“A DIVIDED CHURCH”
Revelation 2:12-17
Someone once said, “My job would be wonderful if I didn’t have to work
with people”. As we learn from Scripture: from Genesis to Revelation, such
a statement is very accurate. The Bible teaches that sin entered the human
race way back in the Garden of Eden. When that happened everyone,
everything, every situation became contaminated. Sin affects every single
dimension of life. And when someone enters into a personal relationship
with Jesus Christ they get a new nature. But now a war begins: the struggle
between their old, natural nature tainted by sin vs. their new nature.
About the time Christians see a bit of change in others lives, through the
work of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the old nature again asserts itself (the
default setting of life) and believers can revert back to their old way of doing
things. Thus, the Bible tells us God is interested in changing us TOTALLY.
Christians are to be a work in progress. Phil. 1:6 tells us Jesus has begun a
new work in us and will bring it to completion. In the mean time, all church
people, just as all humans, are sinners. And, rather than a church arriving at
a place where the members are perfect, the church is filled with sinful people
who continually disappoint their Lord and fellow believers.
Too many folk have nothing to do with the church because they expect
members have their act all together. Bear in mind that is the goal. As we
come to the Book of “the Revelation of Jesus Christ” we hear the Lord speak
to churches at the end of the first century. And lo, in each instance, sin
continues to be in the camp. The Lord is grieved not only to find sin but the
lack of progress in lives of those who are His followers. For such a
situation there is no excuse. Whether it is losing their first love for Him,
being inundated by fear at what they are facing, or now (in Pergamum)
being divided and at odds with one another, the Lord is grieved.
The inland city of Pergamum was about 65 miles north of Smyrna along a
fertile river valley. It was the provincial capital of Roman Asia. Among its
notable features were its beauty, wealth, and massive library of nearly
200,000 parchments: second only to the library of Alexandria, Egypt.
Josephus also records that following the destruction of Jerusalem (now
accomplished about 25 years earlier) a huge Jewish community settled in
Pergamum.
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The Lord Jesus Christ, here identifies himself as one who has a “sharp,
double-edged sword” coming out of His mouth. (vv. 12, 16) In dealing with
the church in Pergamum, divided by a difference in commitment and
thinking, the risen Lord will use this sword to fight against the Balaamites
and Nicolaitans. Rome had, interestingly, given this town the rare power to
exercise capital punishment. The Lord reminds the Christians in Pergamum
that though they lived under the rule of an almost unlimited Empire, they
were citizens of another kingdom. This kingdom was ruled by one who
needs no other sword than that of his mouth! He is Jesus Christ, Himself!
And, when Jesus said something, expected something, commanded
something, controlled something; personal opinion or self-sufficiency was
not an option. Half this church was attempting to follow the Lord implicitly,
the other half were busy doing their own thing; giving the Lord what was
left over. That was the scourge of the Nicolaitan teaching. The Balaamites
added their mix to the dilemma by running roughshod over other members
largely through teaching and practicing deceit toward one another. The
tension in the church never knew an end.
Brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus didn’t get along, they didn’t trust one
another, and they all had a different opinion of what it meant to have Jesus
the Lord of Life: the one in control. Each faction in the congregation of
Pergamum had a different idea of how to be a member of this church. To say
the least: with the highlight of Balaam history, these Christians were
constantly playing games with one another. From a total recklessness in
regard to honoring one another to even indulging in sexual immorality= each
one was looking out for his/her own interest.
PEOPLE!!!!! If only the church was not filled with people! But the church
is not filled with people. THE CHURCH IS PEOPLE!!!!! The New
Testament is full of instructions from the Lord that believers see one another
in unconditional loving, encouraging, honest, sensitive, no-strings-attached
affection. Regardless of what Satan can throw at believers the New
Testament instructs the Lord’s people to “bear with one another, think the
best, defend each other, and work toward the unity of the Spirit in the bond
of peace”! It was not happening in Pergamum, just as Paul found it missing
in the Corinthian church.
The knowledge Jesus gives this church is searching. He knows they live in a
hostile and difficult place—where Satan has his throne. Pergamum was a
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center for the worship of pagan gods. This city was an idolatrous center, and
to declare oneself as a Christian would invoke hostility.
The issue was not that they did not take a stand for their Lord. They even
remained true to their doctrine in the days of Antipas, a well-known first
century Christian who was assassinated for the Lord. We know nothing of
this man except the meaning of his name: “against all”. Christ pays this
hero of the faith a noble tribute. He is seen as a “faithful witness”. Satan is
described, in verse 13, as living in the town and impacting the unity of the
church.
The implication in this text is that Satan was the force behind the animosity
of the city and the disunity of the church members. Satan tries to undermine
loyalty to Christ by persecution and bringing about friction amongst the
Lord’s people.
