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I saw on the news last night about a group of doctors and nurses praying on the roof of their hospital. So far I read about doctors and nurses doing this in Florida, Tennessee and Georgia. I would think many others are praying, too, during this crisis. Also, I just saw a multitude of videos of them praying, reported by the news. And of regular people surrounding hospitals and praying for the staff. Have you heard of this or of other areas doing this? It is encouraging that they are crying out to the Lord for help.

Another good article by Paul Ellis. Hope others like it as well. By Paul Ellis, escapetoreality “I know your deeds,” says Jesus to the churches. He exhorts the Ephesians to do the deeds they did at first (Rev. 2:5), he rebukes the Sardisians for having incomplete deeds (Rev. 3:2), and he promises to reward the Thyatirans according to their deeds (Rev. 2:23). Clearly our deeds or works matter to Jesus. But what sort of deeds is Jesus referring to? The preacher of law says, “Jesus is referring to our law-keeping performance. We must keep the commands to please the Lord.” A similar interpretation is offered by the preacher of works. “Jesus is saying we need to work out our salvation, do the deeds that prove our repentance, and pursue the spiritual disciplines.” Yet both interpretations raise uncomfortable questions: How many deeds are needed to qualify? What if I neglect to keep all the commands? Worse, both interpretations do nothing but promote dead works and pride. What are dead works? We can distinguish dead works from faith works. Dead works of the flesh lead to death, while faith works release abundant life. The former relies on self; the latter leans on the Spirit. Living under any form of law is a dead work because the law is not of faith, and its purpose is to minister death (2 Cor. 3:7, Gal. 3:12). To insist we must keep the law of the old covenant or the commands of the new is to preach dead works. Such a message will inflame sin, minister condemnation, and leave you wretched. Any works done to prove our salvation or complete our sanctification are also dead works because they reveal unbelief in the finished work of the cross. You don’t have to finish what Jesus started for you are complete in Christ (Col. 2:10). In him you are as saved and sanctified as you ever will be. Since the Author and Finisher of our faith has perfected us (Heb. 10:14), there is nothing you can do to improve upon what he has done. Repenting from dead works and having faith in God is one of the elementary teachings about Christ (Heb. 6:1), yet many haven’t grasped it. They’re trying to keep the law or make themselves holy, and they are exhausting themselves. Their dead works are killing them. They have forgotten that in the kingdom, all is grace, and “if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace” (Rom. 11:6). Every believer has deeds of one sort or another. We should not be impressed that the Revelation churches had deeds but we should ask, what sort of deeds did they have? Were they engaged in dead works or faith works? What are faith works? Faith works are what lovers do. The word love appears four times in the seven letters and on three of those occasions, Jesus is referring to his love. To the Ephesians, Philadelphians, and Laodiceans, Jesus spoke of his love, but the Thyatirans were known for their love. “I know your love,” said Jesus. And since the word for love is the divine agape, it wasn’t really their love but God’s love shining through them. This was a church that knew the love of God and was actively sharing that love with others. What deeds matter to Jesus? The only work that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Gal. 5:6). But note that it is not our love, faith and service that impresses the Lord. Rather, we become commendable when we are impressed by his love, faith, and service. Jesus commended the Pergamenes for not denying his faith, and it’s a similar story in his letter to the Thyatirans. “I smell agape love,” Jesus is saying. “You have received the love of my Father, you are giving it away, and that’s a wonderful thing.” Some might say, “Love is a verb. We reveal our love by what we do.” But the scriptures declare that agape love is a noun. Indeed, love is a Person, for God is love (1 John 4:8). Love is not something to manufacture but receive, and those who receive the wild and uncontainable love of God can’t help but give it away. Giving away what God has given us is how we change the world. This is a radical revelation for many, yet this is how the early church lived. The Book of Acts is not a record of manmade accomplishments; it’s a collection of stories about people who co-labored with God to do the impossible. In a few short years these believers changed the world. They left a legacy showing us what can happen when we trust in the goodness of the Lord. — Extracted from Paul Ellis’s new book, Letters from Jesus: Finding Good News in Christ’s Letters to the Churches.

I enjoyed reading this devotional, thought others might like it, too. By Paul Ellis Jesus said the Philadelphians were doing well, "because you have a little power, have kept my word, and have not denied my name" (Rev. 3:8b). What does it mean to have little power? A church with little power is a small or weak church. The Philadelphians weren’t anything special. They lacked the resources of their Laodicean neighbors, and they didn’t have the reputation of the Sardians. Like David, the shepherd boy, they were of little account in the eyes of man. But weakness is no barrier to God. If anything, it’s an advantage because God chooses the weak things of the world to shame the strong (1 Cor. 1:27). A God who shares the stage with no one seems to delight in choosing the least qualified and the most unlikely. When he needed a man to lead Israel against the Midianites, he chose chicken-hearted Gideon. When he needed a herald for the gospel of grace, he chose law-loving Saul. And when he needed a father of many nations, he chose grey-haired Abram. In the economy of grace, the weak and unqualified seem to have the inside track. If you were to tour the churches of Asia, you might be dazzled by the energetic Ephesians, the affluent Laodiceans, and the spiritual Sardians. And you might be tempted to dismiss the small Philadelphian church as inconsequential. But Philadelphia was where the action was. Jesus had given this little church an open door that no one could shut. What a wonderful encouragement for those of us who think we have nothing to offer. You may have no money, no reputation, no ability, no connections, no education, and no chance, but as long as you have the Lord, you have everything you need. You may have no power, but the Lord-with-the-key (see Rev. 3:7) has given you authority over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). How had they kept his word? They believed Jesus and took him at his word. What made the Philadelphians special was this: They were believing believers who were persuaded that the Lord is good and trustworthy. This is the only clue to their commendation. Nothing else is recorded. Search the letter to the Philadelphians and you will not find seven steps to success, or twelve strategies for church outreach. The Philadelphians simply believed Jesus, and that made all the difference. The question to ask is not why the Philadelphians had an open door, but why some of the other churches weren’t as fruitful. The answer is they were captive to unbelief. They put little stock in the grace of God. The Ephesians’ unbelief was evident in the way they were working themselves to death. The Sardians’ unbelief was in their refusal to receive the gospel. And the Laodiceans’ unbelief was in their boast that they needed nothing from God. Unbelief takes many forms and not even believers, strangely, are immune from its insidious effects. Whenever the promises of God are dismissed or doubted, the result is barrenness. Apart from him we can do nothing. — Extracted from Letters from Jesus, a finalist at this year’s International Book Awards.

