Letters to the Church: Thyatira (The Church part 6)

Revelation 2:18-29 Background  • In the ancient world Thyatira was not very important like Ephesus or Pergamum.   • It was founded as a military outpost to protect the governmental seat of Asia in Pergamum.   • It did become a bit of a trade city because many people traveled through it.   • It was known for its trade guilds (It was a blue-collar city) such as wool and linen workers. It became known for its purple dye (Lydia in Acts 16 was in this line of work).  • There were also a lot of metal and bronze workers in the area.   • At this time in history, trade guilds functioned similarly to modern unions. Yet, each trade guild had a patron deity and to be part of the guild meant that you needed to worship that deity, attend the guild worship festivals, and this would have been a major problem for Christians.    Faithful witness- What do we learn from Thyatira about what it means to be a faithful witness?   • Balance of Love and Doctrine/Theology: Thyatira did love well (unlike Ephesus) but they got into the ditch. They neglected doctrine and theology. This shows the importance of being studied and having discernment in order to refute false teachings, but in love. How are we doing in the American Church?   • Spirit of Jezebel: Is the mindset of the world/Ba’al/Satan creeping into the church? Immorality, power-over systems, self-seeking motives?   • What does ruling look like? Do we want to rule like Jesus or Rome? Jesus is calling the church to be servants, to be shepherds and not to Lord over. The church needs to get back to “washing feet” rather than grasping for political and top down power.