The Church of Pergamum – God’s Word, Our Faith (Church Part III)

Sermon Title: The Church of Pergamum – The Word of God Is Powerful

Good News Statement: God Requires Us to be His Church

Preached: Sunday, January 28, 2024 at Dogwood Prairie UMC & Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSV): Revelation 2:12-17 Today’s scripture reading comes from the Book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation is filled with hope, beasts, seven trumpets, seven stars, seven lampstands, seven seals, seven churches, seven bowls, and a lot of symbolic imagery that gets people confused and at times a little scared, which is why Jesus tells John in the opening chapter, “Do not be afraid” (Revelation 1:17). When writing to the Seven Churches, we get a glimpse of what church we need to be—a church without fear but filled with love. Our reading comes from the Book of Revelation, Chapter Two, Verses Twelve thru Seventeen. May the hearing and reading of this scripture add understanding and meaning to your life.

 

The Message to Pergamum

¹² “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword:

¹³ “I know where you are living, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you are holding fast to my name, and you did not deny your faith in me even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan lives. ¹⁴ But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel, so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and engage in sexual immorality. ¹⁵ So you also have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ¹⁶ Repent, then. If not, I will come to you soon and wage war against them with the sword of my mouth. ¹⁷ Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give a white stone, and on the white stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.

Revelation 1:16; Revelation 19:15; Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-6; Deuteronomy 11:13-16; Leviticus 19:18; Mark 12:29-31; Numbers 25:1-3; Numbers 31:16

 

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

 

 

Introduction:

In the Book of Revelation, John addresses seven churches. We have already looked at the Church of Ephesus, who had forsaken their first love, and then the Church of Smyrna which experienced persecution and was encouraged not to fear but live into their rich faith. Today, we will be looking at the Church of Pergamum. How does the Church of Pergamum guide us to be God’s church for God’s people?[i]

Located about 50 miles north of Smyrna, Pergamum was a leading religious center of Asia Minor. It was home of pagan worship and cults including Zeus, Athena, and many other false gods. At the time, Pergamum was a center of Roman emperor worship, and those in power demanded allegiance to worshipping a god-like emperor. There was a large throng-like altar built on a cliff that overlooked the city. It was for the Greek god Zeus. It may be one reason John refers to the area as Satan’s throne. A second reason may be because Pergamum worshiped Roman emperors, who yielded great power at that time in history.

It is quite evident that the Church of Pergamum was under Roman control and rule, and was conflicted on what to do. The church wanted to believe and remain faithful to God but was pressured on all sides to give in to the ways of the Roman Empire. However, the Church of Pergamum realized that following God’s powerful word is more important than always following the ways of man. Through this realization, they learned what we all need to learn today as a church: the word of God is powerful and from His word we accept a Jesus who sees our faithfulness, who helps us rebuke the Devil, and who gives blessings to those who want to be a church renowned in the love of Christ. The Church of Pergamum is our reminder of who Jesus is and who Jesus wants us to be as a church.

Body

Pergamum was a town of around 160,000 people. Of those 160,000 people, 40,000 were native and 120,000 were foreign. It was located about 50 miles north of Smyrna and 15 miles inland from the coast of the Aegean Sea. Its fame was in its culture, not its economy which is different than the city of Ephesus. It was known as Asia’s most illustrious city. Pergamum had a vast library with some 200,000 volumes of papyrus—ancient paper made from the papyrus plant of Egypt. Legend has it that the librarians in Pergamum developed what is known today as parchment paper.

The city was famous for its “hospitals” which were often associated with a pagan temple devoted to the physicians’ arts. As a matter of fact, one of the Greek Gods that the pagans worshipped in Pergamum was Asclepius who is known for using snakes to do miraculous healings. Today, those who practice medicine or are in the medical field are often given a pin or certificate with a symbol containing either one or two snakes/serpents entwined around a pole surmounted by wings. This symbol has its tie to the city of Pergamum. In addition to Asclepius, Zeus, Athena, Demeter, Dionysus, and Emperor Worship were given praise and adoration.[ii] The city became the capital of the Roman province of Asia in 129 A.D. Pergamum is not mentioned anywhere else in scripture.

