The Seven Churches of Asia Minor: Their Locations, Characteristics, and Christ Introducing Himself to Them in Seven Different Ways (Softcover)

Author: Orville Beckford
Located in: Yonkers
Submitted: October 24, 2014

    Tell us a little about yourself.  I am a preacher, pastor, husband and father who loves the Lord, and has been a Christian for 42 years. I am in ministry for 36 years and pastoring full time for 26 years. I have a passion for God's word and love to share from my heart to the heart of others.

    What was your motivation behind this project?  Well, I have always had a deep interest in knowing about the seven churches in Revelation. And when it was time for me to do my dissertation for my PhD, I thought it would be a good time for me to take a look at these churches. I would accomplish at least two things in the process. One, I would fulfill the requirement for my dissertation, and two, at the same time I would get the opportunity to dig into the characteristics of the church. At the end of the day, I would gain the knowledge about them, and in the same vein, earned my PhD.

    What do you hope folks will gain from this project?  The first thing I would like folks to gain is a lesson on how Christ promised to reward the faithful and repentant heart, and the consequences others will face for rejecting what the Spirit says to the churches. One of the most fascinating things I found out and want others to acknowledge was that Christ introduced himself to each of these churches in a different way. Each based on their experiences, and characteristics, and how he wanted them to view him who had all power, knew their works, and would reward accordingly. One example is the church of Smyrna that suffered much martyrdom, he introduced himself to this church as he who was dead and is not alive. That gave hope to those who might die for their testimonies, and hope to the families who have lost loved ones, that they will live again.

    How were you personally impacted by working on this project?  I was personally impacted in many ways. To see a church living under false pretenses, having a name that it was alive but was dead; one rebuked for allowing Jezebel to prophesy in the temple; one adapting the doctrines of the Nicolatians, and the last one was living in material wealth, suggesting that they had need of nothing, but in Christ's estimation they were naked, poor, wretched and blind, and he was not inside when they gather for worship. It warns me to carefully set my priorities as a pastor, and be sure to listen to the Spirit when he speaks.

    Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists?  The late Wilbert McKinley, David Jeremiah, my local church, my wife and children, friends and family and most of all, my love and passion for the Lord. I like John Maxwell on his take on leadership development both of oneself, and those around them. Too much to mention

    Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know:  When it's all over, I would like this book to become a source of teaching at various level to help students and general membership understand the churches in history, and how they are compared to the church today. Especially for the last of the seven which is the Laodicean church, a split image of what the church in many ways look like today.

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