Jesus’s letters to the seven churches are like receiving a report card. Have you ever received a report card? If you receive a good report card—A after A and nice remark (“Good job!”) after nice remark (“A joy to teach”)—you feel good; but if you receive a bad report card—failing grades and instruction (“Needs improvement”) after instruction (“Needs to stop hitting others!”)—you feel bad. Feeling bad isn’t always bad. A kind teacher tells you where you fall short because she wants to help you grow, not because she wants you simply to feel bad. Jesus is a lot better than the kindest teacher. He loves his church so much that he died for each and every Christian. He loves the church so much that he continues to tell us the truth about ourselves—so that he can help us grow. The way we become a Christian and join the church—turning from sin and to God—is what we need to do over and over throughout our Christian lives. Repent. Follow Jesus. Keep repenting and keep following Jesus. Jesus saved us once and for all. But Jesus also saved us so that he could change us, helping us pursue goodness day by day until the day he takes us home.