Votum: Mazmur 66:20
Pembacaan Alkitab: Lukas 11:5-13
v. 1: 7 Spirits doesn't mean God has 7 spirits. But that there are 7 fungsi & sifat of the Holy Spirit. 7 Stars = all churches in the world.
Isaiah 11:1-4
Chinese Version:
Sardis located on the high area, therefore the residents had no fear of war for it was hard to be attacked. However, because of complacency, they were defeated.
Therefore, in v.2 Jesus called them to be "watchful".
A famous person from Sardis, Aesop. Tall, ugly, full of wisdom. Wanted freedom, but his master loved to keep him and tricked him into laboring for his freedom. After realizing he was tricked, he committed suicide by jumping into his death from high ground.
Aesop, once served his master's party with all kinds of tongues twice for opposing reasons: greatness vs. wickedness of a person's tongue.
My note: I'm not sure where Tong got his version of Aesop's death. Traditionally Aesop's killed by Delphi people who were insulted by him, thrown him from a cliff. He lived around 600-500 BC. It was said that he obtained his freedom and served as advisers to kings. In fact, one of his fables, The Old Man and Death, proved against the notion of suicide. Perhaps Tong was remembering the wrong person.
Important: v.1 按名你是活的，其实是死的. Alive but dead church. [名存实亡]
3 kinds of death in the Bible: body, spiritual, and eternal death in hell.
Tong: The Lazarus parable is not parable but a real event.
v. 3 Why Jesus made himself to be a thief?
1. He comes without announcement
2. He takes that which is valuable to him (not you). He'll take those whom he loves, who he sees worthy. Not who you like.
v. 3-4, like the bride in white, protective of her dress/garments, this is a very important verse. We must have this same attitude of holiness.