Dear Lighthouse,
I want to open by saying ‘Thank you’
once again for your service, your encouragement, and your commitment to God our Father.
It is a joy to be a part of a ministry that is growing, evangelizing, and maturing together. I want to encourage you all to continue persevering in the faith.
I pray that we will strive together as one body all the more as we see the Day approaching of His return (Heb. 10:25).
Since the Lighthouse began our approach has been
that this Sunday School should be part of a larger concept of Fellowship. The
Fellowship is made of people – you. And the goal of the Fellowship is to
become an effective tool in the Hand of God. We exist to meet people’s
needs and to help them into a relationship with the Father by introducing them to the Son.
I am so thankful that so many have seen this ministry as their own. And
now that we have grown to our current size I’m going to ask you to prayerfully consider your role once again.
I am convinced that the Lighthouse will continue
to grow only if two very important things continue to happen: 1) we shine the
spotlight on God and make Him our focus, and 2) each of us remains committed to that task and demonstrates it by continued
personal growth and service.
I pray that
you feel ownership of the Lighthouse and that you are being continually fed and you feed others. Unless you feel this level of commitment, then the temptation is strong to plateau. We must not – not if we’re going to continue to be an effective tool and outreach for God.
What I’m saying is true of all ministries
and the Church at large. Jesus Himself recognizes this, I believe. In John’s Revelation he received directly from Heaven, he records Jesus’ words to the seven
churches that represent the state of the Invisible Kingdom on earth.
“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of Him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live – where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your
faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city – where Satan lives.” (Rev. 2:12-13)
Tough town!
This was no place to be a wishy-washy Christian. People were murdered
for claiming the Name of God. The church here is commended for standing its ground
and growing is spite of adversity. Likewise we will continue to grow if we hold
fast to the Truth found in the Word of God. (Rom. 2:7, Heb. 11:6)
But there were those who were not as committed. There were false doctrines floating around and people who supported them. These were Christians that wanted the good stuff – salvation and glory – but maybe weren’t
too keen on the idea of suffering, continued maturity, and commitment to the end. Listen
to Jesus about this:
“Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people
there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols
and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise you also have those who hold to
the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” (Rev. 2:14-15)
Where have you placed your anchor? To what do you hold fast? Is it in the teachings of men like
Balaam, Balak, Jezebeel, or the Nicolaitans? Or is it in the Word of Christ?
Pergamum was a town that supported the Temple
of Serapis, the Egyptian god of the underworld. This town had temple prostitutes,
idol worship, and sexual immorality that was promoted as a religious act of fertility!
The Christians were surrounded by this scenery. Sound familiar? Think about the movies, the video stores, the TV shows, the Internet, and the pressures put on our children
at school. My brothers and sisters, we too are surrounded, but we must not give
in to a culture that is decaying in front of our very eyes. We must not be swayed
by the tempting pleasures and give up our eternal inheritance! We must stick
together and encourage each other to the end.
Just to give you some background, the word Nicolaitans
comes from two root words: nikao – to conquer (the ‘god’ Nike
gets his name from this root) and laos – people (we get the word laity [opposite
of clergy] from this). The overall idea is this is a group of people who rule
over others. Many believe this term refers to the concept of having a hierarchical
system in the Church beyond what is prescribed in the Bible as far as Elders and Deacons go.
The idea of having a ‘ruling class’ of people – like Bishops, Cardinals, or a presbytery - is linked to this word by some. But without a doubt God
opposes the Nicolaitan practice of having men usurp the preeminence and authority of God.
These are leaders of secret, mysterious religions that exalt themselves to positions of power. Their leaders want to be called something special and authoritative as we are cautioned against doing in
Matt. 23:9. The practice is similar to the Gnostic movement. In simple terms, the work of the Church at large has been given to the people in the Church –
all the people. Each one of us has
been called to be a minister in the Kingdom. Each one of us is a vital member
of the Family of God. (Matt. 12:46-50) And
we all have a role.
So, we must not let ‘other people more
spiritual than us’ do all the work. No, then we rob ourselves of maturity,
limit ourselves of opportunity, and distill our relationship with the Lord down to a weak shadow of what it should be. Don’t follow the Nicolaitans. I
know, as we’ve discussed in class before, that Shane and Bill and Tom cannot, should not, and do not want to do all
the work at HCC. If they did it would limit our growth and our maturity. That’s why I say again, it’s your ministry, it’s your
church, and it’s your relationship that needs strengthened by the blessings that come from serving others and
propagating the Word to those in need of hearing it.
So, what if we don’t listen? What if a Christian continues to follow after various other teachings that sound good, or feel good and
allows others to do all the work? Well, let’s again see what Jesus said
to those at Pergamum:
“Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will
fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some
of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written
on it, known only to him who receives it.” (Rev. 2:16-17)
Yickes and cool!
For the good of His bride, the Church, Jesus will fight against the sinfulness around us that threatens to invade the
Body. That may get messy and it may come at a cost. However, if we remain faithful to the Word and to His teachings we will overcome. (I John 5:5) And how we overcome, I believe, will determine what name
is on that stone.
To quote Gladiator
(again!), “The deeds of this life echo in the next!” How about you? How are you
doing? Is the Lighthouse a ministry you are a part of - or one that you own and serve in? Same for the church - are you growing in service? Are you growing in commitment by the habits and disciplines of prayer and Bible study? Is Highland stronger with you than without you?
Yes, grace is still given freely. I’m not talking about our salvation
here. I’m talking about what are you doing with the most precious gift
in the universe – what are you doing with it now?
Don’t
fall into the trap of the servant who received one talent and hid it in the ground.
His master came back and was very displeased. (Matt. 25:25-30) In case you’ve forgotten in the swirl of temptations all around us, Jesus is coming back. What have we got to show Him?
Thank you for all your service
and love that you already give. I write all this to spur you and me on even more. Don’t let up,
Evan
