Part 3 Seven Churches of Revelation

Pergamum

Pergamum

        Perhaps you heard the story of the man losing touch with reality, so he went to see the local psychiatrist. The doctor said, “What seems to be the problem?” The man said, “The first problem is I think I’m a vending machine with six different flavors of soft drinks.” So the doctor wanting to demonstrate how impossible this notion was, popped some change into the man’s mouth and asked for a Pepsi. The man answered, “Well, that’s my second problem, I’m out of order.”            Speaking of problems, the Christian church at Pergamum had a problem that can be stated with two questions. What happens to a church in its desire to be so loving, accepting, and inclusive of others, that it loses it basic foundational beliefs? Or what happens to a church that does not correct false teaching, but permits it to remain and expand its ideas unchecked?            If you remember the church at Ephesus, they had lost their first love and had replaced it with doctrinal purity as they combated false teachings in the church. But in the process, their relationship to Christ had slipped a few notches and they had lost their Christian compassion for helping others in need. Pergamum, in its desire to be loving and tolerant to all, did just the opposite. They lost their doctrinal purity by becoming too inclusive and did not correct what was false. They thought to themselves - Christians are loving people, so we need to love everyone as well as everything they do.            It sounds nice doesn't it? But let me ask you this - would a parent be a loving parent if they never told their child "no?" Would a parent be acting responsibly if they let their child do whatever they wanted to do - whenever they wanted to do it? Can I as a parent still love my son or daughter, but not necessarily accept their behavior? Can I as a Christian, do my best to love all people, but I don’t necessarily have to love what all people do? As a matter of fact, I believe it is very possible for us as friends, neighbors, and co-workers, to see people making terrible decisions for their lives that you know will only cause more problems for them down the road. And yet, God places these various people in our lives so we can share the light and love of Christ and offer direction and guidance through God’s Word. That’s what we call ministry.            Well, the church in Pergamum in its desire to be compassionate, was facing a predicament that I think all churches face today. How do we as the church, the body of Christ, balance a loving, open attitude towards others, give guidance and direction, while maintaining our doctrinal strengths? How does someone remain true to what they believe about Christ and the Bible and walk a holy walk with God while lovingly reaching out to others who want to be accepted without judgment. Or, do we as a church need to become so inclusive to love others, we will accept any belief system and practice and incorporate that under the umbrella called Christianity?             Before we attempt some answers, let’s first read what Jesus had to say to the church at Pergamum.  .            As we begin our study and draw some application to present day, let’s look back historically to get an idea what was happening 19 centuries ago. We find that Pergamum was the capital of Asia, and had been the capital city of Asia for almost 400 years. Pergamum was the first city of Asia to openly support the imperial cult or emperor worship, and therefore was considered the chief seat. As we mentioned last week, Smyrna, along a similar vein, had won the honor over 11 other cities to build a temple to worship Emperor Tiberias. And we learned how emperor worship became a test of one's loyalty to Rome, and those not participating in the official cult were labeled with high treason, followed by execution. Also keep in mind, Christians faced great pressure to attend feasts in honor of the gods and eat meat sacrificed to idols at these feasts. To refuse an invitation could cost you your job and business in the trade guild (the union of the day), which meant, you would not have a livelihood to feed your family. Geographically, Pergamum was not on any major trading routes or roads, but it had a physical presence which made it very impressive to behold. From its highest position, the Mediterranean Sea could be seen 15 miles away. The city itself was built as an acropolis, a fortified area on a hill, roughly 1000ft. high, in which many temples to pagan deities were erected. Now to get a feel for this, try to envision climbing to the roof of the GM Renaissance Center (RenCen) in Detroit at 727 ft. or stacking two Mackinac Bridges (552 ft. each) on top of one another while hauling up materials for construction. That would not be an easy task to accomplish, even for today with modern equipment. "Pergamum regarded itself as the custodian of the Greek way of life and of Greek worship." One of the many Greek gods which was worshipped in Pergamum was Zeus, and a great altar was constructed for Zeus which was 40ft. high, standing on a projected rock ledge of the acropolis, and from hundreds of feet below looked like a great throne sitting on the hillside. Culturally, Pergamum was known for its famous library containing over 200,000 parchments, second only to the library of Alexandria. The city became a learning center where knowledge was accumulated, applied, and articulated to others.            Now as we look to the Scripture in verse 12, I want you to see the title Jesus uses to refer to Himself. Please notice with all seven of the churches, Jesus chooses to use specific titles which would have significance for the Christians in these seven cities and the circumstances they were facing. In this case - Jesus describes Himself as the One who has the sharp two-edged sword. Now why would that be significant to the Christians in Pergamum?            The proconsul in Pergamum possessed what was called the right of the sword, the power of life and death. In other words, the proconsul had the authority to choose on the spot whether a person was to be executed or not. And since Pergamum was the chief seat for emperor worship, I am sure this was a great factor for the martyrdom of many Christians.            