I heard this phrase to describe believers who are frozen in their faith including in evangelism, worship, prayers, etc. It is a sad term to describe believers. Yesterday at my church that the Lord had me go back to, this is what I saw in my mind during worship. There was a deep freeze in our congregation with many frozen chosen and yet I saw few people here and there, burning brightly with heat and warmth.

When I am at my church, their messages from the pulpit usually lull me to sleep and it’s been difficult to enjoy corporate worship because of the lack of faith and passion. I suppose this is the reason why I am back at my church to be the few who burn brightly with heat and warmth.

As we encounter more trials and difficult days in the church and the world, it will be even more stressful and harder to stay in the faith and keep our passion burning brightly for Jesus Christ and do His Great Commission. Dear Lord, as You help me, please help me to help others in my church. I pray that our church will not be one of the seven churches who lost her first love for You. May I never lose my first love and passion for You. 🙏

I’m sharing this information with the prayer group ladies for their winter break homework. There are nearly 140 people in our Google group now. The Lord has been using this Google group to gather in His people. However long he wants me to do this ministry, I will keep feeding His people.

Book of Revelation: Seven Churches –
In the past two years, I have been studying the book of Revelation quite a bit. I understand your hesitation to tackle this fantastical, scary, and confusing book. However, now that I have studied it, I understand why God said reading this book is a blessing. Let me add one more thought; I have read this book several times in Bible reading plans, but without a study guide I was not very blessed. Instead, I was confused and scared.

However, after studying this book with several Bible teachers who taught it thoroughly well, my faith in the Bible as the inerrant word of God has been cemented permanently. That’s the best way to explain it – my foundation has been cemented once and for all. Praise be to the Lord Almighty! (I studied with several teachers because I wanted to make sure I was doing my due diligence and that I’m not taking only one person’s opinions.)

During this winter break, please do a Bible study on the first three chapters of the book of Revelation. Jesus speaks to the seven churches in the three chapters with His tough rebukes and merciful encouragements. And Jesus speaks to us today with these same messages. Additionally, the seven churches reveal the chronological seven, distinct, time periods of the church era. The church era started when the Holy Spirit came down upon the 120 Jesus followers waiting in the upper room after His resurrection, and documented in the book of Acts. This happened over 2,000 years ago.

When you study the first three chapters, you will see that we are currently in the last time period of the church era. You will also see the biblical prophecies that has been fulfilled and that the rapture of the church is the next prophetic event to happen. Most Bible teachers have a strong opinion that the rapture of the church will happen before the seven years of the Great Tribulation. Majority of the chapters in the book of Revelation is about the events of these 7 years. This is where teachers and scholars have different opinions and thoughts about the who’s, what’s, how’s, where’s, etc. I don’t think these matters are too important to have consensus on; unless we, the church is still here and participating in the Great Tribulation. Then I’ll re-study these chapters with great attention and take detailed notes!

Another reason why you must study the first three chapters is so that you know the church history of the last 2,000 years. Before you joined the church, the body of Christ today; there is 2,000 years of church history. You need to know the ups and downs, the good and ugly parts of our church family history. Mainly, you study history to learn and to try not make their mistakes.
When I’m doing a Bible study, I read the chapter in the Bible first. I like biblegateway.com because I can read it in few different versions. Then after this, I read and listen to commentaries and messages from reputable Bible teachers and sources for their insights and opinions. Many of their resources are free too. (By the way, you should bless their ministry with a donation so they can continue to do their work and offer it free of charge.)

If you choose to bless yourself and do a Bible study on the three chapters in book of the Revelation during the winter break, then I recommend these two teachers to listen to. After you can decide if you want to continue the study. Minimally you must know the first three chapters well, since it applies to every believer of Jesus Christ.

Please download their church app or go to their website. Pastor Gary Hamrick has 8 messages on Revelation 1-3 chapters. It’s available in their midweek study center. Here’s the first one. https://cornerstonechapel.net/teaching/20200219/

Pastor Stephen Armstrong has 6 messages on Revelation 1-3 chapters, plus with relevant Daniel chapters added in. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revelation/id1480605089?i=1000450269640
Both teachers share differently in style and give great in-depth information about our church history of past 2,000 years. I highly recommend you listen to both of them.

I just came across this free Bible study offered by the Dallas Theological Seminary on the book of Revelation. This group has a good reputation. I’m not sure if I’ll do it since I feel I’ve done too much study already in this one book. But if you do the study with their professor, please let me know how you like it. Thanks!https://courses.dts.edu/register/revelation/

I personally think that God has been waking up the church and warning us very loudly in the past two years…perhaps the church is coming close to the rapture? If the rapture of the church is coming soon, then the darkness will continue to get darker and the birth pangs will keep coming faster – then you will need to be even more anchored to the Bible and have greater prayer life. It’s the only foundation that will help you to stand firm in faith and not get swept away in the storms. I know this to be true since in the past 11 years, I had bare minimal Christian conferences, fellowship and corporate worship experiences. In my college years, I had all these activities and much more; but then after one big storm during my transition and isolation, whoosh I turned around and left the church! I am very embarrassed and not proud of this past of mine, but now I will use it to warn other believers.

I promise you that studying the first three chapters of the book of Revelation and the church history will help you tremendously with your faith and help you not become deceived or hardened in the latter days. Remember no matter how tough this earthly life is, there’s an end to our suffering, and then after an eternity in Heaven.

I’ll end this long email with the words given to my TSC group leader, Natasha from the Lord Himself in a very difficult time – “The journey is long. The walk is hard. But the reward is eternal.”

Extra Credit:I don’t know much about weeding other than what I do in my home landscape areas. This pastor who grew up in a wheat farm offers incredible insights about Jesus’ parable of the Wheat and the Weeds from a farmer’s perspective. This parable is about the last days. I heard this sermon twice because his points about wheat farming and dealing with weeds as a farmer was very different than my little knowledge of weeding. Well worth your listen. https://www.ctk.church/sermon/look-closer-part-7-the-parable-of-the-wheat-and-the-weeds/