Text – Revelation 2:12-17,1; 1 Corinthians 6:3; Ephesians 5:25-27; 1:4; 2:21-22; 3:5; 4:24; 5:27; 6:12
Here we found Christ as the Head of the Church talking to the church at Pergamos, and talking to the members too, to the rest of the people in that city and in the entire world. Jesus remains the same, yesterday, today and forever, what He hates before, He still hates today, what He commended before, He still commends today. As He spoke to the people of the past, He is still speaking to us today.
Angels are servants of God, and we too are servants of God, angels are holy, and we too are to be holy, angels run on errand for God, and we too are to be on errand for our God. And we are to judge even the angels, so as angels were obedient, we are to be obedient. Now He talks to the members as well, not just the ministers only. As ministers we have a responsibility to present a holy church before Christ. The Lord is going to find out that church that I pastor, how is it in ministry, life and in every area. That is why He wrote to all these 7 churches in Asia. Our goal to make the church holy, and without blame before the Lord, that should be our goal in ministry. He wants to live and dwell within us as His church. This should be the characteristics of the church, to be holy and be preserve blameless before the Lord. This was what the leader in the church Pergamos forgot, that was why the church was corrupted.
If you are going to fight against compromise, corruption and evil in the church you have to be strong and courageous. You cannot be weak and raise up a holy church. So you have to be strong and be more courageous
Pergamos was the commercial capital of Asia Minor, and the very seat of idol worship in Asia Minor. It was a miniature of the world where you have satan and all the idolatries, fornication, immorality and corruption. This is the picture of the world, and every church is in the world.
The ship is built for the water, and the church is in the world. As long as the ship floats above the water, there is no problem, but the problem comes when water leaks into the ship, and that ship will soon sink, also the church is in the world, but not of the world, but there is problem when the world comes or leaks into the church, with all the peculiarities of the world, the corruption, adultery, idolatry comes into the church, then that is where the problem actually lies, for church will soon sink with the world.
3 points;
Point 1. The Compelling Identification of Christ
Revelations 2:12-13; 1:16; 2:16; 19:15; Daniel 2:22; Hebrews 4:13
Here Christ introduced Himself. This is He, He is still alive, the Head of the Church, Saviour of the world and the Judge of the whole earth. The sword comes from His mouth, it is the word of judgement against the sinners, and compromisers. It is the sword that cuts the unbelievers if they do not repent. This is He that will judge, brings judgement upon the compromisers, the Omniscient Judge, that Knows all about every one, ministers and members in the church and the people of the world today.
He is a God of Knowledge, that has insights about what is done in the secret and in the public. He reveals secret. He knows your thoughts, imagination, the common and uncommon things that you do. About our Christ, He knows all things. He knows if you are pretending, sincere, hypocrite, you cannot hide anything from Him. The light dwells with Him. There is nothing that is not manifest in His sight. If you die in that secret sin, God knows everything. All things are naked and open before Him.
This Jesus Christ Who is the All knowing, Impartial, Incorruptible Judge. He shall judge all things.
Jesus knows
1. He knows your dwelling place, your society and situation
2. He knows your steadfastness – 2 Timothy 1:13
You stand fast, hold firm to what you believe, temptations, trials will come, but you have backbone to stand. I am going to stand. I will not fall to their ideas. Don’t hold the doctrine of Christ with loosed hands, so that these are not taken from you. Even when you are sleeping, sick, tired, and so much pressure upon you, you hold firm and fast to the doctrines of Christ. That good thing, the doctrines of Christ, sanctification, and salvation, keep to them.
3. He knows your single-mindedness – Revelations 2:13; 3:8; 2 Timothy 2:12; Luke 16:10; Revelations 17:14
Whatever winds, waves might be blowing, you hold fast to Christ. Be faithful to the very end.
All the teachings of the word of God, and the experiences of the christian life, you will keep in Jesus Name.
What happen to the people that deny the name of the Lord at the time of sickness, joblessness, trials, sufferings and troubles?
I will not deny the Lord.
Suffer and reign with Him. You suffer for 1 hour and you reign for 40 years. Women don’t mind the pains and suffering of pregnancy because they are going to give birth to children that will be well known and prominent in the world, so they will still bear the pregnancy. So likewise, when we suffer for Christ today, we shall reign with Him in all eternity. If we deny Christ before our old sin partners, boss in the office, that we cannot take our stand for Christ, the Lord will deny you in all eternity. You stand for the Lord, the Lord will support you. Be strong in the Lord, and you will not compromise in Jesus Name.
I pray that the Lord will keep you faithful.
