Skip to main content

{SEVEN CHURCHES} #4

 {SEVEN LETTERS} 

Defending Truth in a Culture of Lies_ 

Revelation 2:12-17 

 

One of the greatest spiritual tragedies in the church came in the year AD 313. The year before, two men and their armies fought for control of the Roman Empire. Maxentius and Constantine met for battle north of the city of Rome. Tradition tells us that the night before the battle, Constantine promised God that if he won the contest with Maxentius, he would become a Christian. In response to the promise, the legend says, Constantine saw a vision of a cross in the sky. On the cross was written: “In this sign, you will conquer.” The next day Constantine won the battle. He became the emperor of Rome and, true to his promise, he became a Christian – at least officially. 

Suddenly the persecution of the Christians ended. Constantine decreed full legal toleration of Christianity and then determined to make the Roman Empire a Christian empire. In many ways this was a disaster for the church. The persecuted church was the pure church. Persecution kept the Christians close to Christ. But now the church and the secular world were linked. Armies of men were marched through rivers and declared “baptised” as Christians. Pagan priests and temples were quickly converted into Christian leaders and churches. Thousands of people were now called Christians, but they were not born again. 

 

[Group discussion starter] What would happen if our nation was officially declared a “Christian nation” and Christianity we made the national religion? 
What would be good about that? 
What would be not so good? 

 

Jesus calls the city of Pergamum the place “where Satan has his throne”. 
It may have been, at least at this point in history, that Pergamum was the headquarters of Satan on earth. It was the place where the evil forces of the universe were most powerful. 
The amazing thing is that there was a church there! A body of believers in Jesus Christ. 
You might think that such a church in such a place would be a persecuted church, but that was not the case in Pergamum. Satan’s tactic against the church was much more effective than persecution.  
He was seeking to corrupt the church from the inside... 

 
[Read Revelation 2:12-17] 

 

Jesus finds several things to commend this church. 
What are they, and why does Jesus admire these things? 

 

Antipas was probably a past leader in the church who had been killed right before their eyes. Do you think you would stand true to Christ if you saw someone die for their faith? 
Explain. 

 

Jesus also finds things in the church he is concerned about. The Pergamum Christians were tolerating some in the church who were leading people away from biblical truth and into false teaching. How might this have been avoided? 

 

In verse 14, the teaching of Balaam led the Old Testament people of Israel into immorality and idolatry – sins for which God judged his people severely. In essence, Balaam taught that as long as you believe in God and go through religious motions, you can live however you want. How would you respond to someone who tried to convince you that teaching was correct? 

 

The teaching of the Nicolatians (verse 15) was probably the New Testament version of the Old Testament teaching of Balaam. They called themselves Christians but lived like the unsaved world around them and said it didn’t matter to God. How does the Lord of the church respond to that twisted teaching (verse 16)? 

 

What does repentance involve for a church that tolerates false teachers and false teaching? 

 

What consequences will come if the church does not repent, and how might those consequences be revealed in a modern church? 

 

Jesus promises two things to the faithful believer: hidden manna (daily spiritual nourishment) and a white stone with a new name written on it (entrance into the temple of the Living God). How have you experienced those blessings in your own life? 

 

What can you learn from this letter that might be hindering you from receiving or enjoying those blessings? 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

{SEVEN CHURCHES} #3

  {SEVEN LETTERS}    The Attractiveness of Suffering_   Revelation 2:8-11     In the year AD 177 persecution broke out against the Christians living in what is today the French city of Lyon. Christianity had raised the suspicions and hatred of the Roman  bureaucrats who governed the city. The vicious persecution that raged, touched Christians at every level of society. After the persecuti on subsided, church father Irenaeus, arranged for a letter to be written to Christians in other parts of the Roman Empire describing the faithfulness of the  martyrs...   We  can’t  even begin to put into words, much less describe in detail, the  magnitude  of the persecution here: how the pagans raged so terribly against the saints, and how the ble ssed martyrs endured so patiently... To begin with, they nobly endured all the abuse the whole mob collectively piled on: screaming  at them, punching them, dragging them through the stre...
Post a Comment
Read more

{SEVEN CHURCHES} #1

  The Lord Who Speaks_   Revelation 1:9-20   We  don’t  tend to get many letters these days. We get emails, text messages,  WhatsApp  and other electronic messages, but rarely  a handwritten, pen-and-paper letter.    I tend to save any good ones I get... notes from when Leah was little. Letters that encourage or bless me.   I’ll keep them in my  bedside  drawer or  tucked  into books on our shelves. Then I get to read them again and feel loved and blessed by their words. ..     [Discussion starter]    Tell the group about a significant letter you have received and why it meant so much to you.     Revelation 2-3 records seven letters written by Jesus to seven churches.   It must have been a thrill for an early church congregation to receive a letter from the apostles Paul, Peter, or James... but here were letters from Jesus himself . And we all get to read everyone else’s ma...
Post a Comment
Read more

David #12

  [DAVID] Generous giving_   1 Chronicles 29     Giving has become a sore spot for many Christians. Every day we are bombarded with appeals for money – from TV and radio evangelists, from missionaries, from parachurch organisations , from charities and from our own churches. Sometim es we might feel like shouting, “Enough is enough!” How can we adopt godly attitudes toward giving so that we don’t live with a closed fist but an open hand and a generous heart?     [Group discussion starter] How do you tend to respond when people ask you for money? Explain.     David had a refreshing attitude toward giving. In this chapter he illustrates what it means to give joyously and generously to the Lord...     [Read 1 Chronicles 29]     What does this chapter reveal about David’s perspective on giving?       In verses 1-5, how does David provide an excellent example of what it means to give generously to God?    ...
Post a Comment
Read more