As you can tell from the brief history and description of the city of Pergamum, the Church of Pergamum was experiencing great pressure from those with authority, with those of earthly and governing power, to believe in Greek gods and commit idolatry when it came to worship. Those in Pergamum wanted the church to follow the ways of man rather than the ways of God’s teachings and Jesus’ doings. However, in times of tribulation and persuasion, the Church of Pergamum was reminded of their faith and their invite to repent and move forward with Christ in their ways. The Church of Pergamum, overtime, learned that Jesus carries the sword, testifies to faithfulness, rebukes evil, and exemplifies the power of God’s word. The Church of Pergamum is calling us today as Christ’s Church, as his body, joined and knit together, to set aside the ways of man and focus on the meaning and purpose of God’s word in our life, in our ways, and in our mission here on earth. I offer you four movements to consider.

 

Movement One: JESUS, WHO TESTIFIES OF FAITHFULNESS

Let’s revisit our text. Revelation 2:13 tells us, “I know where you are living, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you are holding fast to my name, and you did not deny your faith in me even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan lives.” Jesus knows where the people of Pergamum lived: they lived where Satan’s throne is. It has been noted by Biblical Scholars that since Pergamum was the capital of the Roman province, it was a place of wickedness, torture, defeat, destruction, and endless power; therefore, the place where Satan lived. In a city known for the home of Satan, a faithful church held fast to the ways of Jesus Christ: it was a rose between two thorns. In the wickedness surrounding them, Jesus saw them; Jesus heard their cry, Jesus witnessed their struggle, Jesus embraced and encouraged their faith, and Jesus gave them a way out and reminded them of what it means to remain faithful in times of tribulation.

In mentioning the name Antipas, the Church of Pergamum and even we today are reminded that to be a faithful witness of Christ is not easy but we must remain faithful regardless of the circumstances. Antipas, a faithful one, or “faithful martyr” according to the King James Version and a “faithful witness” according to the New American Standard Version, died for his faith. Do you remember what Jesus tells the Church of Smyrna: Jesus tells them to remain “faithful until death” (Revelation 2:10). The Church of Pergamum chose to remain faithful to Christ knowing that it wasn’t going to be easy. They stared at a cook book telling themselves it was going to be hard, but they persevered and remained faithful to the task before them. They knew converting to the surrounding world, setting aside their belief in God, was the easy way to go but the easy way doesn’t accurately define who Jesus Christ is, and they wanted to be like Jesus as much as they possibly could so they chose to remain faithful.

It’s not easy to remain faithful in the face of the immorality and false beliefs, like those promoted throughout the city. And yet the believers stood firm in faith. They remained true to the name of Jesus. The believers as we see were commended for refusing to recant their faith. The persecution that the Christians were living under did not lessen their faith or courage to stand for Christ. On the contrary, they may have become even more courageous in faith, and remained a faithful witness to their faith in Jesus. They remained in Pergamum and were strong witnesses to the truth of the Gospel (Proverbs 3:5).They were truly a light on a hill that would shine bright in the spiritual darkness of Pergamum. The Christians that John was addressing were people who were permanent residents of the city. Jesus was not inferring that the believers should leave and move to a safer city. They were not moving away to a city without any persecution, or without the presence of false gods. Jesus is commending them for remaining true to their faith especially in times of confusion and uncertainty.

What is important to take note of is—yes, we are called to remain faithful in challenging times—but that Jesus knows and sees everything. Jesus saw the faith and hope of the Church of Pergamum just like he sees the faith and hope of our church. Jesus sees our struggles. Jesus sees our burdens and pains. Jesus sees our worries. Jesus sees our heartache. Jesus sees our confusion and uncertainty. Jesus sees the temptations and trials before us. Jesus sees where we have fallen short. Jesus sees where work still needs to be done. Jesus also sees our love for one another. Jesus sees our hope for a faithful tomorrow. Jesus sees the smiles on our faces and the excitement on the faces of the children who come to church and who argue with their siblings who gets to pray over supper. Jesus sees our potential and our will to be a church for God’s people today and every day.

I want you to know that, without doubt, Jesus knows exactly what you are experiencing and where you live. He sees you just like he sees our church: ready to share the good news. Jesus needs us to remain faithful to him even in times of tough circumstances.

