At our church we are walking through Jesus’s messages to the seven churches in the book of Revelation. Had to hit the pause button on the church of Pergamum — the compromising church.

This message really hit home, because today the church is losing its biblical fidelity. A quick click of the remote or browse of the Internet, the headlines are revealing a disturbing trend of the church bending towards cultural norms rather than standing in the truth of the Word of God. More and more people, who call themselves “Christians”, are compromising core biblical values to avoid being stigmatized or persecuted.

With the attacks on religious liberty increasing we are seeing a large percentage of pastors, churches and “so-called” Christians bowing to pressure and allowing the norms of today’s culture to become the new “truth” for Christianity.

Ok, so whats the big deal?

Because we are adopting a posture of accommodation and compromise!

The Jesus we now “believe in” and “preach” is more shaped by culture then the Word of God. Media and government are putting tremendous pressure on the church and we are changing our theology to stay in the mainstream and to avoid conflict. Our churches are putting relevance to today’s culture before faithfulness to God. We are choosing conformity and the praise of man over standing apart and being that light in the darkness.

Bottom line…our culture will tell us what to believe if we don’t know what we believe!

In the message to the church of Pergamum, Jesus called Antipas “my faithful martyr.” He was the bishop of Pergamum, ordained by the Apostle John, and his faith got the attention of the pagan priests which later got him killed. Antipas wouldn’t compromise and he took a stand for Jesus!

Here is what’s interesting. After Jesus tells the church what He has against them, He shares this.

Why is this interesting?

At the time of John’s writing of the book of Revelation, it was a Roman custom to award white stones to the victors of athletic games. The winner of a contest was awarded a white stone with his name inscribed on it. This white stone served as proof of admittance into the special banquet that was given in honor of the victors. Jesus promises those that endure and overcome entrance into the eternal victory celebration in heaven – the marriage feast of the Lamb. As the apostle Paul wrote, “We have fought the good fight, we have finished the race”.

The importance of this stone is that Jesus writes our names on it. This indicates God’s acceptance of us and our assurance of eternity and the blessings that come with eternity.

The victor will get a new name!

We see this often in scripture. God changes a person’s name and gives him a new name, usually to establish a new identity. For example; God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, and his wife’s name from Sarai, to Sarah, He changed Jacob’s name to Israel, He changed Simon’s name to Peter, and He changed Saul’s name to Paul. In each case, the new name was to mark a new person in God. He was letting them know that He had a new mission for their life. The new name was a way to let them in on the divine plan and also to assure them that God’s plan would be fulfilled in them.

This stone is to be given only to the overcomer. Those whose faith is strong, and who will, in the name of Jesus, and with the power of the Holy Spirit, overcome that which is sent against them. On that day we shall be given an admission ticket into heaven, and the very presence of God. We arrive as an overcomer into the presence of Christ and He will write a new name on our stone.

Awesome!

Trusting Christ alone for salvation gives us a new identity. It’s receiving a new name written on a white stone, which shows that we are forgiven — completely.

To bring it all home, there is an identity you have in God, reflected in your new name, that transcends whatever shame or regret or disappointment wrapped up in who you are now. There is a very private and personal place of intimacy with him that brings hope and freedom and joy that none can touch or smear or steal away.

When we throw that away and try to have the best of both worlds, we exchange the truth of God for lie and we do what seems right in our own eyes. We get tangled in the secular world.

As Patrick Morely states, “The result? Cultural Christianity means pursuing the God we want instead of the God who is. It is the tendency to be shallow in our understanding of God, wanting Him to be more of a gentle-grandfather type who spoils us and lets us have our own way. It is sensing a need for God, but on our own terms. It is wanting the God we have underlined in our Bibles without wanting the rest of Him too. It is God relative instead of God absolute.”

Don’t compromise!

This doesn’t mean we move into legalism. This doesn’t mean we move into hyper-grace. Jesus is extending His hand of grace but He doesn’t want to leave you where you’re at, He wants to confront the deeper issue.

Jesus encourages us to be grounded in the truth of the word of God and to be faithful to the very end. To be in the world, not of the world!

Will you bend to the values of this world culture or stay firmly grounded in the Word of God?

Will there be a white stone with your new name on it?