OPEN HEAVENS Devotional – Tuesday
October 18th 2016
TOPIC: I KNOW YOUR WORKS III
Memorize: Now the Spirit
speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith,
giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 1st Timothy
4:1
Read: Revelation 2:12-17,
12 And to the
angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the
sharp sword with two edges;
13 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 Antipas
was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
14 But I have
a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine
of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of
Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
15 So hast
thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.
16 Repent; or
else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword
of my mouth.
17 He that
hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that
overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white
stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that
receiveth it.
Bible in one year: Hosea 6-10,
Psalms 80:8-19
MESSAGE
In the Bible reading, Jesus
Christ commended the Church in Pergamos, reassuring them that nothing about
them is hidden from Him. The interesting thing about this Church is that in
spite of the nearness of the Church to the seat of Satan, they still held on to
the Name of Jesus Christ, they never denied their faith even in the face of
terrible persecution. However, Jesus Christ had a serious allegation against
them. They tolerated in their midst those who were holding on to and practising
false doctrines. This is a food for thought for Christians of the 21st century.
In this end-time, we compromise a lot of the apostolic orthodox in the name of
civilization and fundamental human rights. We have forgotten that just as God
is not a democrat, He is also not a human activist. He has His set of rules
that we must abide by, however, we compromise this divine standard because we
think we can through that, win these blasphemers into the Kingdom.
As a matter of fact, because
we have tolerated them so much, they now see themselves as Christians too,
setting worldly standard for the Church as they dangle their wealth at the
saints.
Will Jesus not hate such a
compromise in the name of magnanimity when it becomes a stumbling block to the
saints? The saints are living their first love because of the doctrine of Balaam.
This compromise spoiled the good works of the Church in Pergamos. In Revelations
2:16, Jesus warned the Church:
“Repent; or else I will come
unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”
One major revelation in this
passage is that the message of repentance was preached to the Church in
Pergamos. We are hereby encouraged to heed this warning too, so that we can
overcome these temptations through genuine repentance. When we overcome, our
reward will be the hidden manna and a testimonial of perfection written on
precious stone.
Beloved, do not be deceived by
your longevity in Church. God knows your works and He will reward you
accordingly.
Prayer Point
Father, help me to
disassociate myself from worldly pollution.
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