Devotionals
DAY TWENTY-EIGHT
PERGAMOS
THE INFECTED CHURCH
‘And to the Angel of the church and Pergamos write; these things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is, and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein An-ti-pas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwellest.’(Revelation 2:12, 13)
It is easy to be critical of others whose problems are different from ours. When we realize that we are not faultless, and under the same circumstances we may behave the same, it should cause us to be compassionate. I say this because looking and focusing on the faults at Pergamos could keep us from seeing them from God’s eyes and viewing them instead from men’s. Pergamos is sick and needs a surgeon to heal its infection.
Perhaps an understanding of the churches circumstances may help us to understand some of the temptations and pressures that they faced. Under the same circumstances, we may behave the same. So what was this city like? Historians refer to her as being ‘A great city’ with many buildings and many temples. That means that idolatry was rampant and had an effect on how people conducted their business and worshipped their god’s. The idolatry that infiltrated this community affected the Christians as well. The temptations that the Christians at Pergamos felt were unique to them.
It should not be unusual to expect some of this corruption to infiltrate the church. What would be more unusual for the church not to be infected by it? That would be the ideal, however, we are dealing with imperfect men who are part of the local church. This background introduces us and prepares us for the message which is to follow.
The church of Pergamos should be viewed with compassion. It is easy to focus on people’s faults and despise them because of it, however, God sees beyond the faults and with love and compassion sees the church and it's need.
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