Quotes from Letters from Jesus
Did you know the New Testament records 2,000 words spoken by Jesus after he ascended to heaven? And did you know that most of these words are found in the letters to the Revelation churches? If you’re one of the many people who hasn’t read these letters, you’re missing out on most of what Jesus has said since returning to heaven.
The New Testament was written by people who saw Jesus, and this is true of John’s Revelation. “I saw one like a son of man,” said John, “and his face shone like the sun,” (Rev. 1:13, 16). When we read Revelation, we are reading what John saw. If we see what John saw—Jesus—we are reading correctly. If we see something else, such as a projection of ourselves and our shortcomings, we are reading it wrong. It is tempting for us to study the scriptures to find stuff we must do, but a healthier approach is to see what Jesus has done and is now doing.
Each of the seven Revelation letters opens with a picture of Jesus and closes with a promise. A picture and a promise: two things we need to navigate life’s trials. When you’re going through hard times, you need to see Jesus, who is above your circumstances, and when you’re battling fear and anxiety, you need a promise you can cling to. The pictures and promises of Jesus stir our faith. They lift us from the depths of despair to the highlands of hope. They remind us that what we see is not all there is, and that no matter how bad things get, Jesus is always with us.
That Jesus would speak of the Ephesians’ labor and lost love speaks volumes. Living in the busiest city in Asia, these guys had too much going on. They were burning the candle at both ends and burning themselves out in the process. What they were doing (working hard) was getting in the way of what they weren’t doing (receiving from Jesus), which is why Jesus tells them to stop what they’re doing and return to what they did before.
Some people like to talk about their faith, their works, and their ministry, but in the letters to the church Jesus keeps the focus on himself. He repeatedly refers to my name (Rev. 2:3, 13, 3:8), my faith (Rev. 2:13), my works (Rev. 2:26), my word (Rev. 3:8), and my patience (Rev. 3:10). This is where Jesus wants our attention—on him, not us. On his faith and work, not ours.
There is a perception that only influential Christians are pillars in the church, but in Christ we are all pillars. This is all to the glory of the Lord. We stand by grace; we hold fast by grace; we endure by grace. Every single one of us is a monument to the grace of God.
People often dismiss the Laodiceans as the worst of the seven churches. If so, the good news is that Jesus loves even the worst of us. The Laodiceans were a pompous pack of poseurs. Smug, rich, and full of themselves, they likely had few friends. Yet in his letter we see Jesus, the friend of sinners and poseurs, extending the hand of friendship. It is an astonishing display of grace. The letter to the Laodiceans is one of the greatest love letters ever written, yet most don’t see it. They hear the rebuke and picture an angry God out to punish nonperformers. Read the letter to the end. Hear Jesus speaking to “those whom I love.”
Those unacquainted with the grace of God make much of the punishment that Jesus will supposedly inflict on underperforming churches. Yet Jesus stood outside the worst church in the Bible hoping to enter and dine with them. Was there ever a more breathtaking picture of grace? By seeking to justify themselves, the self-righteous Laodiceans had rejected Christ. Yet Jesus offered undeserved acceptance. They had spat upon his good name and insulted the Spirit of Grace, and Jesus replied, “Let’s eat.”
In the letter to Ephesus, Jesus is the Good Shepherd calling to his lost and weary sheep with promises of rest and comfort. In the letter to Smyrna, he is the resurrection and the life comforting those facing trials and death. In the letter to Pergamum, he is the Lord-above-all, slicing through lies and ambiguity with the sword of truth. In the letter to Thyatira, he is the exalted Son of God confronting a charlatan to protect those walking in his Father’s love. In the letter to Sardis, he is the spiritual Savior exhorting an unspiritual people to wake from their stupor and be clothed in his righteousness. In the letter to Philadelphia, he is the Holy One who opens doors, empowers the weak, and gives names to nobodies. In the letter to Laodicea, he is the faithful Witness who gives a true account regarding the lostness of the lost before inviting himself around for dinner. What is the common theme in all these letters? It is grace, or God’s undeserved favor for all, from the saintliest Philadelphian to the most noxious Laodicean. In none of the letters do you find Jesus making the sort of outrageous claims that are sometimes attributed to him. You just find grace upon grace—grace for salvation, sanctification, and everything besides. Grace from start to finish.
