Standing Up for Doctrine

If you've seen the movie The American President, you'll remember this quote:
"In the absence of genuine leadership, they'll listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone. They want leadership. They're so thirsty for it they'll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there's no water, they'll drink the sand.”

It comes at a pivotal point in the film, when the President's aide is asking him to step up and show leadership.  He wants him to lead the country and stop hiding in the shadows.

The same is true for the church today and our doctrine.  For too long, we have hidden in the shadows.  We need leaders to step and lead and teach proper doctrine.

That's the gist of Jesus' message to the church at Pergamum in Revelation 2:12-17.  They had done really well at keeping the faith, including enduring the loss of their pastor to martyrdom, but false doctrine was creeping into their congregation.  False teachings were starting to appear.  So Jesus warns them.  Don't let these false teachings take root and destroy the church.

We know that Satan is active.  He loves nothing more than to wreck families, isolate people and eradicate the church.  He enjoys causing chaos and mayhem.  He wants to lead people astray.  The church at Pergamum sat among the very forces of Satan, so they had to be on guard.

Today, we sit in the same boat.  Our churches are under assault.  The enemy is powerful.  They have lots of ammunition.  He uses media, social media, peer pressure, work places and political correctness in an attempt to get us to compromise on our doctrine and give in on scriptural principles.  That's what Jesus warns about.  We must not give in.  We must stand tall.  We must continue.

We must lead.  We can't sit silently. We can't quietly tolerate false doctrine.  We must step up and lead according to God's word.  Otherwise, we will believe anything and fall for everything.

If we don't, we'll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when we discover there's no water, we'll drink the sand.

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