“The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches; and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.” Commentary: Biblical scholars for the most part in commentaries over hundreds of years believe the seven angels are the seven pastors of the seven churches in Asia Minor! The Greek word “angel” can be translated Pastor! The Apostle John imprisoned in a slave labor camp by the Romans on Patmos was given this vision for those churches to communicate to them his will, direction, correction and encouragement to the Body of Christ! Jesus does not name these pastors or churches because Caesar would arrest and imprison them! His letter had to be coded so that the churches would be protected! God by his spirit communicates with those he loves in visions and dreams so that our enemies are confounded! These messages are also to those congregations! Church leaders are very important to God! Whether leading small or large congregations! Pastors are the shepherds of the sheep! Not perfect and neither are we but appointed by God and anointed by God to build his kingdom down here on earth! I want to share a personal experience with you when back in 1983 we were commissioned as missionaries to India for 3 years by the world’s largest church located in Seoul Korea. The Pastor was Paul Yongi Cho and we spent 10 days there in Korea with him and his church which then was about 500 hundred thousand members and today over 1 million members! I was then really green behind the ears and we had our own idea’s how to do the work in India! However after spending about 15 minutes in his office everything changed! Cho told us our primary mission to India was to help local pastors across all denominational lines with our time, money, prayers, encouraging, correcting when necessary, preaching, evangelizing and coming under the authority of those pastors! Why? He told us the way Satan tries to destroy the church is to attack the head or pastors of those local churches! Cho understood the importance of God’s plan of the church to reach the entire world with the Gospel! No lone rangers in the Kingdom of God! Our mission today is still the same! Those who never come under authority God will never put in authority! James & Hamsa Sasse. IndiaJesusLovesYou.com