Standing Firm

"But you have this to your credit:  
You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate."  

-Revelation 2:6

In the above scripture Jesus was speaking to John about the church in Ephesus which had abandoned their first love.  But they did have one thing going for them--they hated the works of the Nicolaitans just as Jesus does.  The Nicolaitans were comprised of people who had adopted the doctrine of inclusiveness and compromise rather than standing firm in what they'd been taught in the beginning.  Rick Renner writes that many of today's churches are guilty of these same practices.  He says modern Nicolaitan beliefs include:

• No emphasis on living holy and separated from the world
• No emphasis on the doctrinal teaching of the Bible
• No emphasis on absolute truth or absolute Biblical morality
• No exclusionary belief that Christ alone is the Way to Heaven

Too many churches who claim to be Christian are guilty of this.  In the name of Love they condone immoral behavior rather than hold the sinner accountable for their behavior because they think to do so would be unloving.  If you've ever been a parent you know how unwise it is not to hold your child accountable for his misbehavior.  You love them to pieces despite that behavior, but you know you MUST nip it in the bud or else the child will face a miserable future.  We send them to their room or withhold a privilege to emphasize to them their behavior is not acceptable.  Why many churches today do not do this, as we're told to do in Matthew 18:15-20, shows how far they have removed themselves from Biblical teaching.  

The opposite problem with some of today's churches is their mistaken belief they are the morality enforcers for those outside the church.  No where are we told to preach morality to those outside the church.  Instead we are only told to preach the Gospel.  Churches that don't hold themselves accountable, yet feel it's their duty to hold non-Christians accountable to Biblical morality, earn the non-believer's cry of HYPOCRITES.    

No wonder Jesus hated the works of the Nicolaitans!  We are to be light and salt to the world by our example not by pointing fingers.  Instead, we are to be in the world but not of it.  By going about our daily lives letting Christ in us shine forth through our works, through our compassion, through loving the sinner, we may bring some into the Kingdom.  The Church, as the body of Christ, provides a place for us to grow and be encouraged--a banding together of believers as we serve Christ--so it must be a place where Truth reigns, not sin which can infect and water down Christ's message.  By holding those within the church accountable and coming alongside them when they have succumbed to some weakness of the flesh, we are loving them just as God loves us.  He provided a way for us to be restored to Him, to be purified, and set on the path of righteousness.  We can do the same for fellow believers.

Will you stand firm in what the New Testament teaches about what God expects from His children? Are you in a church that is willing to give a nudge (like the goat in the photo) to those who need reminding that their behavior is displeasing to the Lord?  Are you able to take correction from the church?  If the church is fulfilling its intended role in the life of a believer, then it will be a safe place in which to confront and be confronted in order to grow in God's grace, wisdom, and love.


Father, show me where I have been acting like a Nicolaitan so that Christ in me can shine more clearly.  

Link to scripture:  2 Peter 1:12

Take action:  Ten Things You Should Know About Church Discipline