Movement Two: JESUS, WHO REBUKES EVIL

After praising the faith of the Church Pergamum, Jesus informs them of an opportunity for improvement. Revelation 2:14-16, “But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel, so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and engage in sexual immorality. So you also have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent, then. If not, I will come to you soon and wage war against them with the sword of my mouth.”

John addresses two areas that Jesus had against the church in Pergamum: first, some people were following the teaching of Balaam, and second, others were following the teaching of the Nicolaitans. The doctrine of Balaam focused on eating things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication. Numbers 25:2 informs us, the acts of Balaam “invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods…and the Lord’s anger was kindled against Israel.” Then in Numbers 31:16, we read, “These women here, on Balaam’s advice, made the Israelites act treacherously against the Lord in the affair of Peor, so that the plague came among the congregation of the Lord.” The doctrine of Nicolaitans taught that people had the liberty to participate in pagan worship. Jesus noticed that some had turned to the wicked ways of worshipping false idols instead of following him so he offered the chance of repentance. Jesus didn’t give up on the people who turned away from him, who forgot his words; but invited them to return to him and to repent (Malachi 3:7).

Repent, meaning: to turn away from that which is causing you to step away from Christ. Don’t follow false and ungodly teachings. As Christians, we must be aware that the enemy of our souls wants to entice us to run after sin and embrace the worship of other gods as long as it’s not Jesus. The enemy of your soul knows: if he can get you to consider and believe false teaching, that teaching will take root and grow, and overtake your spiritual heart. Remember a little leaven will affect the entire batch. Every Christian needs to be spiritually on guard and to remember that Jesus rebukes evil.

How do we stay on guard? As Christians we need to practice spiritual discipline and study the Word of God. We need to have a sense of spiritual right and wrong and be guided by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. We should also pray and ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and then repent of any such false teaching that may have crept into our hearts. The call to repent was before the church and every believer in Pergamum just as it is today. We are to repent, live a life of faith, and do what God is calling us to do. Repent and be victorious in the name of Jesus Christ.

Movement Three: JESUS, WHO YIELDS THE SWORD

Jesus begins this letter by telling John to write, “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword…” (Revelation 2:12). For starters, this verse, much like Revelation 2:1, “These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands,” and Revelation 2:8, “These are the words of the First and the Last, who was dead and came to life,” is describing certain attributes of Jesus, the one conveying this message to John. Jesus is considered to have, within his possession, a sharp two-edged sword: it is not dull, it is not rusty, and it is not ill-kept, but rather sharp and well maintained.

Revelation informs us on two other occasions about this sword. Revelation 1:16 states, “In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force.” Then in Revelation 19:15, we read, “From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a scepter of iron; he will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.” This two-edge sword comes from the mouth of Jesus, but what exactly is this two-edge sword that is mentioned to the Church of Pergamum?

The author of Hebrews notes, “Indeed, the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Paul wrote to the people of Ephesus, when describing the armor of God, “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). This two-edge sword, which comes from the mouth of Jesus, is the “word of God” which is able to “judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The word of God is able to strike down nations, restore nations, cut through our wicked ways, and heal those who strive to repent and be made new. Jesus yields this sword because he lives out the word of God which more powerful and sharper than anything we can imagine.

The letter to the Church of Pergamum begins with this description of Jesus because the Church of Pergamum needs to return to the word of God, to the message of hope, repentance, compassion, and salvation that God offered to His people as they escaped the bonds of slavery and made it to the Promised Land. As a church, we, too, need to return to the word of God that has not been construed by man but made faithful through Jesus Christ if we want to continue to be who God has called us to be. The word that we need to return to is what is stated in both the Old and New Testaments.

Deuteronomy 6:4-6 states, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.” Later on we read in Deuteronomy 11:13, “If you will only heed his every commandment that I am commanding you today—loving the Lord your God and serving him with all your heart and with all your soul…” Then, in the Book of Leviticus, we hear something that we need to hear every day of our life: “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18). Lastly, both Matthew and Mark remind us, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31; Matthew 22:39). Clearly, the word, the sword, that is coming out of Jesus’ mouth is calling the Church of Pergamum to not only focus on love and worshipping God, but to have faith and trust in what God needs them to do.

