The letter to the church at Pergamum is found at Revelation 2:12-14.   I was surprised that the ruins of Pergamum are on a mountain that overlooks the modern city of Bergama.   I expected the ancient cities to be on flat ground.  It was stunningly beautiful.

At this city, I was chosen by Upstream Collective to be interviewed.

The video below is an interview that Dr. Ed Stetzer did with me at Pergamum.   We had to carefully choose our words with some local residents passing by, so we avoided words like “missions” and “missionaries.”   This will give you an idea of what  I was thinking about regarding the gospel as I traveled in Turkey.

One of the most haunting moments of the entire trip happened in Pergamum, when the Muslim call to prayer occurred from the city below and echoed up the mountain to the ruins where we were.  This call to prayer occured whild Dr. Ed Stetzer was teaching from Revelation 2:12-14.  This occurrence was a physical reminder that there are voices trying to drown out the Word of God all over this planet.  Asia Minor (Turkey) once held great churches, but today the gospel is silent in this country of 78 million.

To hear Dr. Stetzer sermon at Pergaamum, watch the video below.  At about 2:23, you will faintly hear the Muslim call to prayer (it was much louder in person).

Ed Stetzer’s review of Pergamum is fantastic and worth your time to read:

Scholars like to debate the reasons for Jesus’ warning to the church at Pergamum in the Book of Revelation. It’s full of cryptic references to the “throne of Satan” and the teachings of the “Nicolaitans.” I’m no scholar, but after visiting the site, I have a much better understanding of the passage and how the warning applies to us today.

What’s left of the city of Pergamum (also called Pergamon) is situated on a hill overlooking the modern Turkish city of Bergama. In fact, you’ve got to take a gondola to reach the ruins at all. Rolling green hills were the backdrop for carefully-reconstructed marble columns and intricately carved friezes. We couldn’t help but marvel at the ancient Greeks’ engineering and craftsmanship.

This Acropolis is filled with temples. Built in honor of Athena, Dionysus, and the Roman Emperor Trajan, these places of worship established the city’s reputation throughout the empire as a spiritual place. Pergamum was home to a significant number of Christians as well, and although they had not denied Christ, Jesus says that they had allowed themselves to be influenced by paganism, idolatry, and false teachings.

What about the church today? What can we learn from Pergamum?

For starters, we need to look at what we’ve allowed to influence us. Some historians say that the “Nicolaitans” referred to in John’s Revelation from Jesus are authoritarian clergy who sought to oppress the laity. Are we on the watch for manipulative leaders within our ranks?

Because its citizens worshiped men and false gods, Jesus referred to Pergamum as being, “where Satan lives.” Are we certain to worship the Most High God and Him alone? What worldly and satanic philosophies have we allowed to creep in? The result of these infidelities is enmity with God.

The lesson for us is that it isn’t enough to simply not deny Christ in the face of opposition. We must also stand against the subtle influences of the world around us, especially the empty religion that tend toward. We must continually repent from those things and turn toward Christ.

In the end, I believe that Jesus mentions the church at Pergamum in Revelation because the believers there faced a similar spiritual climate to what we face today. As we explored the beautiful ruins of ancient Pergamum, it occurred to us that we were, in a sense, viewing one possible future for the church in America. Our only hope against evil and deceit is to hold tightly to the gospel of Christ; to know the Word of God and to hold every practice, philosophy, and teaching to its standard.

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* In May 2011, Aaron Allison toured the “Seven Churches of Revelation (Revelation Chapter 2-3)” that are all located in modern-day Turkey with Upstream Collective.