Scripture Reading: Revelation 2:18-29
Thyatira was not a magnificent city in antiquity and was relatively obscure compared to Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamum. It was known for the manufacture of purple dyes and the making of cloth. In Acts 16, the first convert in Philippi was Lydia, a seller of purple fabrics, from the city of Thyatira (Acts 16:14).
The commendation of the church in Thyatira is glowing and emphatic. "I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first" (Rev 2:19).
But there was a serious problem in the church. There was an influential woman (she is referred to as 'Jezebel' in Rev 2:20) who had encouraged some of the people in the church toward acts of immorality. The church was tolerating her and these practices. In spite of the sterling qualities within the church, its purity had been compromised.
The church in America today faces the same struggle. Moral purity is increasingly difficult to maintain, due to blatant sexually-charged messages everywhere. Pornography is a multi-billion-dollar business in the US alone. Let us guard our heads and hearts, lest we compromise the church's purity and effectiveness. Let us, like Job, make a covenant with our eyes so we will not dishonor God and we will not deaden our hearts by what we see (Job 31:1). "How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word" (Psa 119:9).
