Week 51 Day 5

November 18, 2022

Jesus' Message to the Church in Thyatira

Scripture: Revelation 2:18-29(NIV)

“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’ To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give that one the morning star. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Devotional

Unions can be powerful forces. Employees are often pressured to join, pay dues, and promote the party line – whether they agreed or not. This captures the essence of life in Thyatira. The city was known for its trade guilds, made up of craftsmen and merchants for pottery, cloth, and dyeing.

Acts 16:14 tells of an encounter that Paul had in Philippi with one such person from Thyatira: “One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.”

Belonging to the trade guilds was a necessity if a craftsman or merchant hoped to stay in business. Talk about cancel culture! This proved to be a problem for converts to Christianity, because the union gatherings often promoted idol feasts, sexual immorality, and emperor worship.

Jesus has strong words for the believers who have caved to the peer pressure of their trade guilds, saying, “I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols… Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.” Ouch!

Yesterday we examined the shifting winds of culture that influence our Christian worldview and lifestyle. Here we are confronted with the pressure of alliances which threaten us to yield or be cut off. We are reminded of the words of Jesus when He said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:23-26).

What alliances in your life are promoting a message that is in conflict with Biblical faith in Jesus Christ?