Letter #3

A Letter to the Church in Pergamum

“To the messenger of the church in Pergamum, write:

The one who holds the sharp two-edged sword says: I know where you live. Satan’s throne is there. You hold on to my name and have not denied your belief in me, even in the days of Antipas. He was my faithful witness who was killed in your presence, where Satan lives. But I have a few things against you: You have among you those who follow what Balaam taught Balak. Balak trapped the people of Israel by encouraging them to eat food sacrificed to idols and to sin sexually. You also have some who follow what the Nicolaitans teach. So return to me and change the way you think and act, or I will come to you quickly and wage war against them with the sword from my mouth.

Let the person who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give some of the hidden manna to everyone who wins the victory. I will also give each person a white stone with a new name written on it, a name that is known only to the person who receives it." Revelations 2:12-17

Continuing with the third letter, we read that this was for the church in the city called Pergamum, which is today in present day Bergama, Turkey.

Once again, this letter although intended for a specific church in a time and place that is so much different than ours is applicable to actually any church, past, present and future and a must read for all believers.

Food Sacrificed to Idols

In 1 Corinthians 8:4-13, Paul gave his take regarding this seemingly controversial first century issue of not partaking of food that has been sacrificed to idols. And so as far as a believer is free from the legalism of following this decree, it does fall on the point Paul was making when he said, everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Meaning as a believer, if what you do is causing others to stumble or fall away, then why continue doing so when you can abstain from doing so and be a good witness.

Sexual Immorality

The letter also warns about sexual sin, which have crept into the lifestyle of the members of this church. And again it is not hard to see why. Temptations are commonplace and once one gives in, it could become a habit. Thus the warning.

The letter mentions Balak and the teachings of the Nicolaitans, both of which taught carefree living such as eating food sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality, without regard to any consequences. But again believers are held to a higher level and are light and salt. They should be aware that whether they know it or not, people look to them, scrutinizing how they live their lives. And the things they do and say affect others either positively or negatively.

For the third time, the letter admonishes to let the hearer listen to and to heed the promptings of the Holy Spirit and be blessed for doing so.


James 1:22-25

"But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it."