“To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations…” Jesus to the church in Thyatira
Revelation 2:26.
I was with a group of pilgrims, many from our church, who recently returned from visiting the seven churches of the Revelation. The most remote one was Thyatira – we went two hours each way to get to this site which you can see above is very small. Just a square block in the middle of the modern city, but the site of one of these pivotal churches, nonetheless. Lydia, the first convert to Christ in Europe was from this place.
Jesus speaks to this church and commends them for their love for Him, their faith in Him and their earnest service in the Lord’s work. Yes, the Thyatira church was a very good church – that tolerated a wolf in the sheepfold. Jesus calls her Jezebel – maybe that was her actual name, but for sure He is also referencing the original Jezebel in I and II Kings. Ahab the king of Israel married this Baal worshipper and she turned his head away from God to be a thoroughly evil king. There was no more wicked woman in the whole Old Testament than Jezebel. And a powerful woman who even had Elijah afraid for his life.
The Thyatira church was about 40 years old at this point. You know what it’s like in the church – we want to be relational and welcoming – to have a happy smile for whoever comes in the doors. So, it’s a tough thing to say to someone – ‘you have to repent for that.’ This can lead to rot in the church – much like the case with Ananias and Saphira in the book of Acts. The problem with tolerating flagrant sin is that the church, which is to be a lampstand in a dark place, goes dark itself.
It seems that this Jezebel was an individual in the church, operating under the Christian banner of inclusiveness while perpetrating ongoing sinfulness. Jesus had called her to repent but she refused to do so. This is the role of the pastors and elders in a church – to oversee the faithfulness of the church. If nothing is done, it is always the little sheep that are ravaged. Sometimes if the leaders do nothing, the Lord himself steps in and judges. Paul references this in relation to sinful communion participation (I Cor 11) where some become weak and sick and some have died. Scary thing!!
Instead, Jesus encourages the faithful to hold on – to continue being a good example for others in Godliness, and to look for the day when they will participate with Christ in ruling the nations. Not all scores are settled in this life!
So, a few questions in light of Jesus’ message to this local church. Am I helping or hurting? Am I light or dark? Am I positioning myself spiritually to be in a place of authority one day? Am I welcoming but also working to the purity of my church?
Pastor Leon Throness
We just released the latest Encounter podcast with three of our pilgrims from the Seven Churches trip. Have a listen to it here.
There has been a flurry of interest in the pilgrimage to Egypt in January of 2027. If you have interest, send me an email at leon@mycac.ca.
