Letters to the Church: Revelations 2:12-17

The Church at Pergamum


In this letter, Jesus described Himself as the One "with the sharp two-edged
sword." The sword is a symbol of authority. Christ has authority over all
things. He said;"All authority in heaven and earth has been given
to me>"(Matt. 28:18) His words are like a sword, both sharp and
effective. He speaks words that comfort, encourage, teach, and rebuke.

According to this letter, Satan was very active in this city. He had influence
in winning Christians away from the faith. Satan is busy even today. He is
still trying to pull Christians away from the faith, and to destroy their
hope in Christ. If we want proof that Satan is still busy, all that we need
to do is to look around us today. His influence is clearly seen in our world,
and in the unbelief that is all around us. Sadly, there are many believers
who fallen away from the faith and have rejected Christ. It is important to
remember that Satan likes to work in the shadows, and he will use all of his
tricks to choke faith in Christ. Satan will only have influence over us if we
let our spiritual guard down. If Christian's do not remain firmly in both
the Word and Sacraments, if they do not listen to the voice of Christ, then
that gives Satan an advantage.

Satan has a special target in his sights. This would be our youth. He does
not want our young people to have a saving faith in Jesus. Satan does all that
he can to entice young people away from Jesus, and to harden their hearts
towards the gospel. Satan's influence can be seen in every aspect of society,
this how he is able to lead people away from Jesus. Satan's influence can be
seen in entertainment and in the media. Satan convinces people that there is
no need for the gospel. The world considers the preaching of the cross to be
pure foolishness, and the flesh follows it's own desires. Through the world
and the flesh, Satan works his influence. Sadly, many do not resist the
influence of Satan, and have fallen away. How then, can Satan's influence
be resisted? The way to resist Satan's influence is to be grounded in the
Word. Believers can stand strong against Satan by standing firmly on the
Savior's promises. Since Satan targets young people, they should be taught
at any early age to be grounded in Christ. This first begins in the home.
Here, families are encouraged to have time for prayer and devotions. In
the home, the father is the "priest" of his family, he sees to it that the
family is brought up in the Christian faith. If our young people are to
be taught to resist the influences of Satan, then it first begins in the home
with parents who see that their children attend worship and hear God's Word.

Satan can also use religion to work his influence. He can and does use false
religions to mislead many, and to pull people away from the Gospel. This quite
common in this age of religious pluralism. People's attraction to religions
that do not preach Christ show that they have no interest or knowledge in the
truth of the Gospel. This has only confirmed the words of St. Paul. He wrote;
"For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but,
following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers
and will stop listening to the truth and be diverted to myths."(2 Tim.4:3-4)
This is happening today. Satan uses religions that appeal to the ego to draw
people away from the truth. Believers are encouraged to be grounded in the
Word, so that they will neither be misled nor influenced by Satan.

Jesus commended this congregation for it's faithfulness. They held on to His
name in the face of hardships. The Name of Jesus carries great meaning. His
name tells us who He is, and what He came to accomplish. There is no other
way to salvation, expect through faith in Jesus. Scripture declares: "There
is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven
given to man by which we are to be saved."(Acts 4:12)This congregation
believed this and held on to their confession. However, there few some who
were not faithful in their confession. These people saw nothing wrong in
taking part in pagan worship. The Lord did not tolerate this, and commanded
that the congregation disciple those who taught and acted falsely within
the congregation. If they refused, then He Himself, would deal with them.

The Church of today should always remain faithful and keep it's doctrines
pure. There will be times when the Church will be tested in it's faithfulness.
There will be times when the Church will be confronted with false teachings
within it's midst. When this does occur, the Church should lovingly correct
those in error. The Church should never turn a blind eye towards those who
teach false doctrines with it's midst. False doctrine is a cancer; once it
spreads, it can kill the whole body.

Jesus encourages all who remain faithful to Him to hold to true doctrine.
Believers who remain faithful are the ones who overcome. They stand strong
in faith and place their hope in Christ. They walk by faith and receive
the blessed promises of the Gospel.