“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one with the sharp two-edged sword:
‘I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city. But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching. Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
‘Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.'”
When I was a child I used to love the story of Balaam and his donkey. I thought it was so funny that Balaam talked back when his donkey started talking to him. Balaam didn’t seem surprised! The reference in today’s passage caused me to dig into Balaam’s story more deeply. The talking donkey isn’t the most important part of his story. You can read about him in Numbers 22-23, Deuteronomy 23, and Joshua 24. If you read the Numbers account quickly, it may seem like Balaam was faithful to God, since he repeatedly said that he would not be able to say anything that God did not direct him to say. While that was true, notice that Balaam was willing to take a bribe in an attempt to curse the people of Israel. It didn’t work because God’s will prevailed, but in the end it showed us Balaam’s heart. He was willing to do anything for money, and he sought to obtain messages from God through methods that God did not approve of.
Critical thinking and spiritual discernment go hand-in-hand. Teachers like Balaam may sound convincing, and God may even speak through them in spite of their wickedness. I am concerned that the church in America today is not producing discerning disciples. We are easily lured in by false teachers of all kinds. We seem to believe that any invitation into power or any financial “blessing” is from God. Thus, we follow anyone who offers us power or money and we call it good.
Pay attention. There are a lot of talking heads out there trying to get your attention, convince you to follow them, sell you a product, or paint a picture of an “alternative truth.” If you do not have a discerning and critical spirit, you will easily be convinced. We know that anyone who promises to save you and points to themselves rather than Jesus is a false teacher. My heart has been broken in the recent years for the ways that the church has been led astray by larger than life leaders who claim to be great. If you don’t know who I am talking about, then pause and check in on your information intake. What sources are you leaning on for truth? Who’s cause are you focused on — Jesus’ or someone else’s?