"I Have a Few Things Against You"

Lord, give me the ability to take these truths from Your Word and incorporate them into my life today.


"But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam ... you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth." (Revelation 2:14-16)


Many people think the last message Jesus Christ gave to the church was the Great Commission, but that's not so. The last message Jesus gave to the church is found in Revelation, an He says, "Repent."


The church at Pergamos was commended for being faithful, but they were also given a strong word of correction and warning because of the detrimental doctrines that they were allowing to creep into their fellowship.


The doctrine of Balaam speaks of taking the things of God and mixing them with the things of this world. God needs His church to remain pure, and when we embrace worldliness, He can no longer bless.


There was also the doctrine of the Nicholaitans, which purported that a special priestly group should lead and lord over the rest of the worshipers. It was an ungodly form of ecclesiastical hierarchy which was coming into the church.


This just show how subtle the devil is in his work against believers. Since the church is the Body of Christ, he was corrupting the body through Balaamism. And since Christ is the head of the church, he was trying to replace the head by Nicolaitanism. He was well on his way to destroying the whole thing!


This was a good church where the people were true to their faith - even suffering for the Lord Jesus Christ. But growing worldliness and heretical hierarchy were superimposing themselves upon the church. The Lord told them what to do in no uncertain terms: "Repent, or else." And that's His message to each of us today. We are to repent. If not, we're going to be judged by the Word of God.


~Adrian Rogers~