Saturday May 06th, 2023
« Love does not delight in Evil, but rejoices with the truth »
Read: Proverbs 17:13-15 and Revelation 2:18-29
13 Whoever rewards evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam, so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.
15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent, the Lord detests them both.
18 To the angel of the church in Thyatira write; these things say the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet like fine brass;
19 I know your deeds, your love, service, faith, and your perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
20 Nevertheless I have a few things against you; you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
21 And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality; and she did not repent.
22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her to suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.
23 I will kill her children with death; and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the heart and the minds and I will repay each one of you according to your deeds.
24 Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, to you who do hold to her teachings and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets; I will not put none of the burdens on you.
25 But hold fast what you have until I come.
26 To the ones who overcome and keep my works until the end, I will give power over the nations:
27 That one will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery, just as I have received authority from my Father.
28 I will also give that one the morning star.
29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches?
One doctrine of the world that is gradually creeping into the Body of Christ is that which says “If you cannot beat them, join them.”
This doctrine is inconsistent with the values of the kingdom we belong to on multiple fronts.
Our lifestyle is characterized by love – God’s kind of love – as our memory verse states, this kind of love does not rejoice in iniquity.
Because the world is full of iniquity and scoffs at righteous living, we cannot walk in God’s love when we raise our hands in surrender to join the world in their way of life.
Not rejoicing in iniquity simply means standing against evil - as defined by the standard of God's word.
This is one of the problems facing the Church today.
Those who refuse to condemn evil and wicked acts are indirectly rejecting and standing against those who are just.
One cannot sit on the fence on issues; we either speak out against evil and uphold righteousness or justify evil in our silence.
As seen in today’s Bible reading, justifying the wicked is an abomination before the Lord.
In His letter to the Church at Thyatira in Revelation 2:18-29, our Lord Jesus Christ commended their charitable service, faith and patience, and then warned them against tolerating sexual immorality typified by a certain Jezebel who called herself a prophetess. She was seducing innocent souls in the Church into sexual immorality and taught a doctrine that encouraged this lifestyle.
There are such prophets and prophetesses in the Church today, teaching doctrines that encourage immoral dressing, promiscuity, abortion, masturbation and sexual perversion in the Body of Christ.
When you go to such places and see the way their followers are dressed, you will instantly know that the doctrine of Jezebel is being taught there.
Thank God our Lord already spoke to us in Matthew 7:20, saying:
« Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them. »
God is calling on us to stand against evil today.
However, we must first reject evil within the Church before taking the battle to the gate of hell out there.
As Christians, it must not be mentioned amongt us that we rejoice in iniquity (1 Corinthians 13:6), by applauding instead of condemning acts that are against God’s word and His kingdom’s cause, due to a fear of backlash or condemnation from the children of this world.
This is why believers fear to preach against homosexuality in certain countries, if you do, you may be jailed and your fellow brethren might condemn you as being foolish or even wrong!
Some pastors also can’t preach against corruption in high places and gain gotten through illicit means because they fear losing income and members.
The truth has indeed been mortgaged in some quarters of Christendom.
Beloved, arise and let us in one mind stand up against evil.
Application: Pray for the revival of standing for the truth of God’s word in the Body of Christ, and ask the Lord to grant your pastors the boldness to declare His Name without fear.
Author: Bishop Enoch. A. Adeboye.
Edited by Naomie
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