Source: Paul Ellis (2019), Letters from Jesus: Finding Good News in Christ's Letters to the Churches, KingsPress: Beach Haven, New Zealand
The New Testament was written by people who saw Jesus, and this is true of John’s Revelation. “I saw one like a son of man,” said John, “and his face shone like the sun,” (Rev. 1:13, 16). When we read Revelation, we are reading what John saw. If we see what John saw—Jesus—we are reading correctly. If we see something else, such as a projection of ourselves and our shortcomings, we are reading it wrong. It is tempting for us to study the scriptures to find stuff we must do, but a healthier approach is to see what Jesus has done and is now doing.
Each of the seven Revelation letters opens with a picture of Jesus and closes with a promise. A picture and a promise: two things we need to navigate life’s trials. When you’re going through hard times, you need to see Jesus, who is above your circumstances, and when you’re battling fear and anxiety, you need a promise you can cling to. The pictures and promises of Jesus stir our faith. They lift us from the depths of despair to the highlands of hope. They remind us that what we see is not all there is, and that no matter how bad things get, Jesus is always with us.
That Jesus would speak of the Ephesians’ labor and lost love speaks volumes. Living in the busiest city in Asia, these guys had too much going on. They were burning the candle at both ends and burning themselves out in the process. What they were doing (working hard) was getting in the way of what they weren’t doing (receiving from Jesus), which is why Jesus tells them to stop what they’re doing and return to what they did before.
Some people like to talk about their faith, their works, and their ministry, but in the letters to the church Jesus keeps the focus on himself. He repeatedly refers to my name (Rev. 2:3, 13, 3:8), my faith (Rev. 2:13), my works (Rev. 2:26), my word (Rev. 3:8), and my patience (Rev. 3:10). This is where Jesus wants our attention—on him, not us. On his faith and work, not ours.
There is a perception that only influential Christians are pillars in the church, but in Christ we are all pillars. This is all to the glory of the Lord. We stand by grace; we hold fast by grace; we endure by grace. Every single one of us is a monument to the grace of God.
People often dismiss the Laodiceans as the worst of the seven churches. If so, the good news is that Jesus loves even the worst of us. The Laodiceans were a pompous pack of poseurs. Smug, rich, and full of themselves, they likely had few friends. Yet in his letter we see Jesus, the friend of sinners and poseurs, extending the hand of friendship. It is an astonishing display of grace. The letter to the Laodiceans is one of the greatest love letters ever written, yet most don’t see it. They hear the rebuke and picture an angry God out to punish nonperformers. Read the letter to the end. Hear Jesus speaking to “those whom I love.”
Those unacquainted with the grace of God make much of the punishment that Jesus will supposedly inflict on underperforming churches. Yet Jesus stood outside the worst church in the Bible hoping to enter and dine with them. Was there ever a more breathtaking picture of grace? By seeking to justify themselves, the self-righteous Laodiceans had rejected Christ. Yet Jesus offered undeserved acceptance. They had spat upon his good name and insulted the Spirit of Grace, and Jesus replied, “Let’s eat.”
In the letter to Ephesus, Jesus is the Good Shepherd calling to his lost and weary sheep with promises of rest and comfort. In the letter to Smyrna, he is the resurrection and the life comforting those facing trials and death. In the letter to Pergamum, he is the Lord-above-all, slicing through lies and ambiguity with the sword of truth. In the letter to Thyatira, he is the exalted Son of God confronting a charlatan to protect those walking in his Father’s love. In the letter to Sardis, he is the spiritual Savior exhorting an unspiritual people to wake from their stupor and be clothed in his righteousness. In the letter to Philadelphia, he is the Holy One who opens doors, empowers the weak, and gives names to nobodies. In the letter to Laodicea, he is the faithful Witness who gives a true account regarding the lostness of the lost before inviting himself around for dinner. What is the common theme in all these letters? It is grace, or God’s undeserved favor for all, from the saintliest Philadelphian to the most noxious Laodicean. In none of the letters do you find Jesus making the sort of outrageous claims that are sometimes attributed to him. You just find grace upon grace—grace for salvation, sanctification, and everything besides. Grace from start to finish.
Source: Paul Ellis (2019), Letters from Jesus: Finding Good News in Christ's Letters to the Churches, KingsPress: Beach Haven, New Zealand