God is calling us to do a lot of things as a church and now is the time to grasp what He is telling us to pursue. We are to pursue His faith and love and trust. I know for a fact that God has laid something on your heart, God has spoken His word to you, regarding our church and now is the time to put God’s words into action and fulfill those two greatest commandments through our actions and commitment.

Movement Four: THE WORD OF GOD IS POWERFUL

When looking at the Church of Pergamum, when everything is boiled down, it teaches us today that the word of God is powerful and that it can help save a church. The word of God will cut through all the spiritually false teaching and worldly lies. The word of God will separate and clearly reveal the truth from error. The word of God cuts deep, much like a double-edged sword used properly on a battle field, to reveal sin and bring spiritual healing and life to those who believe. The word of God will accomplish all that it is designed and intends to accomplish when used correctly. The word of God is all powerful and it can cut through a spiritual heart of stone.

Remember, the word of God is powerful; God spoke the worlds into existence. The word of God will break free. The word of God is living and active. The word of God will never be totally extinguished. The word of God will accomplish all it is meant to accomplish, and all the promises of God in scripture, and all that have been spoken, have been and still are being fulfilled. The power of God’s word will break every chain, faith in Jesus will arise, lives will be changed and no power on earth or even the gates of hell will ever prevail. The word of God is what will guide our church to do what God needs us to do in a world that is constantly trying to take us away from following the two greatest commandments. But we need to keep in mind that if the word of God is ignored, muzzled or imprisoned, not listened or adhered to, or not shared; it will do nothing for the person who is living in rebellion to the things of God. We are guided by and live by the words of God.

The Church of Pergamum, through the word of God, noticed how strong their faith is, realized that some of them needed to rebuke the evil ways of false doctrine, and were reminded that it needs to be on guard and seek repentance. As a church we need to remain faithful, we need to rebuke the Devil, and we need to constantly seek repentance and allow the power of God’s word to guide us as we find ways to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. From the power of God’s word, we have the great honor to be the church God needs us to be. We have faith. We have love. And we have people who are committed to making our church a place and space where people want to worship and praise God.

Conclusion:

As I was studying the Church of Pergamum, I was reminded of a story I came across while reading the book The Practices of Christian Preaching by Jared E. Alcantara. Alcantara opens chapter two of his book with a remarkable story:

“The year 2011 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Freedom Rides, a nonviolent movement designed to desegregate interstate transportation throughout the South. Led primarily by young adults, people from different races, ethnicities, and genders boarded segregated buses in order to desegregate them. A forty-one-year-old named James Farmer Jr. led the movement; he was a friend of Martin Luther King Jr. and the cofounder of the Committee of Racial Equality (CORE), the group that sponsored the Freedom Rides. Many of those who protested endured violence, intimidation by police, physical beatings, and jail time.

“Farmer died of diabetes complications in 1999, so he did not live to see the fiftieth-anniversary milestone. But on September 17, 1985, he spoke about the Riders in an interview with National Public Radio, which was then rebroadcast in 2011 on the occasion of the anniversary. In that interview, Farmer told a story about a couple of Riders who were arrested and thrown in jail in Jackson, Mississippi. The jails in Jackson and in other major cities were filling up as a result of protests. In order to intimidate the group in Jackson, the prison guards came up with different ways to make them uncomfortable without resorting to physical violence.

“They wanted to avoid negative press, so they used psychological maltreatment. But the Riders stayed united and often sang songs about freedom from their jail cells. The one comfort they could count on was the thin, straw mattress in their cells. ‘Everything else was cold, hard, stale, and steel,’ Farmer said. To make the singing stop, the prison guards decided to take away their mattresses—the last resource for comfort they had. It worked for a little while—they stopped singing.

“But the mood changed in an instant when a young Bible student gave a speech to the Riders. As Farmer puts it, the young man ‘reminded everybody what they were doing, that here they’re trying to take your soul away, you see. It’s not the mattress. It’s your soul.’ Suddenly, one of the Riders shouted: ‘Guards! Guards! Guards!’ Thinking it was an emergency, one of the guards ran to the cell, and the man yelled loud enough for everyone else to hear: ‘Come get my mattress! I’ll keep my soul!’ The whole place erupted, and the singing broke out once more” (pp. 41-43).

