LETTER TO OUR CHURCHES (III)

                   

LETTER TO OUR CHURCHES (III)
Revelations 2:12-17

Our text points straight at the church in Pergamos. Revelations 2:12-13 talks about how positively the church fared. We can see from the passage that the Church in Pergamos was situated in a part of the world where idolatry is natural and unrestricted; a part of the world where idol worshipping seemed unstoppable. But amidst all these things, the church in Pergamos stood firm and unmovable.

Christ said of this church that despite being located close to the dwelling place of Satan; they still did not deny the faith. Jesus saw how stronger the church stood even after Antipas was killed for being a believer.

Like the church in Pergamos, Christ has seen countless number of believers located at terrific zones of this present world? Believers that have found themselves at anti-gospel territories; places where there are not even churches or places of worship. Places where there are no freedom to serve God; in fact, places where there are no diversity of religion even as civilized as the world claimed to be. But Christ has seen such believers and how made up their minds are; how they are ready to lose their lives for the sake of Christ.

But like the church in Pergamos; Jesus is warning these believers. Jesus is telling them to be wary of people that claim to be sons of the kingdom but hold the doctrines of Balaam and Nicolaitans.

What is the doctrines of Balaam and Nicolaitans? (Revelations 2:14, Numbers 25:1-3)
The doctrine of Balaam is not a true doctrine; it's not related to and does not complement salvation in any way. It is a doctrine introduced to make the saints fall by seeing some filthy compromises as being safe. Like it happened in the case of the Israelites; Balak received the doctrine from Balaam, and with it he enticed the Israelites to sin by eating foods sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.

Knowing fully well that Christ wants believers to abstain from Religious Compromise and Moral Compromise; the deceitful doctrine of Balaam is out to mislead us. Take for instance, in the part of the world where I come from, people that are not grounded try to convince believers that there is nothing wrong or sinful about going to shrines of idols to enquire about the future, they even say that God is in support of it. Now Jesus warns sternly against this.