 KJV  – Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,  As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:   If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

 

In this text Peter points to 3 fundamentals to spiritual growth…

1. we must be saved by His grace…“If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”

2. we must turn from our known sin… “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,”

3. we must feed on His Word…“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby”

It is this same Word that is used by God to bring about the spiritual cleansing and growth of His local assemblies…

Ephesians 5:25-27 KJV  – Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

 

May we all see the need to live daily in the Word of God, realizing that it is through His Word that we will grow in grace and knowledge and increase in our service to Christ…

2 Peter 3:16-18 KJV – As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.   Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.   But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

May the Lord bless us as we seek to serve Him, the One that is so clearly revealed to us in the book of   the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

For an in depth look at this section of the Revelation:

http://wp.me/pU88A-3NL