By this title, Jesus reminds His followers that He has the sharp two-edged sword, that He will have the last word when it comes to judgment for eternity's sake. Jesus is sending a word of encouragement by telling His faithful disciples, earthly power and judgment is transient, but what is decided in heaven lasts forever. My sword has the final say and I will judge those who judge you.            Then in verse 13, Jesus comments that He knows where the Christians dwell, He knows where they live, where they choose to stay amidst great opposition. It is the place of Satan's throne. Now whatever Satan's throne stands for, we can be sure it stands for a center of evil practices, something that was anti-Christ.            Whether Satan’s throne referred to the 40ft. altar of Zeus, or the fact Pergamum was a chief seat for emperor worship in Asia, which was a tremendous danger to Christians who believed Jesus was Lord not Caesar, the fact remains, the Christians hung in there where evil practices were central - and that would not be easy to deal with.            You know, it would have been so much easier for the Christians at Pergamum to flee to another region where circumstances would be more favorable. But the real duty of any Christian is to witness for Christ where they live and work. We must remember, Jesus never promised His followers an easy road. Actually, He told His disciples they could expect persecution, and many would hate them on account of His Name. So we as believers must be prepared to endure persecution for the sake of Christ. We must be willing to hang in there, even during times of great discouragement and tribulation. We must see as Paul said, that our labors are not in vain in Christ. God will use our lives as building blocks, as a testimony, a witness to impact future generations for the Kingdom. What we maintain now is passed on later so the next generation can hear about the good news in Christ.            Well, even though there was the great threat to conform to emperor worship, the Christians at Pergamum held fast to their faith, they did not deny their Lord even when it meant death, as it was with Antipas in v.13. For what greater test could there be of an individual's faithfulness and loyalty to a cause than to die for it?            Church tradition tells the story of Antipas. No one had ever heard of Antipas before, because he was just an average person. He was a regular guy, with a regular job, and a regular family. But this regular guy, who was an unknown, was known by name to Jesus. Why? Because he stood up for Christ. And to all of us who see ourselves as average, this should be a word of encouragement, that Jesus knows our names just like Antipas.             According to Tertullian - Antipas was brought before a statue of Caesar and he was told to swear that Caesar was God. But Antipas boldly proclaimed that Jesus alone was the Lord, and that there was no other God but He. The Roman official exclaimed, "Antipas, don't you know that the whole world is against you?" To which he replied, "Then Antipas is against the whole world!" Antipas was then put inside a brass bull which was heated with fire until he was roasted to death.            But as faithful as some of the saints were, there were others as we read in verses 14 & 15 who were not, who held to the teaching of Balaam and the Nicolaitans, committing acts of immorality, and fooling around with pagan deities. The Nicolaitans (who called themselves Christians) were seen as worse than the pagans. Why? Because they were seen as an enemy from within the Church, whose false beliefs regarding sexual sin brought gradual erosion and challenge to what was held as true.                Q: Do we have anything like that today, where groups on the inside of the church, various leaders and schools of higher learning, are challenging the Christian essentials of our faith and want to make changes?            Then, Jesus plainly tells us in verse 16, the need for repentance. And if we will turn from our wayward ways, verse 17offers a promise. Jesus says to the one who overcomes, to the one who endures until the end, that one shall receive three things: hidden manna, a white stone, and a new name.1.         In the gospels, Jesus called Himself the bread of life, the manna which came down from heaven. To the disciple who remains faithful, Christ will give of Himself.2.         In ancient court systems, a white stone meant a defendant was innocent, whereas a black stone meant guilty. The overcomer is given a white stone because they have been acquitted and accepted in God's sight through what Jesus did on the cross and our faith in Him.3. Names were always important in Biblical times. They told something about the person themselves. If you remember from Scripture, God gave new names to some of the saints of old such as Abram and Jacob, who became Abraham and Israel. Their new names given by God indicated a change in status. As spiritually reborn Christians, we have a new status with Christ as we are named with Him. We have become children of the heavenly Father, and joint heirs with Christ our elder brother. The Scripture says, God gives the overcomer a new name that no one knows except for them and the Lord. And I think it is possible that God gives each believer a new name that describes their walk with God. I see it as a name of encouragement and a name to live up to, but overall, a name that signifies, God knew my spiritual journey, my sacrifices, my gifts, my commitment (behind the scenes and in public), all that I offered and endured for the Lord. So God honors my faithfulness and yours with a new name.            So what’s our conclusion? I think the concerns Jesus had with Pergamum reminds us how good it is as Christians to love and accept others, but at the same time, to make sure we keep our spiritual foundation and Scriptural teachings intact. We are to love in truth as Jesus demonstrated. We are to love the sinner but hate their sin.Recall the story of woman caught in adultery placed before Jesus to trap Him (). Jesus shows compassion and forgiveness - but He also tells the woman: “From now on sin no more.” He spoke the truth in love.            To lose our doctrines, what we believe as a church, would make us a canteen without water. We would look good and useful on the outside, but have nothing to offer the thirsty on the inside. Let us be a church that knows what it believes about Jesus according to the Scripture and can stick to that, while extending a hand of friendship, compassionate care, and dialogue, not debate, to those still searching for Christ.