" 1 Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. 2Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. 3Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief". Revelation 3:1-3 NLT
Jesus was not happy with the church at Sardis. It had a reputation of being alive but, on examination, most of the people were dead in hypocrisy and religion. They had lost that wonderful feeling of salvation. Can you remember yours? It was a wonderful time and words can't even express it. Salvation meant everything and most people would have done anything just to please Jesus. Many have called this the honeymoon of salvation.
What has happened when a church begins to die? Quite frankly, the fire of the Holy Spirit is almost stamped out. Whereas, once the church was thriving, now services contain a degree of apathy and may have become more like a club than a meeting place to welcome people and praise God. Once there was joy and laughter and the fire of the Holy Spirit used to literally floor people; but now, the fire has been quenched. The Word is preached but it is not power-packed with the Holy Spirit so, it falls on deaf ears.
It may be that there has been no particular enthusiastic welcome for new Christians and they have decided to go away and try elsewhere. However, there is a need to check yourselves out. Has hypocrisy crept into your life? Do you read your bible every day and pray? These are total 'musts'. Without the Word in your heart, you cannot expect to be in touch with the Holy Spirit. The Word of God needs to be preached all the time, with conviction and if there is no fruit from it there is a need to find out why not.
Have you and/or the church become dry and arid? Are you religious or a Christian? There is a big difference. Jesus Christ is Lord and there is no other God, no matter what anyone else says. The early church were not multi-faith, they were Christians and so should you be. Jesus says, 'Wake up', They are strong words when Jesus says, 'I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of My God." These are Jesus' words, not mine, please don't shoot the messenger. I believe that Jesus is giving His church a wake-up call and if we fail to take notice of it, we will pay the awful price, because He is not pleased.
Just look at the state of the church today; need I say more. If we don't take notice of this, people are going to go to hell and that, is the awful price. It's time to get your life right. It's time to measure up to what you believe. It is time to check yourself over and honestly see if your actions fit the requirements of Jesus Christ. If they don't, it is time to ensure that they do!
Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.
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