I can just imagine what that song sounded like with all those people coming together for a common cause as their words filled that prison. Their words were powerful; their words had meaning and purpose; their words had conviction and direction; and their words were a two-edge sword cutting through the false teachings of the day. They sang with a faithful concern for love. “Come get my mattress! I’ll keep my soul!” In other words, “Take what you want because I still have my faith; I still have the love of Jesus in down in my heart. And it is there to stay.” The Church of Pergamum, knowing its situation and realizing the constant threat of being misled, was proclaiming to all those around them, “Come get my mattress! I’ll keep my soul!” Those around them could come and take their things, but they would never be able to take away the faith and the word of God that lived within them calling them to love their neighbor has they love themselves and to be united in one with Christ.

As a church, we need to be able to live in this manner. We need to be able to tell people that no matter what they put us through, our faith are strong, our love for Christ is permanent, our commitment to the works of God is our firm foundation, and that what we are called to do is what he needs us to do. “Come challenge us! You will never be able to stop us from being the church that God needs all of us to be!” “Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches—to be bold, faithful, and true to the two greatest commandments. To everyone who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna—food from the heavens, nourishment from the streets paved with gold, and strength from throne above—and I will give a white stone, and on the white stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it—a stone that claims you as one of God’s children.” We are faithful church ready to be a place and space for all God’s children.

Who are we as a church? And what is God calling us to do as a church? Be faithful in times of tribulation and to proclaim a message of good news focused on God’s powerful word. Let it be so…

 

Closing Prayer:

Dear God, we want to be your church. We seek to be rich in faith. We ask that you guide us on paths of righteousness. And we graciously request that you help us to live out your word. O God, we are your church and that is what we want to be. O God, tell us and show us our next move as we continue to find ways to be the church you need us to be. In your Mighty Name we pray, Amen.

 

Benediction:

We are a faithful church. We are a church that endures challenging times but we persevere because the word of God lives within us today and every day and nobody can take that away from us. May the Lord bless you and keep you; May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit go forth finding ways to be the church God needs us to be. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

 

[i] Unlike the Church of Ephesus, the Church of Smyrna isn’t lacking Christ’s love, but it is struggling to overcome the hardships of life: moments of suffering, moments of setbacks, and moments of trials and tribulations. In addition to these things, Jesus tells the church that they have afflictions and that they are enduring poverty.  These afflictions have resulted in people around and in the church to not see eye-to-eye with what the church had been called to do and who the church was. But in those moments, Jesus reminded the church that they are rich in faith.

The Church of Smyrna is our reminder that if we want to be the church God needs us to be, then we must be willing to be “strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:9) and be a church that conquers hardships by being overcomers, wearers of the “crown of life”—Christ’s love, salvation, grace, and mercy—and put our faith in action in all that we do today and every day until death.

As a church we learn important lessons from the Church of Smyrna. First, we may not be the biggest church or the wealthiest church, but we are rich in faith; and from this faith God is helping us to be His church for his people. Second, the Devil is constantly trying to convert us, but the Devil is no match for God. As a church we will be tempted, we will be tried, and we will go through moments of tribulation and struggle, but we must remember that we are God’s church, followers of Christ’s words, and proclaimers of the Good News, and that the Devil can’t touch us when we put our trust in God and wear God’s armor (Ephesians 6). And third, we are overcomers! We are a church that has and plans to be here for many generations. We have been granted the “crown of life” because God knows what we are capable of doing.

The Church of Smyrna is more than a church; it is a call to action to restore our faith in God and to put our faith in action: to find ways to be the church God needs us to be. As we ponder what kind of church God’s needs us to be—who we are, where we are going, and how we will get there—we also need to take into account the message that the third church of Revelation teaches us. Today, we explore the third church of Revelation: the Church of Pergamum.

 

[ii] After Alexander the Great, the city gained independence as its own kingdom for a period of time. After three monarchs—rulers—the city was given to Rome in the will of Attalus III in 133 B.C.