INTRODUCTION
Some say that today we’re witnessing the greatest religious shift in our nation’s history. Millions of Americans, close to 40 million in fact, have simply stopped going to church over the last 25 years. It’s a phenomena known as “The Great Dechurching.” It has led to much sober reflection, critical analysis, and even a bit of hand-wringing among Christians for quite some time. What is causing the mass exodus? What is the explanation? Is it a change in our cultural values? Is it the shallowness of the church’s doctrine? Was it Covid-19? Is it spiritual warfare? How do we fix this problem and stop the apparent bleeding? Frankly, it’s a complex problem with no simple answer. But it isn’t really the biggest problem, as far as I’m concerned. There’s another kind of “Great Dechurching” that should concern us even more. It’s the not the one being written about by the religion analysts and church gurus. It’s “The Great Dechurching” written about by John and warned about by Jesus in our text this morning! Two weeks ago, I said that the book of Revelation is all about Jesus. And last week we looked at John’s rather unsettling vision of Jesus as “the son of man” – Jesus in HD! Jesus presents himself to his church, represented by these seven churches in Asia Minor, which are patiently enduring tribulation, both as a terrifying judge and a liberating king. I don’t know what you thought about that picture, but it certainly isn’t the “gentle Jesus” hanging on the wall of your grandmother’s dining room! This is “high definition” Jesus who has a message for his church; a message we need to hear and heed today just as much as the church in John’s day. Therefore, let’s hear and heed the words of Jesus in Revelation 2:1-7.
