Brothers and sisters of Pergamum, honoured citizens and friends,
Peace be with you all. I come to you today with a message of harmony and practical wisdom for our beloved community. As followers of the Way in this great city, we face unique challenges that require thoughtful navigation rather than rigid obstinance.
Let me begin by affirming what we all believe: Jesus Christ is indeed our Saviour who died for our sins and rose again. Nothing I say diminishes this central truth. But I ask you—did Christ not come to set us free? Did Paul not write that “all things are lawful” for believers? Our Lord Himself ate with tax collectors and sinners, showing that holiness exists in the heart, not in external rituals.
Our Roman neighbours invite us to their feasts and celebrations honouring the emperor and our city’s gods. They ask only that we participate in the customary rituals—a pinch of incense, a respectful bow, a token offering. These are merely social customs, friends, not matters of the heart. When we participate, we do so with the knowledge that “an idol is nothing” as Paul himself teaches. Our minds remain fixed on Christ even as our bodies engage in these harmless civic duties.
Consider the practical reality of our situation. We live in Pergamum, seat of Roman authority, home to the temple of Augustus, the Asklepion, and the great altar of Zeus. Our livelihoods, our children’s futures, our very safety depend on maintaining harmonious relations with our neighbours. Is it worth sacrificing all this for mere symbols and gestures that mean nothing to us internally?
Some among you quote the Jerusalem Council, which instructed believers to abstain from food sacrificed to idols and from sexual immorality. But look at how Paul nuanced these teachings! He permits eating food sacrificed to idols so long as it does not trouble your conscience. As for the union of bodies, is this not also subject to context and intention? The sexual rites of the temples are cultural expressions—ways that our neighbours worship according to their understanding. When we participate minimally to maintain social bonds, our hearts remain untouched, still belonging fully to Christ.
Remember that our Lord taught us to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” Wisdom in Pergamum means finding accommodation with the powers that be. The rigid position some advocate—refusing all participation in civic festivals, declining dinner invitations where libations might be poured, avoiding the gymnasium because of its patron deities—this is not spiritual purity but social suicide. It brings unnecessary persecution upon us and closes the ears of those who might otherwise hear the gospel.
Some will point to Antipas who died rather than compromise. I honour his conviction but question his wisdom. Did his death advance the gospel? Did it not rather harden attitudes against us? Christ does not call us all to martyrdom when simple accommodation would allow us to live and spread his message more effectively.
As for intimate relations, let us be mature in our thinking. The body’s pleasures, when enjoyed with moderation and mutual respect, harm no one. The temple prostitution some condemn so vehemently is simply the way business and social bonds are cemented in our culture. To reject these customs entirely is to reject integration with our community. Would you become like the Jews, a people set apart and increasingly resented? Or would you be salt and light, present in the world even while your heart belongs to Christ?
Consider this practical wisdom: when invited to a temple feast, go with thanksgiving. When asked to acknowledge the divine emperor, do so outwardly while inwardly giving allegiance only to Christ. When business customs involve the sacred prostitutes, fulfil your social obligations with discretion. These small compromises preserve your place in society while surrendering nothing of your true faith.
Those who oppose this balanced approach cite the words of Revelation, speaking of the “teaching of Balaam” and “sexual immorality.” But these apocalyptic warnings use symbolic language not meant to be applied literally to everyday social customs. The true spiritual adultery is hardness of heart toward God, not participation in the harmless rituals of our culture.
In closing, I remind you that the kingdom of God consists not in what we eat or drink, not in rigid adherence to behavioural codes, but in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Christ has set us free from the law of sin and death, free from the burden of ritual purity, free to live as responsible citizens of Pergamum even as we remain citizens of heaven.
Let us therefore embrace this liberty, maintaining our inner devotion to Christ while outwardly respecting the customs of our neighbours. This is not compromise but compassion; not betrayal but bridge-building. In so doing, we make the gospel attractive rather than alienating, and we secure for ourselves and our children a future in this great city where God has placed us.
May wisdom guide your paths as you consider these things.
Your friend and brother
Nico