The Real Deception is Among Us?

As I said a few days ago, most of the churches mentioned in the book of Revelation chapters 2-3 had been deceived. Somehow they allowed the Devil to influence the church to believe in a lie.  That lie was perceived as the truth, and the rest was history, deception becomes the norm.  Tradition isn't truth, it simply is a way to remind us of a truth. But tradition can become more important than the truth, and in time it becomes the truth. The third church mention in Revelation chapter two is Pergamum where the teachings of the church were not based upon the truth. 

But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.   So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.  Therefore repent. You always have to go back to the foundations of traditions to see where they came from and whether they represent the scriptures.  In the case of the church at Pergamum, they allowed themselves to accept teaching that opened the door to immorality.  With a powerful culture like ours, it is extremely difficult not to be drawn into what we might think is innocent, yet in time our little compromise will evidentually bring us to accept the values of the culture. I remember when going to an R-rated movie was preached against, in today's church, its never mentioned.  Tolerance in our culture breeds political correctness, and everyone's ideas and beliefs are equal in value and truth.  That's why you will never hear messages about hell in most churches today, the Christian culture wants to be politically correct with its cultural neighbors, and not be offensive. In time, God becomes a sterile message of love, and that benign message doesn't concern itself with sin, or immoral behavior, because love doesn't do that.   The culture likes it that way, and so does the church.  You can see how easy it becomes to be deceived and misguided.  Don't be fooled, God is love, but His love does not justify sin, or immorality.  He continues to love sinners, but He has required all sinners to repent and turn from their sins.  Love doesn't look the other way because of sin, love confronts sin, and expects transformation through repentance.  So the real danger about deception comes from within, and our traditions and habits of religious life can be hazardous to your spiritual health.    Again, each church in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 were faced with a lack of discernment when it came to deception, and only two were able to push back against it.   Keeping it honest and truthful.....K