What The Bible Says.

Fortnightly bible study.

Episode 92 - 19/12/25

Led by Tim Clark

Jesus presents Himself as the Amen, the faithful and true witness, confronting a church governed by human opinion with His absolute authority and final word.

Laodicea was materially rich but spiritually bankrupt, mistaking prosperity and comfort for true blessing while being blind to its real condition before God.

Their lukewarm faith mirrored their water supply, neither healing nor refreshing, revealing indifference rather than open rejection or wholehearted devotion.

Self-sufficiency had pushed Christ to the margins, as they claimed to need nothing, unknowingly repeating the sin of Eden—independence from God.

Jesus’ warning to “vomit” them out is severe, showing that half-hearted religion is not neutral but poisonous to the witness of His church.

Yet Christ offers gracious counsel, not destruction, inviting them to receive from Him true riches: refined gold (tested faith), white garments (righteousness), and eye salve (spiritual sight).

The letter ends with a personal call to repentance and fellowship, as Christ stands at the door and knocks, promising intimate communion to all who open to Him and overcome.

What The Bible Says.

Fortnightly bible study.

Episode 91 - 05/12/25

Led by Graeme McPherson

Christ reveals Himself to Philadelphia as holy and true, assuring a persecuted church that He is faithful, unlike the earthly authorities who had betrayed them.

Jesus alone holds the key of David, meaning entrance into God’s kingdom is determined by Him, not by synagogue membership, heritage, or religious power.

The “open door” set before the church represents permanent access to God’s household, even though the synagogue had shut its doors against them.

The believers endured exclusion, shame, and danger for confessing Jesus as Messiah, yet they refused to deny His name or abandon His word.

Those who falsely claimed to be God’s people would one day acknowledge that Christ truly loved the faithful church they had rejected.

Jesus promises preservation through coming trials, not escape from faithfulness, calling the church to patient endurance rather than fear.

The reward for perseverance is eternal security—to be made a pillar in God’s temple, bearing His name, and belonging forever to the New Jerusalem.

What The Bible Says.

Fortnightly bible study.

Episode 88 - 21/11/25

Led by Graeme McPherson

Tonight, we continue with our study of the seven churches of Revelation - The church of Sardis.

In this study, we explore Jesus’ message to the church in Sardis, a fellowship that carried the reputation of being alive yet was declared spiritually dead, revealing the danger of outward success without inward faithfulness.

We look at the historical and cultural setting of Sardis—a wealthy, influential, pluralistic city—where both Jews and Christians were tempted to compromise the distinctiveness of God’s truth to “get along” with the world around them.

Jesus exposes a church that had blended into its environment, losing the sharp edge of the gospel, softening its message, and allowing comfort, peace and reputation to replace wholehearted loyalty to Him.

Through Scripture, we examine how a church—or a believer—can appear vibrant externally while spiritually empty, exploring themes such as compromise, friendship with the world, incomplete works, and the loss of Jesus’ pre-eminence.

Jesus calls Sardis to wake up, strengthen what little remains, remember what they first received, hold fast to the truth, and repent before everything spiritually alive within them dies out completely.

We see how this warning speaks directly to our own “get-along culture,” where the exclusive claims of Christ are often diluted, avoided, or re-packaged to avoid rejection, conflict, or cultural disapproval.

Yet the study ends with hope—Christ promises white garments, secure names in the Book of Life, and the joy of walking with Him in victory for those who refuse compromise, hold to His Word, and keep Him above all else.