#LoveLetters: From Jesus to the Seven Churches – Revelation 1-3: Part 2 Blog #3

Hello, beautiful people! Happy Monday! Today we will be covering Part 2 of the study #LoveLetters: From Jesus to the Seven Churches. If you have not read the Introduction and Part 1 of this blog series, please take some time to do so! The posts are fairly brief and straight to the point. 🙂

In Part 2, we are discussing letters 3-4 that Jesus addressed to the Church of Pergamos and the Church of Thyatira in the Book of Revelation. Again, as you read, please note some of the things you see that describes your current relationship with Christ (if applicable) and ponder on how you may take steps to alter this upon repentance.

Letter to the Church of Pergamos (The Idol-Worshipping Church): This church was being commended for holding fast to the Lord’s name and not denying the faith, even amidst Satan’s devices and attacks. The Church of Pergamos lived where Satan dwelled (Revelation 2:13). It was a hostile and antagonistic environment for a Christian to live in. It was a city filled with many temples and altars dedicated to other gods. There was also martyrdom and faithfulness there. A man by the name of Antipas, a faithful martyr, had been slain among them. This church kept the faith while witnessing persecution such as this one. However, this church was also being reprimanded for idol worship. It was a church that had been divided.

Although this church had maintained their stand for Christ, they also tolerated and embraced things in opposition to God. They had been swayed by the doctrines of Balaam and Nicolaitanes, which resulted in double-mindedness as they sought both money and the Lord, ate food sacrificed to idols, and committed fornication. However, this truly bears asking: Were they truly (fully and completely) holding fast to the Lord’s name if they were participating in idol worship? God is a jealous God! No one or thing replaces Him! This church was a walking contradiction. But the profound truth that ultimately overpowers my question and assessment is this: God’s abundant grace, mercy, compassion, and lovingkindness was still shown to them, because He still commended and lovingly chastised them even while they were committing spiritual adultery against Him. God always chastises those whom He loves. Jesus tells them to repent or He will come quickly and fight against them with the sword of His mouth (His Word).

Letter to the Church of Thyatira (The Spiritually Deceived Church): This church was being commended for their love, their faith, their service, and their works (Revelation 2:19). Unlike the Church of Ephesus who had abandoned the love they first expressed to God, Thyatira was maturing and expressing growth in this area. Their love for Christ and His church was flourishing, but their truth was suffering. They were being reprimanded for allowing Jezebel to enter into their churches to captivate and deceive them with false teachings, prophecies, and doctrine that eventually led them into sexual immorality (fornication and adultery). Unless the Christians in Thyatira looked to Christ, grasped God’s holiness, and studied to show themselves approved, false religion, teaching, and immoral practices would entrap them and be their downfall.

Jesus says that the spirit of Jezebel cannot be tolerated in the church, because it causes all kinds of issues in the church – mainly those issues that deal with impurity and sexual immorality. You can be gracious to the person, but you cannot be gracious to the spirit in the person. The Jezebel spirit (and this spirit can be in either a woman or man; study King Ahab and King Herod) was sent to this church simply to destroy the church and the leaders of that church. The Word says that Jesus gave Jezebel time to repent, and she did not repent. It also says that all who remain (entangled) with her in disobedience and impenitence will enter into great tribulation (and ultimately death) unless they repent of their deeds.

“Have you recognized how the situation and spiritual state of the Church of Pergamos and Thyatira applies to your life? No matter where we live, compromising messages bombard Christians daily.” How are you counteracting this?

Over the next week, I encourage you to take some time to reflect on the deeds committed by these two churches. Have you seen any of these traits in yourself, in another believer, or in a church community? What can you personally do to see to it that these things do not keep happening?

Thank you for reading Part 3 of #LoveLetters: From Jesus to the Seven Churches, and stay tuned for next Monday’s study where we will cover letters 5-7!

With God’s Love,

Porsche

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