To the church of Pergamos Jesus said: “But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate." Revelation 2:14-15 The Lord here is exposing the false doctrines of Nicolas who taught that believers are free under grace to sin. He taught a doctrine of compromise and told believers that they didn't need to separate themselves from those who practiced the occult practices of the nations around. It was difficult for believers to live separately from all the activities of paganism because paganism and its religions were the center of life in the cities around Pergamos. Nicolas taught the people that these practices were ok because that's the culture in which they lived therefore all need to adapt to it. Thus the people went into deception and adopted a gospel that was without conviction or repentance. The "emerging church" of our day is doing exactly the same thing. They counsel people that the teachings of sin, repentance, hell, and judgment are old and antiquated teachings from the past, and that they should break from all negative things and fill their minds instead with "positive" beliefs and emotions. Sounds good, doesn't it! However in doing so, they are teaching a FALSE GOSPEL which is contrary to the Word of God. The Word of God, they say, is the old order of things and that dusty old book is no longer relevant today. Thus they are leading people down the road to hell. “For I am the Lord, I do not change;" Malachi 3:6 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my Words will by no means pass away." Mark 13:31 The prophet Balaam was paid by Balak the king of Moab, to curse Israel and bring Israel down. His efforts didn't succeed so Balaam, wanting to please the king, showed him how he could prevail in destroying Israel by telling the people that they had the freedom to sin with impunity. He seduced the children of Israel into unbridled sensual living by dangling the prostitutes of Moab before the men of Israel, and those prostitutes led them into all manner of immorality and worship of their false gods, bringing upon themselves the wrath of God. And the judgment that came was horrific. We are living in "modern" times and the “emerging” churches are teaching the people that sin is of no consequence and that they needn't feel guilt because guilt is a negative thing that they must not allow to control their minds. They teach that God is a God of love who wants us to live in love for all - which translates in our day to tolerance for all, and that we are to reject all negatives, and only focus on the positives. Thus there is no sin, no judgment, no hell, and no need for repentance. And this is heresy. Jesus said that these are teachings that HE HATES, as stated above. And he stresses the demand for repentance: “unless you repent you will all likewise perish." Luke 13:3 Jesus stressed this for emphasis by actually speaking it twice: vs 5: "...but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” Friends, our world is being overcome by demands for tolerance and inclusiveness, as the multitudes are being led into ecumenism which is the belief that we all worship the same God, each in our own way. This is heresy. We do NOT all worship the same God. The teachings of Jesus Christ declare that he is the ONLY way to salvation, directly contradicting the going mantra of inclusion being promulgated today. Jesus said emphatically: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME." John 14:6 "NOR IS THERE SALVATION IN ANY OTHER, for there is no other Name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches..." Revelation 2:17
"Therefore the Lord will wait,
that he may be gracious to you;
and therefore he will be exalted,
that he may have mercy on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him."
Isaiah 30:18
...that he may be gracious to you…
What is the Lord waiting for?
Each life is a unique story, planned before one was ever born.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;"
Jeremiah 1:5
When you look at your young child, you have some idea how you will raise him. You have values you want to instill in him. You have knowledge you want to impart to him. If you tell him not to touch the stove and he goes to touch it anyway, you'll perhaps tell him once or twice not to, but if he persists you'll allow him to find out why you didn't want him to touch it and for sure, he won't touch it again. He learned the hard way. You didn't wish it that way, but it was the only way.
Our Father has known you from the beginning and he knows you far more intimately than you know your child, or even than you know yourself. He has set up a plan, a story, which will develop you into the highest version of yourself possible. He has the patience to wait during the hard times, not ending your trial before it has had a chance to bring about his purpose for it.
It may seem such a long time for you to go through your affliction, but it won't be a day longer than necessary even though for some that might be a long time. There are several things you must learn as you walk through suffering. In one's affliction there are things being learned and growth taking place that could not happen any other way. If your child has an infection, you will see that he gets the treatment he needs to recover no matter how long it takes. That treatment can be painful. It could mean surgery, or unpleasant medications. Which of them would you not give your child? You'd give him any, of course, if that's what it takes for his recovery.
And so the Lord waits. It makes no sense to the son or daughter who continuously questions why he has to go through what's been chosen for him to go through, as though perhaps the Father doesn't know what he's doing, or worse, doesn't care. Every child thinks the chastisement unfair or too tough. But there are some children who have such confidence in the wisdom of their Father, that they will be quick to allow the chastening, the spiritual medication or surgery or whatever it takes to bring forth the desired end.
So the Lord will wait.
But read the next words in that passage. The Lord will wait THAT HE MAY BE GRACIOUS TO YOU. In other words, the result is going to be the grace of God, his mercy, his blessing, and many a time when you've gone through something for oh so long, then suddenly and unexpectedly the blessing will come and you will be astonished. You will regret every resistance you posed, because then you will understand the purpose behind the suffering. And just when you've thought it was going to last forever, the blessing will stun you in its sudden appearing, and then you will understand and appreciate his Word in which says that he:
"...comforts us in all our tribulation,
that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble,
with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."
2nd Corinthians 1:4
Suffering will prepare you to be able later to comfort someone else who is suffering. There is a wisdom that comes through suffering that is precious and eternal in its value. Don't resist it.
"I waited patiently for the Lord and he inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps." Psalm 40:1-2 I waited patiently... Patience is one of the most important factors in prayer ...and ...one of the most difficult. Sometimes it seems the Lord is not listening. It may be though, that he is testing one's heart to see how long the believer will remain faithful even when not seemingly getting results. Does the lack of apparent results suggest that what we are asking isn't God's will? NO. It means God is working something out and it requires time. The answer will come in the right time, IF you do not lose heart. "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap IF WE DO NOT LOSE HEART." Galatians 6:9 When the Israelites were in the wilderness, the Lord called Moses to come up the mountain to receive God's Word. Moses told the people to wait for him to return, but he was gone a long time and the people got tired of waiting, so they got into grievous sin, creating for themselves an idol of gold to put their trust in. What came next was the wrath of both Moses and God himself. It is amazing how many stories in the Bible required men to wait. God promised Abraham a son through his wife Sarah, but the wait was so long that they took matters into their own hands and Abraham brought forth a son through Sarah's maid and he named him Ishmael - a sin whose results wreak havoc to this day, for Ishmael is the father of the Arabs. Patience and maintaining faith are virtues the Lord values highly. Every believer will be in the position of having to wait after a promise is given. But when the answer comes, it will be greater than what he asked for. "Now to him who is able to do EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL THAT WE ASK OR THINK..." Ephesians 3:20 In a waiting time in my life, I got discouraged - but I kept on praying. When the answer finally came, one I waited years for, it was so far above what I expected that I just stood in awe. Wait and do not waiver. Do not get tired of praying but continue for as long as it takes. Do not be tempted to give up. Do not be tempted to think God doesn't care. He may be creating a story behind the scenes that you know nothing about. Wait on him. Again I say WAIT. The time may seem long, but the answer will come and that will lead to greater rejoicing than you anticipated. "Those who sow in tears shall reap in JOY. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." Psalm 126:5-6 See more on this: When Life Hurts