Week 52 Case 4 Thyatira
John spotted four qualities in the church in Thyatira: your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance (and he commended their constant improvement in all these things).
So with that said John added: but I have this complaint against you…
John’s complaint was aimed at a specific individual in the church – a charismatic woman who exerted a powerful prophetic-like influence in the congregation. She called her teaching “deeper truths” and what they permitted people in the church to do was:
A) Worship idols
B) Eat food offered to idols
C) Commit sexual sin
Thyatira – like Pergamum – tried Mixing Unmixables. For instance blending faith & adultery. Or combining love for God with idol worship.
There’s a couple of things I notice here:
First is that these two churches apparently tried to maintain this delicate equilibrium (“let’s try keeping the Goods & Bads in dynamic balance”).
Second thing is that the Lord apparently kept putting up with churches that were mixing these toxic cocktails.
The situation couldn’t last forever. Eventually: all the churches will know that I (the Lord) am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you what you deserve.
It’s pretty clear that the chickens would eventually come home to roost. But not quite yet. For now the churches get the benefit of the Lord’s long patience.
Note: Revelation 2:18-29. Quotes from 2:19 20 23 (NLT)