The video below is another short clip of Paul Washer. In this clip he states a simple gospel truth about how faith is proven by repentance. The crowd applauds it's approval of Washer's critique of American evangelicalism....but Washer follows with...."I don't know why you are clapping....I'm talking about you."
In a way it is as if the Apostle John said the same thing in five of the seven letters that he wrote....under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit....in Revelation chapters two and three. The Ephesian church....keep in mind that this letter was written only thirty or forty years after Paul wrote his letter to them....the Ephesian church had all their doctrine correct...and their discipline.....but they had lost something....their first love. They didn't seem to need to learn anything else. Pergamos seemed to be in the heart of the battle....but they wanted the money....and to get it they led the people astray. The church at Thyatira seemed to be going the other way as Ephesus....as their love was getting stronger....but they let that false prophetess take them captive! The church at Sardis had a reputation of being alive....kind of like evangelicalism today....but they were in fact dead. And then there was Laodicea. They thought that they had it all. They didn't need powerful preaching. They were lukewarm....church in the morning and maybe some games with the Laodiceans the rest of the day?
Brothers and sisters in Christ....God put these seven letters in the beginning of Revelation for a reason! He is talking to you! And He is talking to Me! This missionary evangelist....Paul Washer....said another interesting thing....he said that he normally preaches in Eastern Europe and Africa and South America. In other words he ministers often in churches that might be represented by the letters to the churches at Smyrna and Philadelphia! That is why the American church stands out to him as it does. We in the American church do not have to separate from anything. We're not the Ukraine. In fact we are getting tired of hearing about the plight of the Christians in the Ukraine and Nigeria and the Middle East. It's all....America first....which in reality has turned out to be....America only! Well God has a message for us....and we will no doubt hear it shortly.
