Brothers Beware of Becoming Nicolaitans in the Season of St. Nicholas

December 1, 2003
Michael Evans
  

With Christmas right around the corner it seems an appropriate time to issue a friendly warning to my fellow pilgrims about an incipient threat to that which matters most.

In Revelation Chs. 2-3 the exalted Christ directed His words, through the Apostle John, to seven different churches scattered throughout Asia Minor. 

The relevance of these letters to the contemporary church is stunning.  The first of these letters was written to the church in Ephesus. 

It was a church known for its “good deeds,” “toil,” and “perseverance” as well as the fact that they did not “tolerate evil men” (2:2).

They “put to the test” those who claimed to be apostles.  This was a theologically and doctrinally sound group of people.  Unlike most of these seven churches this one has no theological error.

Their collective bloodhound’s nose for truth left no stone unturned.  One of the commendations Christ has for them is that they “hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate” (2:6).

More about these guys in a minute, but for now I want you all to see that theological and doctrinal precision are not the sum total of what pleases our Lord.  This is very important, and not nearly enough so for many post-modern quasi-evangelicals.

But in the same breath that he praises the Ephesian believers he also rebukes them strongly by saying “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”

I think what Christ means in this warning is that in spite of their sharp intellect and  theologically shaped minds and hearts, they had lost the fervent love for Christ that they had at first.

If there is one great challenge during this season of the year it is for ourselves to maintain, and then to project to our families, the Christ-centered nature of Christmas.

The word of Christ to the church was this: “..remember from where you have fallen and repent” [have a change of mind toward God].

Brothers, is it possible that we have become Nicolaitans (sounds like Nickuhlayuhtans) even if we know nothing about them?

In the Bible the word “Nicolaitans” occurs two times. Once in Revelation 2:6 and the other in Rev.  3:15.  Each is in a negative sense.

The reason you probably have never heard of these false teachers before is because very little is known about them.

Apparently this group was formed during the earliest years of the Christian Church by a man named Nicholas of Antioch.

His claim to infamy was that of working out a compromise with paganism that allowed Christians to take part without embarrassment in some of the social and religious activities of their local communities (New Bible Dictionary, p.834).

I believe the spirit of Nicholas is still at work in the 21^st century church as well, as compromises with paganism are made everyday so as to make Christians feel more and more cozy with this world and all of its ideas.

There is very little which which modern day Nicolaitans cannot “justify” doing.  Last week I heard of  a large historic Des Moines church that is advertising their Christmas program.

In an almost unbelievable alliance with the Nicolaitan spirit of the age, they are bringing in the Des Moines gay men’s chorus to do their Christmas program, complete with Santa and elves.

What would Christ have to say to this?  If Christ hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans, and He did, and if Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, then it follows that He still hates the deeds of the Nicolaitans.

But let’s not just look around for examples in other people or churches.  Examination must begin with ourselves.

In what ways have we, as the divinely commissioned leaders of our homes, become like the Nicolaitans?  In what ways have we compromised truth for convenience, orthodoxy for lazy emotionalism?

The Christmas season is a time when the spirit of Nicholas is alive and well…even in the air we breathe.

I’m not going to launch into a diatribe about the secular origins of many our Christmas traditions.

No, we have never allowed the fat red guy into our home at Christmas-time.  It’s not that Karla or I, or my children don’t believe in the importance of imagination.  We do.  For us it’s a simple matter of truthfulness.  Parents ought not to lie to their children. 

We’ve never had a child who believed in Santa Clause, but if we did we would certainly answer any questions he/she had in a truthful way. 

I must admit I find it humorous when our children tell other children “who still believe” the truth about Santa.  Why?  Because truth is truth and fiction is fiction. 

And, when they do burst a bubble their intentions have nothing to do with a sinister desire to cause emotional distress in a peer.

But, we do put up the stockings and decorate the tree, play the Burl Ives and other Christmas CD’s, make gobs of home-made candies, and have a number of important family traditions.

These traditions are good.  They pull us together in many different ways.  They cause our hearts to be knit more strongly together and I don’t plan on changing a thing.

But, we also remind our children every day of Advent what is the true meaning of Christmas.   And, the true meaning of Christmas  has nothing at all to do with gifts and lights and candy and stockings.

So, some of you may be asking yourselves, “In what way, if any, is the guy who wrote these words not exactly what he warns against?”

Good question.  All of us are probably Nicolaitans to one degree or another.  If you never struggle with questions of your involvement in this secularized world in which we live then you probably live in a place of non-Christlike ease, an isolated existence far away from real life.

But, the reason I believe that I am not a Nicolaitan, even for promulgating the fact that our family shares lots of Christmas traditions, is because we do focus upon Christ through it all.

Is it “focusing on Christ even in the midst of compromise?”  No.  It’s focusing upon Christ. Period.

And, as we focus upon Christ, we also plant some oak trees of tradition which our children will always be able to associate with how Christ’s birth  was celebrated in our home. 

To God be the glory for the memories that are being formed!  And if, and only if you cannot say “to God be the glory for the memories that are being formed” might you need to re-evaluate those traditions.

Before I sign off for this month I have a last-minute gift idea for you fathers for your children.  It doesn’t cost any money and the sweet return is guaranteed.

I ran across this little anecdote from Ann Landers (my primary source for all significant truth).  

It was titled The 365 Day Gift of Time.  She writes, “An attorney I very much admired once said that the greatest gift he ever received in his life was a note his dad gave him on Christmas.

It read, "Son, this year I will give you 365 hours. An hour every day after dinner.  We'll talk about whatever you want to talk about. We'll go wherever you want to go, play whatever you want to play. It will be your hour." That dad kept his promise and renewed it every year.”

May you all have a joyous and Christ-centered Christmas and may the spirit of Nicholas be far from us all, now and always!

On the Lighter side….

“Daddy, you have to remember to take the earrings off.”  These are the words that Elisabeth, my five-year-old daughter spoke to me recently as we completed yet another round of the riveting game, Pretty Pretty Princess.

Her two brothers and I are unbelievably good sports!  However, it won’t be long before Elisabeth will be playing World Domination Risk with the men.  Payback will be sweet indeed. 

I can see it now… “Elisabeth, you will need way more than one cavalry and six infantrymen if you plan on successfully attacking Irkustk from Kamchatka.”  I suspect she will take her earrings and tiara and flitter away.