So far, we’ve looked at three of the seven letters that Jesus delivered to various first-century churches as recorded in the Biblical book of Revelation. The fourth of those letters was sent to the church that was located in the city of Thyatira. Although Thyatira was the smallest of these seven churches, their letter was the most extensive in terms of its length.
The city of Thyatira was located off a secondary road between the cities of Pergamum (whose church received the second letter from Jesus) and Sardis (whose letter appears in the following chapter). While there is evidence to show that there was some industrial and commercial activity in Thyatira at the time of this letter, it doesn’t seem as if Thyatira was a prominent city during that time.
Although Thyatira had it’s share of pagan religious worship and trade-guild activity like the city of Smyrna, it doesn’t appear that the Christians of that area received the same degree of religious persecution that the church at Smyrna experienced. But much like Jesus’ letters to the churches at Ephesus and Pergamum, His letter to the church at Thyatira reveals that it had a mixture of some good things and some not-so-good things…
“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write, ‘These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass: I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first” (Revelation 2:18-19).
The church at Thyatira had four outstanding qualities that Jesus mentions here within this passage: love, faith, service, and perseverance (or patient, cheerful endurance). While Jesus praised the Christians at Pergamum for their faith, and gave His approval to the church at Ephesus for their perseverance, the Christians in Thyatira possessed both those qualities- and they were increasing in them.
Unlike some of the other churches that received letters from Jesus in the book of Revelation, it certainly appears that the Christians in Thyatira had the right motivation, the right attitude, the right conduct, and the right character. The members of the Christian community at Thyatira were not motivated by an artificial religious commitment; in fact, Thyatira is the only church among the seven that Jesus praises for it’s love.
Unfortunately, it appears that some of that love may have been expressed in an inappropriate manner as we’ll see next.