Refuse the Teachings of the Nicolaitans

Greetings in the Lord~

Well, this week there was one particular news headline that grabbed my attention, and into which the Lord also gave me some insight.  That headline was about the Methodist drag queen that is on the road to becoming an ordained pastor in that denomination.  Actually, it was quite shocking to see the headline and picture, which had her in full costume as Ms. Penny Cost.  But what I found more shocking was her "teaching" and poem that had been shared on YouTube.  The poem was filled with profanity and anti-God statements and her false teaching was straight up paganism, although she never revealed directly which god she worships.  The bottom line is--he and his ideas are not Christian.  He is a modern-day Nicolaitan.

The Nicolaitans were condemned by the Early Church and in Revelation 2-3 for their teaching on spiritual compromise on worldliness and endorsement of sexual immorality.  In doing research on the originator of this school of thought, Nicolas, it makes complete sense---he was a Gentile/pagan who had first converted to Judaism, then to Christianity, and finally became a Deacon within the Early Church.  However, he never gave up his pagan ways or ideas.  Instead, he blended them together as he saw fit.  So obviously, his religious conversions were superficial and a way for him to gain acceptance and clout within the religious community---all the while promoting a hybrid form of paganized Christianity.  Not good.  Similar to many Western Christians of today, he must have felt he did not have to give up one to practice the other, ultimately.  His false teachings even included the acceptance of sexual immorality, probably stemming from his prior occult pagan practices.  

It is interesting that one of the earliest acts of judgment we read about in the Bible happened to Sodom and Gomorrah over the issue of paganism.  These pagan cities were so detestable and corrupt in their worship of false gods and violence towards each other that God simply destroyed them.  I'm sure this was meant to be an example for all future generations of God worshipers to warn them not to follow in their footsteps, but alas, only a few chapters later we read about the false prophet Balaam teaching the Moabites to entice the Israelites into sin by inviting them to worship their false gods by engaging in their sexual rituals.  Thus we can learn a very important spiritual lesson here: idolatry leads to all forms of sin including sexual sin and perversion, and the other way is true too, sexual sin and perversion is a part of pagan worship, even if it just the endorsement of sexual sin.  So we can see that the sin of the Nicolaitans was not too many degrees away from pure paganism, in that they taught that the compromise of their Christian faith with pagan/occult/worldly practices and beliefs was acceptable.  It was a doctrine of spiritual compromise that would dilute the truth about true holiness, God's Word, and the Holy God they said they served.

So it seems we are in a time of a very public modern-day Nicolaitan standing in the pulpit of the Methodist Church, trying once again to "nikos" or 'conquer' the "laos," the 'people,' for that is what Nicolas means.  It is absolute blasphemy what else this man teaches and preaches, but suffice to say that clearly, this man is not a Christian.  However, I do believe that he has a prophetic purpose, and that is to sift out the unbelievers in the crowd of "believers;" those that would be enticed to follow and serve other gods and preach another Jesus other than Jesus Christ, for the "gospel" of compromise is subduing and weakening the Body of Christ.  It is time for the real followers of Christ to gather together so that the truth of the Gospel can go forward and prosper and let the others flounder in darkness.  Maybe they will yet come to repentance after satan has dealt with them -- one can only pray. 

This is why I have written so much about the dangers of Harry Potter over the years, as well as many of the other social deviant norms happening in our world today.  For it is taking many away from the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and many more are adopting occult beliefs and practices which are leading them further into spiritual darkness.  It is not a coincidence that this younger generation is so confused about gender and sexuality either, as that is a byproduct of idolatry and the occult.  All forms of sin stem from idolatry, to be sure, but when you bring these cursed items into your house, you open the door to evil, including sexual perversion, and it won't be long before its influence will manifest in your thinking and behavior.  Many say, "I'm a Christian and go to Church, who cares if I have that children's book in my house?"  The darkness cares; it is an invitation to ruin you!  What unclean spirit could refuse such a delicious offer?  But how much more insidious is it to have a Nicolaitian preach lies and perversion from the pulpit and have entire congregations tolerate it?  Worse than Harry Potter, for Harry was a sorcerer, not a professing Christian.

So, today I pray for the Methodist Church, that they will hold tightly to the Word of God and recognize and resist the teachings of Nicolaitans among them; that they would reject those teachings and keep themselves pure and holy in God's sight.  They Bible tells us to go to the offending brother to try and work it out, but it they refuse to repent, then to cast out the immoral brother and not associate with them, and by God's grace we would do that in peace and love.  Ultimately, we are responsible for our own actions, words, and thoughts before God, so we find those who adhere to the Word of God and gather together in fellowship and true worship with them.  May God give us the strength to address what needs to be addressed, and the grace to withstand what we must endure and the wisdom to know the difference. 

"To all who are victorious, obey Me to the very end: To them I will give authority over all the nations.  They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.  They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!  Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the Churches." Revelation 2:26-29.

~Be blessed and be a blessing.