BY DR. DON LAUGHLIN
1. Being the Church of Jesus Christ requires hard work.
2. Being the Church of Jesus Christ requires that we keep our Eye on our Christ-given Purpose.
3. For the most part, the Church at Thyatira was standing strong in their faith.
4. The Church at Thyatira allowed a Jezebel to climb over their walls or maybe they greeted her at the door.
5. Letting our guard down spiritually has extreme and devastating consequences.
6. "Thyatira was a trade city, from which Lydia, the seller of purpose, came from." Hope Bolinger.
7. This text reveals that this church thrived in terms of service and love.
8. Ministry is extremely important, but our relationship with Jesus must come first and dominate our life.
9. Many churches allow a Jezebel to come into their church out of laziness and a lack of courage.
10. Most churches have lax standards and are only looking for warm bodies and not Christ centered leaders.
11. Allowing a Jezebel in a church will destroy it over time.
12. A dynamic church requires "being" before "doing".
13. Just because a person possesses a pleasing personality and good looks does not mean they are in love with Jesus.
14. We do not know the name of the Jezebel in this church.
15. We do not know if this lady seduced the church or was a false teacher.
16. She was driven by a Jezebel spirit!
17. Christianity.com says, "A Jezebel spirit acts in this way: The Bible never strictly has the words Jezebel spirit, but both the Old and New Testament have negative connotations and symbolism surrounding the name, Jezebel. It is a disposition, or demonic influence, that causes to create rifts in the church and in marriages through cunning, deception, and seduction."
18. The above quote is alarming and should lead our church to require "being" before "doing". Right?
19. The presence of a Jezebel in a church requires dynamic faith and a body of leaders that is spiritually strong and dedicate to Jesus Christ.
20. False teachers will always be a danger to any church and our leaders must have their eyes and their hearts open.
21. A Jezebel claims to hear from God, but uses their power to lead the church in the wrong direction.
22. God defines a false prophet in the following way: Someone who presumes to speak in My name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods. Please read Deut. 18:20
23. False prophets twist the word of God.
24. False prophets speak feel-good messages to sway people.
25. God's leaders must exercise discernment.
26. God's leaders must know God's word for themselves.
27. God's leaders must immediately address a false teacher and call them to repentance.
28. God must guide the leaders of the church to way in which they discipline of the false teacher. Follow the way Scripture requires discipline.
29. Dynamic churches do not take short cuts.
30. Jesus Christ must be the spiritual Head of the church.