You remember the story of Balaam? The king of Moab could not succeed in
getting the prophet Balaam to curse Israel directly. But Balaam devised a
plan whereby the daughters of the Moabites would seduce the Israelite men
and lead them to sacrifice to their god Baal. The company, the men of Israel
kept, brought about their downfall. They did not see the trap. Instead of
being true to the living God Jehovah, they determined to live life in their
own strength. It brought about God’s judgment.
Some Christians in Pergamum were still participating in the holiday festivals
of pagan Rome and saw no harm in indulging in the “harmless” cuisine of
the temples and the sensual pleasure the rest of society was enjoying.
Disunity reigned throughout the congregation. The tension and the confusion
led to the Lord threatening to intervene. The Lord will use the force of His
words…the authority of Scripture to bring the non-separated members into
line. At the same time He also would bring the need to repent to those who
sit in judgment on those who were worldly. The whole church is
commanded to repent! (verse 16) Everyone needed to be unified in the cause
of Christ. A divided church has no impact.
What Satan could not do in Smyrna and Pergamum through intimidation,
suffering, and death, FROM OUTSIDE THE CHURCH, he achieved FROM
WITHIN. He had the church fragmented and torn asunder.
The phrase “I will soon come to you” is to be understood as a promise to
come spank the congregation in judgment. It is not a reference to His second
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coming. A blending of Christian life with the ways of the world Christ takes
seriously. The entire church gets involved because the Lord recognizes that
the entire body must be committed to unity. Bear in mind that the unity is in
regard to holiness.
In today’s church Christians belong to the Lord in terms of praying a prayer
to receive Christ as Savior. But then often, even quickly, they participate in
all the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. (By the
way, these three categories just about encompass all the distractions of life:
things that attract us, things that appeal to physical enjoyment, and
things that feed our pride). Many of those things have their place but the
word “lust” means they HAVE to be a part of life. They control our time,
our appetites, and our status or importance.
Verse after verse in the New Testament speaks to church people in terms of
emptying self and loving the Lord FIRST! Many, many other verses
command us to give ourselves to ministry in others’ lives. Passage after
passage in the New Testament addresses the will of God as Christians
seeking Christ’s authority in their lives! Then these same Christians are
ONE in the same cause, the same calling, the same identity. This was not so
with the church in Pergamum. Often, this is not the church in America
today, either.
Church is no longer a popular part of life. To be sure many large churches
produce big events. But God, the Son; the living Lord of believers is still
looking for His people to link with one another (and with the understanding
that all are still in process), to encourage each other on the journey learning
how to walk by faith and not by sight.
The Lord finishes His challenge to the Pergamum church with 3 difficult
symbols. Hidden manna is first. This symbol is reminiscent of the manna
hidden in the ark of the covenant by Moses. To those who refused the
banquets of the pagan gods, Christ will give the manna of his great
sustaining of life. That is what happened with the manna in the wilderness.
God sustained their life.
The second symbol is more complex. The white stone finds its meaning in
the form of invitation used at that time for banquets. When one was invited
to a banquet he was given a “white stone” and that host’s name was
inscribed on it for admittance. Without such a stone one was not able to
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attend. Whether the wedding feast Jesus used as an illustration early in His
earthly ministry or the pagan banquets of decadence in the city of
Pergamum; if a believer did not choose to attend a worldly festival event he
would receive an invitation from the Lord, Himself, to attend the “Marriage
Feast of the Lamb”. That banquet is yet to come and the name of the
celebrity (the Lord Himself) is mostly hidden to mankind…but known to the
Christian.
In ancient writings the person who knew the name of a powerful god
received the actual power and status of the god who invited them to
attendance. Here, to Christians tempted to compromise their loyalty to
Christ, He alone offers Himself and the power of His name so that those who
have faith in Him may overcome.
This is a time in human history known as the “post modern” age. At this
time much of western civilization has taken the things of spirituality and
specifically; Christianity, and discounted them as an option for people today.
Thus, if anyone is within the church, they will be either true to the Lord or
susceptible to the call of the world. And those who are not grounded in
God’s Word, the Bible, will probably, mostly, go the direction of the world.
Others will choose to follow Christ but may discount those who wander as
nonentities to the church and God’s work. Both groups of believers must
find common ground: centered on God’s Word. Those faithful to God must
give their lives to reach out to those who are wandering in confusion to bring
them to faith reality. Those who are in the grasp of worldly trends must
come to their senses and run back to the disciplined life of faith not sight.
Together they need to rediscover the reality of the church for united they
shall stand and divided they will fall.
There have, forever, been times of crisis for the Lord’s church. Times such
as now when the house of God is split. In such times the Lord warns His
church: “COME TOGETHER AND OVERCOME THE PULL OF YOUR
WORLD! COME APART AND BE SEPARATE! OTHERWISE I WILL
COME TO YOU WITH THE CUTTING EDGE OF MY WORDS AND
YOU WILL KNOW THAT I AM YOUR LORD! I WILL HAVE MY
CHURCH UNITED! THE WORLD NEEDS TO SEE MY CHURCH AS I
DESIGNED IT TO BE!!!!!
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