After praising the conduct of the Christians in the church at Ephesus, who testified to how much they loved their Lord and Savior, Jesus listed some of their good attitudes: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; (Revelation 2.2) Christ does not forget what we do when we obey Him!

Next, the Lord referred to the Nicolaitans, a group that, although it had a good start, began to teach doctrines and practices contrary to Scripture and the Christian faith. Nicholas, the leader of this sect, was a deacon of the church (Acts 6:5,6), but he abandoned Jesus, allowing himself to be led astray by the temptations of the devil, instead of rebuking him and using the same weapon that Christ used: the Word of God (Matthew 4:4,7,10).

Now, the beginning of many heretics may have been good, but they fell into the devil's trap and did not repent; on the contrary, they continued to twist the Word of the Lord, trying to justify themselves, and became people hated by the Beloved, who sees everything, good or bad, that we do. Watch!

The Ephesians did not accept the lies of the heretics, and neither should we. The believers of the church in Pergamum, which accepted to be the official church of the Roman Empire, saw their purity fade away as they pretended not to see the iniquity, so as not to displease their “master.” In fact, this displeased the One who was truly the Lord, and so they were rebuked by Jesus: Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.  (Revelation 2.15). The Nicolaitans progressed in disobedience and headed for their own destruction!

Now, not everyone in the church of Pergamum, which sold itself to the enemy, was in favor of the leaders who pretended not to see the mire in which they were sinking. Some strayed, proceeding as Balaam taught Balak, king of the Moabites, placing obstacles in the way of the children of Israel. The Nicolaitans, however, shared their wives. Mercy, Lord!

After the Church of Christ was made official by Constantine's famous decree, making it official in the Roman Empire, crowds who did not know what conversion was entered the house of God in search of status, because Christianity had become accepted by the authorities. In addition, they encouraged others in the great empire to join those who believed in the Lord, and this did us a lot of harm!

The Church of Christ needs to grow not because people become members of it, or because some financial institution sends it resources, but rather through the preaching of the Good News, which leads people to believe in the Lord, to repent, and to truly convert. No human help is good for the Church, but harmful in every way. God knows how to run His house and sustain it with love!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares