What I enjoyed was seeing these chapters from the perspective of what the Lord desires for us (and from us) as His people. Usually when I've read these chapters of Revelation in the past, and when I've heard brothers minister about them, it's all very fearful and intimidating. The Lord is judging individuals and churches, He's walking in the midst of the lampstands, He has eyes like fire, when John saw Him he collapsed, etc. So in a way, it's not a pleasant description of the Lord and what He is doing.

But I wonder if these chapters can be looked at in the context of what we know of the Lord from the rest of the New Testament. That is, yes, He's a judge, He's righteous and holy, He's fearful, He can be furiously angry. But He's also kind, tender, merciful, loving, compassionate, humble, gentle, peaceful and gracious. So when we consider the Lord in terms of what He's speaking to the churches, and calling us to be overcomers, it's not just the Lord who has eyes like fire, the Lord who is so intimidating, but He's also the Lord who loves us, and wants the best for us. He's the same Lord who has saved us, who takes care of us, who reminds us of His presence all the time in our daily lives, and who gives us grace in the midst of trials. In other words, while He is indeed the Lord who will judge, and who rightfully causes us to fear, He is also the Lord who wants us to "make it." He is eager for us to hear Him, respond to Him, and love Him more than anything else. I've never read these chapters with this kind of view. But Steve's pointing out that Christ is revealing Himself to the churches according to their different needs and conditions makes me think that our only way of overcoming is to see Him in a fresh new way.

For some reason this reminded me of the verse in 1 Peter about "casting all your anxiety on Him, because it matters to Him concerning you." We usually take that verse in a very personal and practical way. He loves us and cares for us in our actual daily needs, and whatever anxieties we have - about our families, our jobs, our finances, our spiritual burdens, our personal frustrations - we can cast them on Him because it matters to Him concerning us. Then on a much larger scale, concerning what He's accomplishing in gaining His church, it still "matters to Him concerning you." The same Lord who is so concerned about our daily life, our practical affairs, our spiritual growth and maturity, our family relationships, etc., is also concerned that we would overcome whatever religious or degraded situation we may find ourselves in. He knows, in the deepest way, the condition of the church, and He is the one who can free us from whatever might hinder our following of Him.

So the seven letters to the churches are not just seven epistles of judgment, with the Lord scaring everyone by proclaiming how pitiful we all are and then saying, "You'd better overcome!" There is that aspect of reverence and fearfulness, but we should also remember that this is the same Lord who loves us and who desires the best for us. He's not out to "get" us. He wants us to know Him and love Him, and be freed from the religious frustrations.

It's almost like He's saying, "You can make it. I can help you overcome. Just look at Me, and listen to Me, and I'll get you there. You can trust Me, because I know what you're up against. Let Me show you who I am, and that will be enough to save you from the degradation and corruption all around you, and within you."