7 Love Letters from Jesus , livre ebook

PRAISE FOR
7 L OVE L ETTERS FROM Jesus
This book made me want to fall in love with Jesus even more. Throughout its pages, I was reminded of the unending love of God—a love that beckons us deeper and deeper into divine affections. A gift of a book.
MARGARET FEINBERG
Author of The Sacred Echo and Scouting the Divine
In 7 Love Letters from Jesus, Rebecca Bauer provides a refreshingly practical and insightful approach to Jesus’ messages to the seven churches in Revelation 2–3. She presents these letters as being warm with passion without being hot with anger (the latter often being the tone interpreters give this passage) and shows how they reveal the heartbeat of Jesus’ loving summons to His Church. The depth of substance and richness of illustration that Rebecca provides—without trivializing the message of repentance in these letters—will make it a resource for pastors and teachers everywhere. Sound in interpretation, this book is accessible and solidly entrenched in the spirit of Jesus—that “simplicity that is in Christ” that will enrich and nourish any reader.
JACK W. HAYFORD
Chancellor, The King’s University, Los Angeles
Founding Pastor, The Church On The Way
By weaving the story of her and Scott’s courtship and marriage throughout the book, Rebecca Bauer brings a fresh perspective to the well-known letters to the seven churches found in Revelation 2–3. Her stories caused me to look at my own personal relationship with Jesus in a completely new light. I believe 7 Love Letters from Jesus will help you rediscover what’s most important—that God loves you—and inspire and challenge you to walk with Him in a deeper way.
ROBERT MORRIS
Senior Pastor, Gateway Church, Austin, Texas
Rebecca Bauer synthesizes personal pain, spiritual insight and theological revelation in a work that is sure to inspire, encourage and enrich your journey to the altar of the King of Glory. As you read these letters from our Lord, may you realize that He is writing to you as the object of His love and be open to receive the life-changing power of that love. You’ve got mail!
BISHOP KENNETH C. ULMER, D.MIN, PH.D.
Presiding Bishop, Macedonia International Bible Fellowship

2012 Rebecca Hayford Bauer
Published by Chosen Books 11400 Hampshire Avenue South Bloomington, Minnesota 55438 chosenbooks.com
Chosen Books is a division of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan. www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Chosen edition published 2014
ISBN 978-1-4412-6796-2
Previously published by Regal Books
Ebook edition originally created 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-for example, electronic, photocopy, recording-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version . Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Other versions used are:
THE MESSAGE —Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
NASB —Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
NCV —Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, New Century Version, copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing, Nashville, Tennessee. Used by permission.
NIV —Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2010 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
To S COTT
1954–2003
“All we do, all we say, all for Jesus, all the time.”



Q UOTE FROM A SERMON BY S COTT B AUER , O CTOBER 5, 1997.
D RAWING WAS A W EDDING GIFT FROM ARTIST B OB A NDERSON , J ULY 24, 1976.
Contents

Foreword (by Stormie Omartian)
Acknowledgments
Reading a Love Letter: How to Use This Book
P ROLOGUE
An Introduction: Love Letters
The Purpose of the Process: First Comes Love
May I Introduce You: Meet Him Again
T HE 7 L OVE L ETTERS FROM Jesus
To the Church at Ephesus Write . . . The Passion
To the Church at Smyrna Write . . . The Choice
To the Church at Laodicea Write . . . The Proposal
To the Church at Pergamos Write . . . The Diamond
To the Church at Sardis Write . . . The Gown
To the Church at Philadelphia Write . . . The Name
To the Church at Thyatira Write . . . The Partnership
E PILOGUE
Listen for the Whispers: Sweet Somethings
This Could Be the Day: Caught Up with Him
Group Discussion Questions
About the Author
FOREWORD
By Stormie Omartian
How often do you read a book where every page causes you to increasingly sense the love of God for you personally? This tender, beautifully written book by Rebecca Bauer does just that. In fact, it so powerfully brings home the reality of Jesus’ love that—even as you are reading it—you know that the Holy Spirit must have directed and inspired the writing.
In this book, Rebecca helps us to see God’s Word through His love rather than His judgment. She emphasizes that we need to see it from both angles, but that the perspective of God’s love brings needed healing and peace to our souls. She has known love and has experienced loss, yet she has found that wonderful place of security in the love of Jesus that we all must find.
Rebecca brilliantly weaves her own love story throughout the book, from falling in love, getting engaged, planning a wedding, being married successfully for many years and raising children to the sudden death of her husband and how she learned to be complete in the Lord and His love regardless of the circumstances of her life. She beautifully relates her story to the seven letters Jesus wrote to the churches in the book of Revelation.
Even though this is more than a marriage book, anyone who is married (or contemplating getting married) should read it. I have been married for more than 38 years, and I gained valuable eye-opening insight from reading it. That’s because the more you understand your love relationship with Jesus, the greater your understanding of how your relationship with, and commitment to, your husband or wife should be. You can better see the way marriage is intended to flow by understanding Jesus’ steady and continuous love for His Bride, the Church, which includes all who believe in Him.
When Rebecca asked me if I would write the foreword for this book and told me what it was about, I said yes because she and I have been good friends for years and I trust her walk with the Lord and knowledge of Scripture implicitly. She hears from God, and I am always amazed at what He reveals to her.
The first time I met Rebecca, she was 16 years old. I had received the Lord in her father’s office at the church, where a mutual friend had taken me to meet him during the lowest point in my life. Her father was the pastor, and everyone called him Pastor Jack. I started attending church there, and it became a lifeline to me.
Months later, after a Wednesday night service, I went to the little store at the church to buy a tape of one of her father’s sermons. She was working there, and I was struck by her radiance as she waited on me. I was so impressed by her that I asked who she was and how long she had been going to that church. I was delighted to find out that she was Pastor Jack’s daughter. She had a beauty that was remarkable, and I recognized immediately the loveliness of Jesus in her.
Three years after that time Rebecca was married, and she and her husband, Scott, became good friends with my husband and me. We spent many great dinners together during the years when we were all raising children. Rebecca is an excellent cook! By the time Scott eventually took over as the head pastor at our church, Rebecca had studied, trained, graduated Bible college and developed valuable spiritual depth, knowledge, insight and a tremendous ability to write. During those many years, Rebecca and her father and mother had an especially profound impact on my life.
She is still doing that.
With this book, Rebecca has touched me deeply, drawn me closer to the Lord, and helped me to further understand the depth of His love for me. It will do the same for you and for anyone who reads it. By the time you finish it, you will love God more, have greater appreciation for who He made you to be, and be better able to see yourself and those around you through the loving eyes of Jesus.
We all need to be overtaken by God’s love in a fresh new way, and this book will gently sweep you along and into the arms of Jesus, where you will find the love of your life. Whether we realize it or not, this is where we all long to be.
Stormie Omartian
Bestselling author of more than 50 books with more than 15 million sold, including The Power of a Praying Wife, The Power of a Praying Husband, The Power of a Praying Woman, The Power of a Praying Life, The Power of Prayer to Change Your Marriage, The Prayer that Changes Everything, and Just Enough Light for the Step I’m On.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Every idea begins with a seed sown by the Sower. I truly never cease to be amazed that when we ask the Lord to teach us about His Word, He starts sowing seeds in our hearts! It also never ceases to amaze me that He chooses to partner with us, so that the harvest always and only takes place with the help of many hands. I am so thankful for the many hands that He put in my life to bring this project about.
First, I would like to thank all of my children—Brian and Melissa, Kyle and Teresa, and James and Lindsey. Thank you for your prayer, your proofing, your suggestions and your encouragement. And thank you for releasing your