Is it alive or dead?

Revelation 3:1-6 

You do not want to receive this letter from the angel of the church in Sardis; this letter should bring shame and fear into your heart and mind.  This is what the angel said; “I know your works.  You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.  Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.  Remember, then, what you received and heard.  Keep it, and repent.  If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.”

How often do you hear someone say, that’s my church, or I am a member of Pastor Big Shot’s church, and the angel of that church will say, wake up, it’s either the church of the living God, or it is a poser, it may have the reputation of being alive, but God who sees the heart says, it is dead.  It may be on TV nation wide, it may be the darling of the world and Pastor Big Shot may be called on to speak at all the important worldly functions, but if Jesus Christ is not proclaimed, if sin is not exposed, and people are not coming to an understanding that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father, that church is dead.

How sad it is when you see a church with the reputation of being alive, it has the latest and greatest program, it is busy, has a large staff of very busy professional people, and people love to attend services because the pastor never makes them feel uncomfortable, he tells the greatest stories and you can buy the best coffee and books as you leave the service. I am not speaking against coffee and good books that will help you and I develop, and become more mature, but the message must be based on the authority of Scripture. It should matter how God sees the place you and I call Church, not how you feel, the question to be answered is; are the works complete in the sight of God, is it alive or dead, the angel says; “for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.  Remember, then, what you received and heard.  Keep it, and repent.  If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.”

Even in the church in Sardis the angel tells us, “Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.”  Jesus goes on to tell those few, “I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.  He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice