THE CHURCH SHOULD NOT FEAR PERSECUTION

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China is experiencing the world’s largest revival today. Several thousand Chinese come to Christ every day. Many feel that these revivals are happening in contrast to their background of being Buddhists, Animists, Taoists, or Confucianists. Still, a closer look shows that China has been following the God of the Bible since the beginning of their history, more than 5,000 years ago. Are these current revivals a sign that the people of China are returning to their true roots?

The truth came down from Noah and his family. Some modern Chinese Christian scholars or theologians suggest a connection to Shem, citing possible linguistic or cultural links between ancient Semitic and Chinese civilisations (e.g., similarities in ancient writing systems or flood narratives). Others favour Japheth, based on the broader geographic spread of his descendants.

IS THE CHURCH READY FOR WHAT COMES NEXT?

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In this gripping episode of Directed Life, Kap Chatfield sits down with evangelist and end-times scholar Tiff Shuttlesworth for a prophetic conversation on Bible prophecy, Israel, deception in the Church, and the urgency of the hour. Tiff unpacks how global chaos, rising antisemitism, transhumanism, and misinformation are all aligning with biblical prophecy. From the significance of Israel’s rebirth to the role of deception in the rise of the Antichrist, this episode is a wake-up call to the Church: it’s time to get rooted in truth and prepared for what’s coming. This isn’t fearmongering, it’s a faith-filled call to clarity, conviction, and commitment. Whether you’re curious, confused, or confident about the end times, you need this conversation.

FAMILY BURNED ALIVE FOR FOLLOWING CHRIST

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NAIROBI, Kenya — A Muslim couple and their adult son who received Christ in November were burned to death on Dec. 26 in eastern Uganda, sources said.

In the Budini Nyanza area of Kaliro town, Kaliro District, 64-year-old Kaiga Muhammad, his wife, Sawuya Kaiga, and their son, Swagga Amuza Kaiga, 26, put their faith in Christ on Nov. 22, 2024, when members of an undisclosed church visited their home and shared the Gospel.

The pastor of the church, undisclosed for security reasons, said that after the three family members received Christ’s salvation, they requested prayer for Swagga Amuza Kaiga, who was suffering from malaria. “We prayed for the son, and immediately he was restored to good health,” the pastor claimed in an interview with Morning Star News. “The three members of the family who gave their lives to Christ decided to keep their faith secret for fear of Muslims of the area, since Muhammad himself was a committee member in one of the mosques in Budini Nyanza zone.”

On Dec. 15, area Muslims noted Muhammad leaving the church’s worship service in a nearby village and informed area chairperson Wangule Abudu. The chairperson on Dec. 16 went to Muhammad’s home to question him, and Muhammad openly told him that he and other family members had given their lives to Christ, the pastor said.

The angry Abudu gave Muhammad one week to renounce Christianity, saying that if he refused, he would mobilize the Muslim community against the family, according to a relative who was away when the parents and son accepted Christ.

“Abudu said that our family had blasphemed the name of Allah and embarrassed the Muslim community,” the family member, whose name is withheld for security reasons, told Morning Star News.

Area Muslims on Dec. 26 set the family’s house ablaze with gas and burned the three members of the family beyond recognition, said a neighbor who had arrived with others too late to save them and the structure.

Kaliro police arrived after the lives had been lost and, after investigating, arrested Wangule Abudu, 62, and Ismail Njagi, 20. The two Muslims were being kept at Kaliro central police station on charges of murder and arson, sources said.

The bodies of the deceased were taken to Bumanya Heath Centre for postmortem.

The attack was the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented.

Jesus told us that persecution comes with being a Christian and that prior to His return, it will escalate to refine the church, and only those totally committed to Jesus will be saved.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:9-13

Also, it is hard to understand how the Pope and so many others who call themselves Christians believe that we all serve the one God. The Christian God says to love our enemies, and Allah says to kill them.

LAST DAYS CHURCHES LIKE THE EARLY CHURCHES DESCIBED IN THE BOOK OF ACTS

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After spending over a year in jail in America on trumped-up charges, Torben Sondergaard is now transforming churches in Mexico. God used the time Torben spent in jail to transform him and to birth his book: 412 Days: Persecuted for Christ. It’s coming are you ready? Torben also transformed the lives of many prisoners.

From the depths of a small cell in B6N, Torben Sondergaard takes us on a riveting journey through his unimaginable challenges. As events unfold, he reveals the circumstances that led him to this small cell and the intense experiences that followed.

It is a unique book, penned with a security pen on paper within the walls of a small cell in a Florida prison. Accusations of weapons smuggling and human trafficking were thrown around, yet no formal charges were made. In these pages, Torben shares his real-life experiences as they occurred-from moments of deep despair to unexpected joy, recognizing God’s hand even in his darkest hour. From the cry of “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” to the revival that transformed the entire pod where he was incarcerated, Torben reveals the divine revelations that sustained him and the truths God imparted to him, to prepare us all for what lies ahead.

This book is not just an extraordinary story; it is a prophetic message for all of us. It warns us of the Biblical prophesied end-times persecution to come. It speaks of God’s kingdom and provides the strength to stand firm when the storms hit.

As you embark on this journey, you will be drawn back to the raw and authentic Christianity of the early apostles, who, like Torben, wrote from jail to encourage the faithful to keep running the race, no matter the cost.

THE CHURCH THAT WILL BE LEFT BEHIND TO FACE THE WRATH OF GOD

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“Thank you, Jesus”: Kenneth Copeland praises God for a new Bentley car. Prosperity gospel preacher Kenneth Copeland thanked Jesus for a dying man’s seed offering of a Bentley with a Breitling clock, which he had given in the hope that it would bring healing. It did not.

At Kenneth Copeland Ministries’ annual Southwest Believers’ Convention in Fort Worth, Texas, held from July 29 to Aug. 3, the 87-year-old televangelist regaled attendees with stories about his passion for Breitling watches, of which he owns around 36 coveted timepieces.

Speaking on “How to Walk by Faith and Not By Sight” two Mondays ago, Copeland delighted in showing off the diamond-encrusted Breitling adorning his left wrist to a man seated in the front row. “Do you think that one’s pretty?” Copeland asked the man. “It’s a Breitling. It has diamonds around the edge. Someone gave me that one.”

Copeland said he began gifting Breitling watches as seed gifts, adding that he and Pat Robertson, the late founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network and host of “The 700 Club,” had a “tradition” of gifting Breitlings to each other.

Bible scholar Justin Peters, a harsh critic of World of Faith prosperity preachers and the New Apostolic Reformation movement rebuked Copeland’s “wicked” teaching that sowing “a seed” will heal the sick.

“Kenneth Copeland knows full well that the people listening to him don’t follow him for exposition of Scripture; they are there for promises of health and wealth,” Peters said. “And there are a lot of sick people listening to him. Not just at this convention but all over the world. And they are sick; they are dying, some of them. And some have sick children, children who are dying.

As a warning to the televangelist who has boasted of being a billionaire, Peters quoted from Matthew:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'” Matthew 7:21-23,

Peters said he does not hate Copeland but was filled with “righteous indignation” because of the “audacity” the televangelist had to tell the story of a man who sowed a seed for healing from cancer yet died. “He’s dead,” Peters lamented.

Kenneth Copeland and all those he has deceived represent the seventh church of Revelation 3, the Church of Laodicea. It is the church that is left behind to face the wrath of God with the Trumpet and Bowl judgements. It describes the church in the seventh year of the 70th week of Daniel 9:24-27.

“For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” Revelation 3:17-19

The sixth church, the Church of Philadelphia, is raptured. It represents the church in the sixth year of the 70th week of Daniel 9:24-27.

“‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name… Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.” Revelation 3:8,10

UNITED METHODIST CHURCH ELECTS THIRD OPENLY GAY WOMAN BISHOP

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A regional body of The United Methodist Church has its third openly gay bishop, the first since the mainline Protestant denomination changed its rules to allow noncelibate homosexuals to be ordained.  

The Rev. Kristin Stoneking, a United Methodist studies professor at the Pacific School of Religion, was elected a bishop by the UMC Western Jurisdiction at their meeting held last week in Spokane, Washington.

Stoneking was elected on the 11th ballot, receiving 65 votes out of 94 valid ballots cast. For that ballot, she needed to receive at least 63 votes, according to UM News. Her term of service begins on Sept. 1.

