Healthy, Growing Churches (5)

“But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.” Revelation 2.14

Commentary on the Apocalypse 2.14-15
Andrew of Caesarea (early sixth century)
“It seems that this city had two evils. There were a good number of Greeks, and among those regarded as faithful the shameful Nicolaitans were sown as evil weeds among the wheat. And therefore he reminds them of Balaam, saying, ‘who through Balaam taught Balak.’ Through these words it is clear that he refers to the mental Balaam, that is, the devil, who through the sensual Balaam taught Balak to throw a stone of stumbling before the Israelites, namely, to sacrifice to idols and to commit fornication. Through the pleasure of this heresy, they fell so low that they offered sacrifices to Beelphegor.”

Balaam was in it for the money. He willingly continued to serve Balak, even against the counsel of God, because of the rewards of his “ministry.” He enjoyed his status as a prophet, and he milked it with Balak for all it was worth. Perhaps because he was himself so attracted to things of the flesh, he commended this as the way to hopefully undo the nation of Israel. The devil still finds this to be a useful strategy against the churches of the Lord. The church in Pergamos was becoming a fleshly church – seeking whatever felt good or seemed right to them, willing even to tolerate those who preached a gospel of material comfort. They were becoming children in the faith again, because they could not discern the disaster that lay ahead along such a course. The only “self” that healthy, growing churches recognizes is that of self-denial, not self-indulgence. The Gospel is not all about us. It’s all about Christ in us, the hope of glory, not of comfort.

What are the signs that a congregation is beginning to seek comfort, ease, and fun more than self-denial for the cause of Christ?

T. M. Moore

Organizing with the Spirit
The Lord Jesus is building His Church. His Word is the blueprint, His Spirit is the General Contractor, and we are all builders together of the Body of Christ. But are we doing our work God’s way, or ours? The Spirit has His ways of organizing our work, and we do well to understand as much as we can about His methods. This is the argument of Dr. Kent Miller of Michigan State University, and you can watch our Conversation with Dr. Miller, and download a free copy of his paper on the subject, “Organizing with the Spirit,” by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Quotations from Church Fathers are from the Ancient Christian Commentary Series, published by InterVarsity Press.