Revelation 2:19

I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.

Even here, before the Lord gives His heavy word of judgment to Thyatira, He does something so like Himself.

He begins with what is commendable.

That is important. Jesus is not unfair. He is not harsh for harshness’ sake. He does not overlook error, but neither does He ignore what is good. Before He deals with what is wrong in Thyatira, He points to six areas in which they were doing well.

He says, “I know thy works.” He saw what they were doing. He saw their activity, their effort, their labor.

Then He speaks of their charity. There was love there. In the midst of all that would need to be corrected, there was still genuine care and compassion.

Then service. They were busy ministering. They were not sitting still. They were engaged in helping, serving, and doing.

Then faith. There was still trust in the Lord present among them.

Then patience. They had endurance. They knew how to keep going. They were not a church that folded easily under pressure.

And then He says again, “thy works,” adding that the last were more than the first. In other words, they were increasing. They were growing in activity. Outwardly, they were not declining. In some ways, they were expanding.

That makes this even more sobering.

Because it shows that a church can be active, loving, serving, believing, enduring, and even increasing in visible works, and still be in need of serious correction.

That is worth thinking about.

Growth alone is not proof of health.

Busyness alone is not proof of purity.

Religious activity alone is not proof that everything is right.

Jesus sees deeper than that.

Still, I love the balance here. Before He corrects, He commends. Before He exposes, He acknowledges. He lets them know that none of their labor has escaped His notice.

That is a comfort to every believer. The Lord sees every act of service, every quiet sacrifice, every expression of love, every weary step of patience. Even in a church that is about to hear a hard word, Jesus says, “I know.”

He always knows.