An emotional Stoneking addressed the regional body shorty after being elected, stating that saints were “ordinary people” who “love without limits,” echoing the theme of the gathering.

“I’m so humbled at this time, at this incredibly momentous opportune time for us as a denomination to lean in to all of the doors that are opening. May we all be humble learners. I commit to you to be a humble learner.” Learner of what? It is certainly not God’s Word.

Stoneking is the third person in a same-sex marriage to be elected bishop by the Western Jurisdiction, as the regional body had previously elected Bishop Karen Oliveto in 2016 and Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth in 2022, both in defiance of the denomination’s rules prohibiting the ordination of noncelibate gay clergy.

Earlier this year, at the UMC General Conference, delegates voted overwhelmingly to remove from the Book of Discipline rules that prohibited the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals, the blessing of same-sex unions, and the funding of LGBT advocacy groups.

This came after more than 7,000 mostly conservative congregations had left the denomination over the ongoing debate over LGBT issues, as well as the refusal of many progressive UMC leaders to enforce the rules. It is no longer the United Methodist church and I am sure John Wesley would be appalled at what it has become.

Jesus told us that this would be an end-times sign: an apostate church.

“And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:10-13

USA: A NATION UNDER JUDGEMENT

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In the United States, June now brings a more sinister side. The nation celebrates June as “Pride Month.” Desecrated rainbows fill store displays and social media feeds. Sexual deviancy and perversion are celebrated as a virtue. Baseball teams host “Pride nights” at their stadiums. Government buildings are lit up with the colours of the rainbow. The US Navy joins in, changing their entire Twitter avatar and bio to boast of wickedness.

As Christians, we might easily look at June as a month where the darkness has overtaken the light, where godless people brazenly mock God by taking His rainbow and using it to celebrate what He describes as an abomination. But we do well to remember that God in His sovereignty rules over the darkness and that God is not mocked, no matter how vigorously men may try.

While the godless of society take this month to celebrate their ungodliness, we must acknowledge the sovereignty of God in that they label this celebration with a sin that is even worse than the one they are promoting: PRIDE. Proverbs 6:16-17 says, “There are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him; Haughty eyes…” Haughty eyes are the visible, outward manifestation of a heart of pride. The Lord hates pride. The Lord says that pride is an abomination to Him. Peter wrote, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). To celebrate pride is to celebrate what God hates and to put yourself in a position where God is opposed to you. That includes all pride, not just pride in sexual immorality.

When our nation celebrates Pride Month, it is a manifest indication of God’s judgment against us. The reason it is such a clear indication of judgment is not because of the rejoicing in unrighteousness that occurs, although that in itself would qualify, but because this rejoicing in unrighteousness is done under the banner of another sin that God hates, the sin of pride. God’s judgment is manifest in taking those who love sin and doubling their guilt. They no longer are guilty before God for one sin — sexual immorality — but two sins that God hates, as pride becomes their adornment. The judgment of God is manifest when He not only condemns sinners in their sin but aggravates their condition so that they become even more guilty before Him.

We see this throughout all of Scripture. Pharaoh hardened his heart before God, and God hardened Pharaoh’s heart as well. When Pharaoh refused to repent, God hardened his heart to such an extreme that Pharaoh drove his army to their death in the sea (Exodus 14). We see this with Herod in Acts 12. Herod was guilty before God for executing the Apostle James. His unrepentant heart became so hardened that he exalted himself over God, and God executed him for it. When Eli rebuked his sons for their godless behavior, including sexual immorality, “they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the Lord desired to put them to death” (1 Samuel 2:25).

Besides the judgment of God, we also see the sovereign providence of God over all of these events. God is no mere bystander, watching helplessly or disinterestedly as His creatures defy His authority and flout His law. God is intimately involved in ruling His world and reigning over His creation. Part of that sovereign providence is bringing specific and terrifying judgment from which there is no escape. From that vantage point, we can say as Christians that pride month is not merely a manifestation of the wicked heart of man but an indication of the righteous judgment of God. That means as Christians we realize that God is sovereign over pride month and that He has a good purpose in what man means for evil.

