By F. D. Adkins
God created each of us with special talents and gifts, and along with those unique abilities, we also have different interests or things that appeal to us. That being said, gardening or tending to plants of any kind is not one of my gifts or interests, which means that maintaining the landscaping at our house gets pushed down on my list of things to do. Well, I apparently overlooked this one weed that was growing up beside the forsythia bush at the side of our house. It was growing so close to the bush’s trunk coming out of the ground that I did not notice it until the weed was so large that it had a trunk of its own. At this point, it would need to be cut down with a chainsaw, so I am just pretending that it is a part of the forsythia bush.
This week in my Bible Study, I read Revelation 2:18-20 digging into Jesus’s message to the church in Thyatira. First, let me point out that again Jesus begins His message to them by pointing out what they are doing right. Jesus says in Revelation 2:19, “I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first” (KJV). He is complimenting them not only for their good works but also for the increase in their good works. They are doing more than they did before, and I believe this probably means the church is growing in size. However, their church has a major problem. In the next verse, Jesus goes on to warn them. He says, “Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols” (Revelation 2:20 KJV). I interpret the word ‘sufferest’ to mean they know what is happening is wrong, but they are allowing it to happen. They are turning their heads as if they do not see it. I also note that the verse uses the words, “my servants,” so they are not turning their heads to corruption occurring around the church but within the church.
As I reflected on Jesus’s warning to the church in Thyatira, two things came to mind. One was the story I shared above about the weed in my landscaping that I tolerate. Even though I know it should not be there, I continue to let it blend and be part of my landscaping. Isn’t that what the church at Thyatira must have been doing? They were allowing this sin to take place within the church (the body of Christ). They knew it was there and was influencing members of the church but chose to ignore it.
Question to ponder: If we are honest with ourselves, is this happening in our churches today?
The second thing that came to mind was the scene in Matthew 21 when Jesus overturned the tables in the temple. Jesus stood up for what was right in the eyes of God, and He quotes scripture making it clear how the moneychangers’ actions were going against the Word of God.
Takeaway:
- As the body of Christ, we should follow Jesus’s example and not let intentional and known sin infiltrate His church.
- As the body of Christ, we should strive to reflect Christ in everything we do.
“… man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.” Deuteronomy 8:3 KJV
