Conference 2026 July 1st-6th
Laurelville Church Center
Mount Pleasant, PA
Conference Schedule Conference Poster
"Jesus and the CGBCI"
Pastor Ike Graham and Nancy
PRESIDENT’S CORNER – Pastor Isaac Graham
How are you doing on your chart of the 7 churches of Revelation 2-3? Havecyou searched out what the commendation, condemnation, counsel and comfort of Jesus was to the church in Pergamum in Revelation 2:12-17? Whoa! “Where Satan’s throne is” (Revelation 2:13). This is ominous. If Jesus said, “Satan’s throne is in Mishawaka, IN; or Orrville, OH; or Alto, MI, what would you think? Pergamum was the home of the forty foot statue of Zeus. It was the capital of the Roman empire in Asia. Its library was second only to Alexandria. It was impressive from a human perspective, but Jesus calls it the throne of Satan. None of us are in Washington, D.C. or Moscow or Beijing, but Satan has satellite outposts which touch us where we are. Jesus commends Pergamum for holding fast to His name; not denying the faith, and persevering to death as Antipas did. Jesus values faithfulness highly. Would He say these same things about us as a Fellowship and about each local church?
When I was building my garage many years ago, I found termites in the walls. Those pests can wreak havoc on a structure and undermine a lot of hard work. There are spiritual termites too. Do you see the termites that were in Pergamum in Revelation 2:14-15? There were Balaam-like teachers who coveted money more than God’s favor. Like Balaam, they may have been unbelievers. They also tolerated the Nicolaitans. Clement of Alexandria said that the Nicolaitans “abandoned themselves to pleasure like goats, leading a life of self-indulgence.”
How are you and your local church faring? Will we repent when Jesus points out our sin (Revelation 2:16)? Jesus is serious. Do you see that in verse 16? He tells us to listen. Are you listening to what the Spirit says to this church and to the churches?
All the water in the world, however hard it tried, could never sink a ship; unless it got inside. All the evil in the world, the wickedness and sin, can never sink the soul’s craft, unless it gets within. After making a profession of faith, a man once said to D.L. Moody, “Must I give up the world?” The evangelist answered, “No…but if you give a ringing testimony for the Son of God, the world will give you up pretty quickly. They will not want you around.” And, John Wesley said, “Anything that cools my love for Christ is the world.”