Point 2. The Corrupting Influence in the Church
Revelations 2:14-16
As we look at the church in Pergamos, we need to look into our church as well. Do you check up on this church, the locations you are, are you watching over them looking at them at all. Do you have oversight over this church? Do you minister to them? Do you know about the details of the lives of the members you pastor over? Do you watch over the people as well? When you preach, do you mention the details of the sin or corruption that the people are doing, mention their compromise and corruptions as you preach? Are you afraid to knock their sins and corruptions with your messages?
The Lord is calling you as the angel of the church in that HCF, family, church, region, location, group that you awake to the corruption in that location, and deal with it.
5 things from here;
1. The Corruption – Revelations 2:14,20
There are some people that are like Balaam that taught Balak to corrupt the Israelites. There are people that will teach contrary to the sound doctrines that we are teaching the people. We cannot keep quiet, it is our problem to deal with.
2. The Controversy – Revelations 2:14; Jeremiah 16:10-
When there is evil and corruption going on in the church, and you keep quiet, you don’t want to open it up, God has controversy against you. If you don’t repent, judgement will come.
As you look at the churches e.g. Methodist, we use to make use of them, but the Lord is telling us that we need to look inward into our church now, Deeper Life, see how we started with the zeal, fervency on holiness, righteousness, evangelism, are we not cooling down pastors, overseers and members of this church. We will wake up today, and compromise will get out of our church in Jesus Name.
3. The Compromise – Revelations 2:14; Acts 15:28-29
Eating things sacrificed to idols.
Necessary to salvation, important and essential to our relationship with God. Even if you are hungry there are some food that you must and cannot eat.
A Christian wife will go out to bring pregnancy with the support of her husband from any man, you cannot do that.
You will not commit adultery, fornication in your life. It is an agreement of hell, and you will come out of that in Jesus Name.
4. The Condemnation – Revelations 2:15-16
You don’t have time to waste, repent very quickly.
5. The Correction – Revelations 2:16,5; 3:19; 2 Peter 3:9
Repent. All should repent, and as you repent, the Lord will forgive in Jesus Name.
Point 3. The Crowning Inheritance of Conquerors
Revelations 2:17; Psalms 81:12-16; Numbers 13:30,31; Jeremiah 23:9-10; Luke 11:21-22; Romans 12:17-21
If we have ears to hear, and hear what the Spirit says unto the churches, then what will be then result? He will feed us with the finest of the wheat
What do we overcome?
1. Fear of Giants – Numbers 13:30,31. They had the fear of the giants. That was the reason they could not enter into the land of promise, Canaan. Whose giants are you fearing in your life? What will you do, what mountain will you climb, if there are no giants in the land. Understand that every time you fear a faint, any giant in your life, it will hinder you to get into your promise land. You must overcome your giants.
2. Falsehood of preachers – Jeremiah 23:9-10. The false prophets in the land, we are to overcome. the falsehood in the mouths of these preachers, we must overcome.
3. Force of Evil – Luke 11:21-22. You must be stronger that the falsehood in the land. To get the souls out of the hands of the strong man, you must be stronger, and that strength will come upon you.
4. Fiery and vengeance of the enemy – Romans 12:17-21
Don’t allow evil people to overcome you, to take away that normal self in you. Your cheerfulness, gentleness will come back today, no matter what they are doing.
5. Fierceness of the wicked one – 1 John 2:12-14
Wake up, you are better than that. You must overcome that wicked one.
6. Filthiness of Corruption –
We don’t need the empty promises of those corrupters, the Lord will give you all things. I have all things in Christ.
I will do what God says I can do. I posses all things that God says that I must possess. All the filthiness of corruptions, we throw them away, we don’t need them.
7. Flesh and the world – 1 John 5:4
I will overcome the world. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, be an overcomer
How do we overcome?
We overcome by;
1. Faith
2. Fortitude, courage
3. Fearlessness – Luke 12:4,5
4. Faithfulness – Revelations 2:10,11
5. Following Christ – day by day, step by step –
6. Fighting the good fight of faith. I will not be a cast way, I will put my body, flesh under. I have gone to far with the Lord, I will not go back. It is too late for me to look. Nobody at this late hour will draw me back in Jesus Name. nobody will taken my crown in Jesus Name.
There is a hidden manna waiting for me in glory. A special and peculiar blessing awaits me in glory.
Compromise, corruption, and all the things the world is trying to do that we don’t overcome, we cancel them. We will hold fast, stand fast, and hold firm. I will be more than conqueror in Jesus Name.
Ponder on this! The ship is built for the water, and the church is in the world. As long as the ship floats above the water, there is no problem, but the problem comes when water leaks into the ship, and that ship will soon sink, also the church is in the world, but not of the world, but there is problem when the world comes or leaks into the church, with all the peculiarities of the world, the corruption, adultery, idolatry comes into the church, then that is where the problem actually lies, for church will soon sink with the world. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
By Ebriku John Friday
Source: Leadership Newspapers