This week Pastor Josh covers Jesus’s message to the church in Pergamum. We see that faith in Jesus will sometimes mean exclusion from the normal pieces of society.
- The city of Pergamum was a world class city, hosting the Imperial Cult and many pagan temples.
- Christians were pressured to give allegiance to the state and to compromise by participating in pagan practices.
- Christians today must reject “Christianity lite” that gives devotion to the state and participates in what causes us to be unfaithful to Jesus.
COMMUNITY GROUP QUESTIONS:
- What are the biggest cultural pressures to your faith? What do you think are the biggest barriers to you making it through life with your faith intact and vibrant?
- One threat to the Christians in Pergamum was the temptation to give devotion to the Roman government. How do you see this temptation in Christianity today? Does it happen on both sides of the political aisle?
- While we don’t feel tempted to worship pagan deities, we still are tempted to participate in culture today through identity creation. Why is it so critical that we receive our truest identity from Jesus? How does making our own identity actually lead us away from Jesus?
- The good news is that everything compromise would win us is already given to us in Jesus, and at no cost to us. Because of that we can endure momentary exclusion for the sake of inclusion with Jesus. What aspects of the Gospel give you the most strength to endure as a Christian?