Another good devotional by Paul Ellis, Escapetoreality. Who were the hardest working Christians in the Bible? The answer must surely be Paul and his friends, but many people will say it was the church at Ephesus. They say this because of what Jesus said in his letter to the church: “I know your deeds and toil” (Rev 2:2a). Commentators make much of Jesus knowing the Ephesians’ deeds and toil, as though an impressed Lord was recording their labors in his scorebook. But the original word for know simply means “I see”. It’s not necessarily a commendation. In these letters, Jesus says, “I know” in regard to both good deeds (Rev. 2:19) and bad deeds (Rev. 3:1, 15). When Jesus says, “I know” to the Ephesians, he’s saying “I care.” Because he loves us he is intimately acquainted with our lives. He knows what we’re doing. It’s a good thing that he knows, but it may not be a good thing that we’re doing, and this was the case with the Ephesians. “I know your deeds and toil.” Many believe that Jesus was commending the Ephesians for their hard work, but the word toil means labors, extreme weariness, and beating. The Ephesians were taking a beating. They were working themselves to exhaustion. Why would the Lord commend them for that? Jesus said, “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). The Ephesians were weary and heavy-laden. They were a busy church in a busy city. They were running all sorts of programs, ministries, and activities. They met every day of the week and twice on Sunday, and they were worn out. Contrary to popular opinion, Jesus doesn’t commend the Ephesians for working themselves into a miserable state. He does not say, “Well done you good and hard-working servants.” But nor does he rebuke them for working too hard. He simply says, “I’m aware of how hard you are working.” He’s building up to something, and it is this. “You have left your first love” (Rev 2:4). Your first love is not your love for God; it is God’s love for you. He is the Source and the Supply of all agape love. To say the Ephesians had left their first love, is to recognize they were no longer abiding in the love of God. Like the prodigal son, they had walked away from their Father’s love. That Jesus would speak of the Ephesians’ labor and lost love speaks volumes. These guys had too much going on. Living in the busiest city in Asia, they were burning the candle at both ends and burning themselves out in the process. By working ourselves to distraction and by trying to earn what God freely provides, we can find ourselves far from the love of God. He certainly has not stopped love us, but we don’t feel the love. We feel beaten down, exhausted, bone-weary. Happily, there is a remedy. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first. (Rev 2:5) What the Ephesians were doing (working hard) was getting in the way of what they weren’t doing (receiving from Jesus), which is why Jesus tells them to stop what they’re doing and return to what they did before. This is a message for all weary Christians: Stop what you’re doing and do what you did at first. What deeds did we do at first? You enjoyed Jesus. When you first entered the kingdom you may have done nothing at all except recline at his feet. “Do that,” says the Lord. “Stop trying to give to me and receive from me. Follow Mary who sat rather than Martha who stressed.” Sadly, this is not the recommendation you will hear from those who elevate works above grace. “Doing what you did at first means praying and studying the word and evangelizing with the enthusiasm you had when you first came to Jesus.” In other words, the hard-working Ephesians need to work even harder and so do you. “Through hard work we prove our love and maintain our good standing with God.” Beware this graceless message! The mindless pursuit of religious busyness—even good works done in the name of Jesus—will distract you from the love of God. You’ll end up with toiling in the kitchen instead of reclining with Jesus in the lounge. The takeaway, the cure, the ticket to freedom If you are worn out from doing the Lord’s work, you can probably relate to the Ephesians. They were a hard-working bunch of believers, but they were dying on the inside. They were busy building, but their labor was in vain. Why do we push ourselves past breaking point? It can happen because we’ve forgotten how much God loves us. We think we have to prove ourselves or come up with the goods, but none of this pressure is from the Lord. You were made to receive your Father’s love. Lose sight of your Father’s love for you and you will lose your way. You’ll fall from the secure place of grace into the realm of dead works. You’ll become restless, insecure, and empty on the inside. You’ll try to replace his love with lesser things. If the Ephesians could leave the love of God, anyone can. But the good news is those who wander can come home again. If you have lost your first love, Jesus shows us the way back: Remember, repent (change your thinking), and do what you did at first. Go back to the place of your first love, when Jesus was your everything. Make every effort to enter his rest and let nothing move you. From Paul Ellis's book, Letters From Jesus: Finding Good News in Christ's Letters to the Churches