A heart of pride might be the most terrifying judgment of all because it is the judgment from which there is no path of escape. The necessary element for salvation is the opposite of pride. God delights in a broken and contrite heart, not a proud countenance. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:3-4). The poor in spirit are those who recognize their spiritual poverty, and they are connected with those who mourn because they grieve over their sins. They are not proud, and they do not celebrate what God condemns. Their hearts are broken over their sins, and they are humbled to the dust before a holy and righteous God who judges everyone impartially.

The only way anyone can be saved is by abandoning their pride, their self-reliance, their delight in disobedience to God’s Word, and humbling themselves before the cross of Christ, seeking mercy through faith in His sacrifice for sinners.

God’s judgment becomes clear when the Lord begins to aggravate people’s sinful condition so that one sin begins to pile on top of another. That is what is happening during pride month, and that is why June is for judgment. The USA is a nation already under judgment and with much of the church compromised with the world on gay marriage, LGBTQ, and transgender issues it will also be deceived by the false prophet when the Antichrist comes to power. How foolish, when Jesus’ return is so close first to rapture the Saints but then to pour out His wrath upon an unrepentant world.

The USA church is the church of Laodicea. The church that will be left behind to face the wrath of God.

“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:15-20

The church of Philadelphia represents the church that is raptured look what God says to it.

“‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name… Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon.” Revelation 3:8, 10-11

PROPHESIED APOSTATE END TIMES CHURCH

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UMC drops decades-old ban on ordaining LGBT clergy without debate

The United Methodist General Conference has voted to remove a decades-old ban on ordaining pastors in romantic same-sex relationships after thousands of conservative congregations left the denomination in recent years. 

Bishop Karen Oliveto (in blue jacket) and her wife, Robin Ridenour (front, center), join in embracing delegates and visitors at the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. after the conference voted to remove the denomination’s ban on the ordination of clergy who are “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” — a prohibition that dates to 1984

At the UMC General Conference Wednesday, delegates approved without debate a measure removing the language from the Book of Discipline as part of a broader consent calendar, passing it by a final tally of 692 to 51.

Since 1984, the UMC Book of Discipline has prohibited the ordination of “self-avowed practicing homosexuals,” with many progressives in the mainline Protestant denomination openly refusing to enforce or follow the restriction.  

Applause from General Conference attendees was heard after the vote, with retired Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, a longtime proponent of removing the language, offering a prayer.

“You every day are great God, and every day You are working for good in the world. Stir up in us a desire to serve You, to live peacefully with our neighbors and all creation, and devote this day to your service,” Ward said, as quoted by UM News.

Over the past several years, the UMC has experienced intense debate over whether to change various rules in its Book of Discipline regarding LGBT individuals, which included barring the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals, prohibiting clergy from performing same-sex unions and barring church bodies from funding LGBT advocacy groups.

Although efforts to change the rules at the General Conference have failed in past years, many theological liberal leaders within the UMC have ignored the rules and allowed individuals who were in same-sex relationships to be ordained or even promoted to bishop.

For example, Karen Oliveto was elected bishop in 2016 by the UMC Western Jurisdiction despite being in a same-sex marriage. Although her election was deemed invalid by the United Methodist Judicial Council, the denomination’s highest court, in 2017, she remains a bishop to the present day.

Oliveto gave a sermon at General Conference on Monday, asking those gathered if they were “willing to meet and serve Jesus in the queer clergy person who has been faithful to God’s call even when the Church has tried to deny that call?”

At a 2019 special session of the General Conference, delegates approved a temporary measure that created a disaffiliation process for congregations that wanted to leave the UMC due to the debate over sexuality, with more than 7,500 churches doing so by the end of 2023.

On Tuesday, as part of another consent calendar, delegates voted 667-54 to remove the Book of Discipline’s ban on funding LGBT advocacy groups and mandatory punishments for clergy who blessed same-sex unions.

Article by Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor, The Christian Post, Wednesday, May 01, 2024

PROPHESIED CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN THE END TIMES

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Caucasus Heritage Watch has released images that reveal the recent demolition of St. John the Baptist Church, a 19th century structure in Nagorno-Karabakh’s Susa area, and the razing of a village known in Armenian as Karintak. The church and village, both with significant Armenian heritage, were under Azerbaijani control after Baku captured Susa from ethnic Armenian forces in November 2020.

