Standing high over the city of Pergamum was the great Acropolis, a monument to Greek paganism. One of the most significant consequences of pagan thought at this time was the claim that the Roman emperor was himself a god. This caused major problems for the early church, particularly the church in Pergamum which was a centre for the imperial cult. The Christians were good citizens, but their allegiance was not to the emperor. They obeyed the emperor because God had told them to obey their rulers, not because their emperor was God. And in the face of the emperor’s claim to divine lordship they openly declared that Jesus alone was Lord. Things might have been easier for the Christians if they just toed the line and kept quiet. But they wouldn’t keep quiet and they would not conform to the delusions of their culture. For this, Jesus commends them here. Think of how much was at stake for these Christians when defying the emperor could mean imprisonment, torture and death. In the light of this it seems ludicrous that we would baulk at simply being open about our faith in the fear that people might think a little less of us as a result. The devil wants you to keep quiet about your faith and he will do all he can to preoccupy you with the negative repercussions of being open. Don’t let him intimidate you. Don’t retreat. Be an open witness to Jesus.
Ask God to give you opportunities to share your faith today and the boldness to do so.
Read Revelation 2:12-13.
