Two Successful Churches

INGREDIENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL CHURCH TEXT: Revelation 2:8-11; Revelation 3:7-13 SUMMARY: A church that is successful in God's eyes has characteristics that are likely to be completely out of place to those whose standards are shaped by this world. A successful church will be characterized by truthfulness, poverty, and adversity. I. A SUCCESSFUL CHURCH IS CHARACTERIZED BY TRUTHFULNESS. A. They were Sincere. B. They were also Determined. II. A SUCCESSFUL CHURCH IS CHARACTERIZED BY POVERTY. A. Poverty & Christian Persecution. B. Poverty and Christian Calling. C. Poverty and a Christian Attitude. III. A SUCCESSFUL CHURCH IS CHARACTERIZED BY ADVERSITY. A. Suffering in the Ancient World. C. The Absence of Suffering in modern American Christianity.