The Armenian-built church in Susa, dating back to the 19th century, was taken over by Azerbaijan. It was wrapped in scaffolding for most of the time it was under Azerbaijani control, suggesting ongoing construction or restoration. But satellite images from Caucasus Heritage Watch show that the church was demolished during the winter of 2023-24, reported Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Located just 2 kilometers (roughly 1.2 miles) south of the demolished church, the Karintak village, known as Dasalti in Azeri, was also razed to the ground. Satellite images released this month show that the entire village was destroyed. A large mosque is now under construction on the site, where the church was previously visible to the right of the new construction.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.“ Matthew 24:9-12

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited the construction site of the new mosque in the razed village, indicating the ongoing transformation in the area, according to RFE/RL. In contrast, Azerbaijani Parliament Member Jala Ahmadova had in July 2021 posted images of a prayer session inside the St. John the Baptist Church on Twitter to demonstrate an “atmosphere of ethnic and religious tolerance.” However, satellite images suggest a different narrative with the church’s demolition and the village’s razing.

Husik Ghulyan, a lead researcher at Caucasus Heritage Watch, who published the satellite images of Karintak, told RFE/RL that the goal of Azerbaijan was to completely demolish the settlement to rebuild a new village for Azerbaijani internally displaced people or other resettlers. Ghulyan also noted that the village’s church was a legally protected heritage site, which is probably why it was left intact during the mosque’s construction.

Lori Khatchadourian, an associate professor at Cornell University and the co-founder of Caucasus Heritage Watch, pointed to a broader pattern of destruction within Azerbaijan’s retaken territory since 2020.

The group has documented the destruction of 10 heritage sites and is beginning a new survey of hundreds of heritage locations.

Khatchadourian suggested that the virtually complete erasure of Armenian heritage in the Azerbaijani exclave of Naxcivan could be a harbinger of what might lie ahead in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Ali Mozaffari, an Iranian academic of Azerbaijani descent, said this cultural destruction might extend beyond a conflict between Baku and Yerevan. Turkey is spearheading a push to create a unified and connected Turkic World, extending from Turkey to China, where Turkic languages and cultures are prevalent, Mozaffari said, explaining that heritage plays a crucial role in justifying this geostrategic vision.

Turkey’s push to reestablish its former Ottoman Empire is prophesied in Daniel’s vision of the ram and goat in Daniel 8. The prophecy reveals that Turkey (Sunni Muslim) will first establish its dominance by defeating Iran (Shia Muslim) and I believe we will see this play out on the world stage soon.

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS ‘AT ODDS’ WITH MAINSTREAM CULTURE

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An increasing share of Americans think their religious beliefs are “at odds” with “mainstream American culture.” 48% of citizens say there is either a “great deal” or “some” conflict in this area, up from just 42% in 2020, according to a Pew Research Centre Survey. The survey also found 29% of Americans believe they are religious minorities, up from 24% in 2000.

Meanwhile, most U.S. adults, 80%, said “religion’s role in American life is shrinking,” a percentage that’s the highest it has been in Pew’s research history. Just 18% expressed the belief faith is gaining influence in American society, with 49% saying religion’s influence is on the decline and that it’s a bad thing, which is unsurprising considering 57% of U.S. adults believe religion’s influence on American life is positive.

Americans’ political affiliations impacted their view of religion and public life. Republicans (51%) said it is important to have a president with the same religious beliefs they hold; just 25% of Democrats said the same. Pew found some interesting statistics regarding this year’s presidential candidates with 13% stating they believe Biden is “very religious” and 4% expressing the same about Trump. Source: Faithwire

Sadly, the majority of the people in the survey who claim to be religious are not born-again Christians who hold a Biblical worldview. Already, most of the denominational/institutional churches have compromised with the world on big issues such as gay marriage and homosexuality. These churches will be among those who thought they were part of God’s church but will be left behind to face the wrath of God. In Revelation 3 each of the seven churches represents the church in each of the seven years before Jesus returns first to rapture His church – the church of Philadelphia. The church of Laodicea is the church that is left behind to face the wrath of God but note they still have the opportunity to repent and be saved.

To the Church in Laodicea

“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ Revelation 3:15-22