Dear Church: The Church in Pergamum

So far in this series, we’ve looked at the unexpected messages to three churches in modern-day Turkey.

• It’s better to have no church than an unloving church.
• It’s better to let a church suffer than to prevent it. 
• It’s possible for a church to stand up for Jesus while standing against Jesus.

 Today, we spend quite a bit of time looking at practical steps to reflect Jesus properly so we stand for him and don't stand against him.

Message Scripture Passage:
Revelation 2:12-17

Series Thesis:
KNOWING the truth doesn’t change anything. SUBMITTING to the truth changes everything.

Topics Discussed Today:

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:36 Symbolism in the letter to Pergamum
• 02:50 Jesus shows his intimate familiarity with each church
• 05:31 John's isolation lends validity to the message from Jesus
• 05:45 Which John wrote this letter
• 08:49 Bringing out unexpected messages in this series
• 12:02 This passage beautifully plays out our series thesis
• 13:41 Practical steps to reflect Jesus properly
• 14:52 Loving well
• 18:12 Navigating loving and kindness in the workplace
• 22:12 Using wisdom to engage instead of affirming or celebrating
• 25:49 The emphasis is on what's happening inside the church, not outside the church
• 27:37 The big problem with the American church is lovelessness and rudeness
• 30:24 We love to focus on the sins of the "out" group, not the sins of the "in" group