Revelation 2:16 “Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”

These people were in a place of intense spiritual warfare, but they didn’t recognize it properly. One of them had been martyred, as it says in verse 13, but some of the rest had swallowed some heresies that were prevalent at that point. (No one is quite sure what “the teaching of the Nicolaitans” was, but it obviously conflicted with God’s truth.) Jesus is calling the whole congregation to repent, but His beef is with those who were following the deceptions. That’s why He says, “I will fight against them.” That said, you don’t want to be in a situation where Christ Himself is coming against even some of the members of your group! We have trouble with “the teaching of Balaam” even today, with many churches accepting the standards and practices of the world instead of holding to the Bible, with Jesus as our example. When we recognize problems in our local church we should first pray, and then go to the pastor, but sadly, sometimes he’s a major source of the issue! As Jesus says in this verse, our own repentance is also involved, even if we weren’t directly involved in the heresy. At the very least, we weren’t sufficiently spiritually sensitive and on guard. That’s not to say we are to run around being “heresy hunters,” as some people seem to appoint themselves to be. It does, however, mean we are to be so familiar with the Word and with the Spirit that things that conflict with them are immediately obvious. When that happens, we are first to pray, and then ask the Lord what if anything He wants us to do beyond that. At the very least, we will avoid being among those He has to come against!

I don’t think I’ve had to deal with major heresies, but I have been accused of being a heretic! My leaving denominational affiliation was a very hard thing for some close family friends to swallow, since my family had been so closely associated with a particular denomination. However, when their official position was Cessationist, denying the current validity and operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, I no longer fit. That was not an easy time, but I’m thankful to not have had to deal with denominational politics ever since that point. I seek to teach only what God says through His Word by His Spirit, and I’m thankful to say that I feel I’ve been successful in that.

Father, thank You for Your faithfulness. I’m not a reliable source or standard for anything, but You certainly are. Help me indeed stay in step with Your Spirit, so that Your will may be done in and through me for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!