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 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2021

HOLDING ON (REVELATIONS 2:12-17)

Believers in the church of Pergamum were admonished to hold on to their faith in God and resist the temptation of paganism and sexual immorality to avert the wrath of God

REFLECTION 

The theme for our reflection today is holding on. To hold on in the context of our reflection means to persist or continue despite the challenges a believer may encounter. The Church of Pergamum was located in Asia Minor in the Roman Empire. Pergamum was a city well known for idol worship and several shrines were erected in honour of Roman deities. It is for this reason Jesus said in John’s revelation to the church in Pergamum that “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. (Revelation 2:13) Antipas was a believer who refused to participate in idol worship as prescribed by Roman custom and had to be killed because of His faith in Jesus. Antipas is a classic example of holding on to one’s conviction and faith in God regardless of tribulation or persecution. Can the 21 century Christian or believer hold on to his or her faith like Antipas in the face of suffering and temptation to renounce Jesus?

During the persecution of the Church, there was a sect known as the Nicolaitans that lured some Christians to backslide and renounce their faith. They held the belief that one can be a Christian but engage in rituals and idol worship to avoid being persecuted. Some of the rituals engaged in the shrines include sexual immorality. This form of heresy drew some Christians in the Church of Pergamum away from holding on to the true teachings of their faith and salvation in Christ. It is important to note that teaching of such nature that leads a believer to compromise his or her faith was not new, it existed since the time of Moses and is seen in the example of Balaam in Number 31:16. Jesus referred to that in His admonishment to the church of Pergamum in John’s vision when He said “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. (Revelation 2:14-15)

My dear friend in Christ, we may no longer have the sect called Nicolaitans but their teachings and practices linger on. Nicolaitanism is anything that leads or lures a believer to compromise his or her faith or reject Christ for the things in this world and participates in sexual immorality. Jesus refers to such people when he said “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24). Indeed money and materialism is the new idol worship of our time, some of the youth in our churches have compromised their faith and have become lovers of money and material possessions. Some people have become gays and lesbians because of money, wealth and lust of the flesh.  The love of money has lured some youth into ritual killings which have become rampant in Africa and for that matter Ghana. Vulnerable people especially women and children are being kidnapped on daily basis and their body parts severed for money rituals. Many Christians are being drivenand so much influenced by prosperity messages but fail to work with their bodies and rather use dubious means to make money and publicly ascribe their riches to the grace and blessing of God. Some of our unemployed female graduates compromise their faith by sleeping with some directors and managers for jobs and promotions and come to donate money in the house of God as a thanksgiving offering. 

Jesus has a message for us through John’s revelation, He says “… 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 2:16-17) My dear friend, do not compromise your faith regardless of the suffering and challenges you will go through on account of Jesus, for in Him is our salvation. Jesus again reminds us in Matthew 24:35 that “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. Shalom

PRAYER

FATHER, IN A WORLD FILLED WITH IDOL WORSHIP (LOVE FOR MONEY AND MATERIALISM) AND SEXUAL IMMORALITY, “TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS THAT WE MAY GET A HEART OF WISDOM. (PSALM 90:12) AND “WORK OUT OUR SALVATION WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING” (PHILIPPIAN 2:12) TO YOUR GLORY. AMEN