Standing for the Truth

“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.

“‘I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

(Revelation 2:12-17 ESV)

          In his book, Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science, Fredric Coudert famously quoted the former British Ambassador to China, Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen. He states the following. "Many years ago, I learned that one of the Principal Chinese curses heaped upon an enemy is, 'May you live in an interesting age.' Surely, no age has been more fraught with insecurity than our own present time." 

          We find today, that we do indeed live in an interesting age. Much like the church at Pergamum, we find ourselves beset on all sides by enemies. Much of this is the work of those that would openly oppose the faith, but sometimes it is of our own making. You see, there are those who are allowed to present to the world a false impression of Christ. We have, in our own way, allowed false prophets to rise within our ranks, and stand in prominent places. We see television ministers like Joel Osteen go on national television, and when asked direct questions about Christianity, they evade like politicians. Make no mistake, I believe, as he stated, that "only God can judge a heart", but the bible clearly says that Jesus Christ is the only son of God, and is the only way to get to Heaven. Anything else is a false teaching. Period. I'm sorry if you are offended, but truth is truth, no matter how we feel about it. We have gone to such great lengths to be inoffensive, softening the message of Christ to the point that it is no longer the Gospel. Jesus Christ will not be watered down. His message will remain, even if the very rocks have to cry out because we were too cowardly to do so. He will not congratulate us for our tact. We will learn that lesson one day, to our sorrow. 

   

          

           Pergamum had more than one false teaching in their congregation, and the same is true of modern Christianity. Let us consider,  for a moment, the number of times that we cringe at the name of Westboro Baptist Church. Do you ever find yourself wishing that they were not associated with Christianity? I'm sure you are not alone, because that spiteful, hate filled congregation has no idea who God is. After all,  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8 ESV). Now, I know that Christ was not politically correct, and that he was not afraid to offend to get his message across, but this fellowship is not displaying a Christlike message. They preach messages of hate to the families of fallen soldiers and other groups that they do not like. They actively tell people that God hates them. This is the highest form of heresy. God does not hate mankind in any form. He hates our sins, but he loves us. To claim that God hates is nothing short of slandering the name of God. It is a form of blasphemy, and we are equally blasphemous for not denouncing them from every medium at our disposal. 

          People who present a false message of Christ are every bit as guilty as those that "followed the teaching of Balaam." They may not be encouraging people to eat food sacrificed to idols, but they are presenting false teaching. The are heretics. Now that's not a term that gets thrown around much anymore, but there it is. Heresy. False teaching. There is no other word for it. God's message was not "stop teaching this." It was "stop allowing this to be taught." This is what the sovereign Lord says, "I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth." (Revelation 2:14-16 ESV) The God of creation, the King of Heaven and Earth has declared war on those that would dishonestly represent him in the name of the Gospel. He commands us as his people to stand against them. People ask us what we think of these people. Give honest opinions. Use it as an opportunity to speak truth in love. 

         Speaking truth in love is our highest calling. Remember the command of Christ, Therefore go and make disciples. Go, meaning " continually, as you are going" tell those the truth of Christ, and squash the lies and false teachings. Remind them that Christ said, "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:9-10 ESV)