Customer Reviews

What Christ Thinks of the Church: An Exposition of Revelation 1-3

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The number of books written on the final book of the Biblical canon could fill a library. Both fiction and non fiction have considered it from virtually every angle, from conspiracy theories to allegories, it's all been said. Few, however, have taken the book in a coolly logical way that makes it applicable for today and does not scare you into wanting to cut up every form of identification you own to avoid accidentally taking the mark of the beast.

Fortunately, this slim volume is the exception. Mr. Stott, a noted Biblical expositor wastes no words in addressing the beginning of Revelation. Examining each of the churches to whom Christ sent a letter, he gives the history of these places and how they might have viewed the messages, then makes them applicable to problems today.

**** After reading this, you won't know who the Anti-Christ is, nor will you know when the age will end. It is not a countdown to Armegeddon, but sound advice for how to live until then. If you are scared to read Revelation, reading this book will make it a bit easier to conquer that phobia. ****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore

Dr Stott regains the biblical ground lost to the popular and hyped-up books presented en-masse to unwary Christians in their 'Hollywood'-style appeal.

Looking at the letters to the seven Churches, the biblical teacher, John, reviews the Apostle John's, enscripturation of the Christ's words to him on the Isle of Patmos. Reaching to the present, the 'Revelation' or 'Apocalypse' is the culmination of current world-history, and the re-appearance and long-awaited Second Coming of our Redeemer, Christ Jesus.

There were exhortationary warnings directed towards these Churches, which directly impact on ours. Stott stays true to the text and true to the context throughout.

'If this clear-sighted scrutiny of the hearts and minds of people was a characteristic of the earthly Jesus, how much more must the risen Christ know all human secrets?' p 73

A well-presented pastoral injuction to the church in the world not to become the worldly church.

John Stott is a model of the biblically grounded, socially engaged preacher. In all his writings, he builds a bridge "between two worlds," as the title of his textbook on preaching puts it: the world of divine revelation and the world of contemporary application. In What Christ Thinks of the Church, Stott once again performs this valuable bridge-building function with the notoriously difficult-to-interpret Revelation of John.

We sometimes forget that Revelation was not written for us, at least not first and foremost. Rather, it was written for seven churches in Roman Asia Minor: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. It applies to us by extension because the problems these churches faced are the kind of problems we also face. But we should never try to sever Revelation from its original historical context. The seven letters to the Asian churches that Stott writes about in What Christ Thinks of the Church remind us of the historical groundedness of Revelation as a whole.

In each of these letters, Jesus Christ (portrayed as the "son of man" in Revelation 1), dictates letters to John for communication to the seven churches. The letters includes follow a predictable format: a description of Christ, a commendation of the church, a complaint against the church, and a concluding command. Stott unpacks the historical background and contemporary application to each of these elements. The primary application he derives is seven marks that ought to characterize the church:

1. Love (Ephesus)
2. Suffering (Smyrna)
3. Truth (Pergamum)
4. Holiness (Thyatira)
5. Reality, or authenticity (Sardis)
6. Opportunity, or mission (Philadelphia)
7. Wholeheartedness (Laodicea)

As I read the biblical text in dialogue with Stott's book, several things came to mind. First, Jesus Christ is the Lord of heaven and earth. We have a very definite picture of Jesus Christ from our reading of the Gospels. But the Jesus Christ who appears in Revelation 1 and speaks in chapters 2-3 looks (even "feels") different. It is, of course, the same Jesus Christ. But we should not underestimate the glory in which Jesus Christ now dwells as the resurrected and ascended Son of God. What he speaks are not suggestions but commands; and they are commands that are tied to the future of humanity, so we would be wise to obey them.

Second, the church is a mixture of good and bad. Jesus finds something to commend and correct in the churches. No church is perfect, and no church is beyond redemption. Interestingly, these churches' errors include some big ones: heresy, sexual immorality, religious syncretism. These are very similar to problems we face in the various American churches, where doctrinal error, non-biblical standards of sexual behavior, and accommodation of alien spiritual practices are rife. Interestingly, Jesus still treats these errant churches as his churches.

Third, the church is called upon to repent. We have read many critiques of Christianity and the Christian churches over the past few years, especially from the pens of militant atheists. Our initial response is to defend ourselves. Jesus' letters to the church show that the proper response is repentance. We may not be as bad as the atheists say we are, but we're certainly not as good as Jesus wants us to be. We need to turn around.

There's a lot of talk about "turnaround churches" these days. For pastors such as myself, this often means an upward turnaround in the numbers of people attending, serving in, and giving to our churches. Jesus goes deeper and addresses the spiritual diseases that underlie declining church health, not merely the numerical symptoms showing decline or stagnation. Like an able physician, Stott helps us apply Jesus' diagnosis to the ailments of the contemporary church. His book is warmly recommended.

The books is Very good if the reader wants to understand just the basics of the revelation book. Easy to read and not complicated to underatand. I will recommend you if is the first time you read the book of revelations.

This is a good read; not intended for in-depth and time consuming study. It is a concise exposition of the scriptures and provides a nice conservative view.

Thank you for the book. I'm enjoying. Thanks for the quick shipping, too.
Marie