[As a believer I know I am only here on earth for a short time. I know by the signs of the times that I am living in the beginning of the end of times (Matthew 24) and will be leaving with Jesus when He comes. I sense the days drawing short and want to be ready when He does come so I am seeking God as to what He wants me doing until that very hour. "WHILE I AM HERE" articles are snapshots, if you will, of that discovery. I hope what I share in this series stirs you into action as well.]
Revelation 3:1-6
“And he who overcomes (is victorious) and who obeys My commands to the very end (doing the works that please Me), I will give him…” Rev. 2:26 AMP
Chapters two and three of Revelation are messages written to seven churches. When we think of these churches we tend to focus on what their problems were. God not only revealed to the churches what their problems were, but he gave them solutions and promised great things if they enacted those solutions. I encourage you to read these two chapters in Revelation because I think you will find yourself like at least one of these churches. Probably the most remembered is the Laodicean Church for being “lukewarm” but right now let us discuss the church in Sardis.
Sardis had a major problem in their church: they were dead! There were a few people in the church who were still alive but they were not enough to keep the church alive. It was dead. We have all probably attended a dead church once or twice in our lives. You enter the church and sit down; no one greets you or acknowledges you. The service starts with a prayer read out of a prayer book and then a hymn is sang, a scripture is read, an offering is taken, a singer sings a solo and the minister stands at the pulpit and talks about something that is acceptable or even pleasant to hear but might not even open his Bible or give scripture reference to back up what he is saying. There is a prayer of blessing over people to close the service and then everyone gets up and walks out. You did not sense anything from the church: no joy, friendship, sorrow – nothing. A dead church is a sad thing. The potential God had for them is no longer possible, or is it?
God told the Sardis church to rouse them selves and keep awake. They needed to strengthen and invigorate what remained and was on the point of dying. He told them how to do this. They were to call to mind the lessons they received and heard. They needed to CONTINUALLY take them to heart, obey them, and repent. If they did not do this then He would come upon them like a thief (not knowing what day or hour He would come).
“Behold, I am going to come like a thief! Blessed (happy, to be envied) is he who stays awake (alert) and who guards his clothes, so that he may not be naked and [have the shame of being] seen exposed!” Revelation 16:15 AMP
If the church of Sardis did CONTINUALLY take the lessons they had learned to heart, obey them, and repent then they would not find their sinful lives exposed at Christ’s return.
This rings true in our individual lives as well. How alive do we feel? Are we excited to go to church? Do we feel the move of the Holy Spirit during our times of worship? If not than maybe we need to do what God told the Sardis church to do: call to mind the lessons we have received and heard. We need to CONTINUALLY take them to heart, obey them, and repent. Only then will we overcome and be victorious.
“Who then is the faithful, thoughtful, and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household to give to the others the food and supplies at the proper time? Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is that servant whom, when his master comes, he will find so doing.” Matthew 24:45-46 AMP
