Craig T. Owens

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” —Edmund Burke

This is as true for Christians as it is for anyone else.

In addressing the church at Pergamum (see Revelation 2:12-17), Jesus calls the Christians out for their silence. He tells them that what He has against them is their close relationship with those who hold to unbiblical ideas.

Pergamum’s sin is our sin in the USA today: tolerance. We let things slide, hoping to get along with others, trying not to rock the boat, trying to avoid being labeled a “hater,” and finding ways to be everyone’s friend.

There is a Latin phrase used in legal circles that says: Qui tacet consentire, which means Silence gives consent. If you don’t speak up to challenge what is stated, it is assumed that you believe it.

Jesus calls the church at Pergamum to repent for their tolerance. He calls for them to speak the truth of God’s Word. Twice the phrase is used to remind us of God’s Word being sharper than a double-edged sword.

Our job as Christians is not to win an argument, bring conviction, or become the sin police. Our job is to speak God’s truth in love.

True friends speak out when someone they care about is making a foolish choice. True Christians loving speak The Truth when the world around them is selling out to a convenient lie.

“In keeping silent about evil, in burying it so deep within us that no sign of it appears on the surface, we are implanting it, and it will rise up a thousandfold in the future. When we neither punish nor reproach evildoers … we are ripping the foundations of justice from beneath new generations.” —Alexander Solzhenitsyn

I will be continuing our series The 7-Star Church: Becoming The Church That Pleases Christ next Sunday. If you are in the area, I would love to have you join me.