“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead” (Revelation 3:1 ESV).
Unlike Jesus’ other letters to the churches of Revelation chapters two and three, His message to the church at Sardis is noteworthy for what it doesn’t say.
In each of his previous letters, Jesus acknowledged at least one commendable activity in every church. For instance, Jesus praised the Ephesian church for it’s patience, labor, and perseverance. He commended the church at Smyrna for remaining strong in the midst of tribulation. Jesus recognized the church at Pergamum for it’s faithfulness, even when one of their members had been martyred. Finally, Jesus voiced His approval of the church at Thyatira in recognition of their love, faith, service, patience, and good works
But unlike those churches, Jesus had no message of approval for the Christian community in Sardis. Jesus’ opening remarks from Revelation 3:1 point to that unfortunate reality: “Everyone may think you are alive, but you are dead” (CEV). If the church at Sardis were active today, it would probably be known as an active, dynamic congregation with a schedule full of various activities. To use Jesus’ terminology, it would likely be the kind of church that maintained a “reputation of being alive” (NIV).
This portion of Scripture thus holds an important message for modern-day church fellowships. Jesus’ letter to church at Sardis tells us that a church may be engaged in a range of activities that appear to serve God, yet still be far from His desired path. In light of this, we should seek out church congregations where the leaders focus on fulfilling the commission given to us in Ephesians 4:12…
“Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ” (NLT).
A key attribute of a good church lies in its capacity to prepare its members to undertake the work God has called them to do. On the other hand, a church with a good reputation that fails to help its members understand and apply God’s Word will likely fail in it’s mission to help them fulfill God’s will in their lives.
Finally, this portion of Jesus’ message to the church at Sardis reminds us that Jesus saw these individuals for who they were, and not what they appeared to be. The same holds true of everyone today, especially those who self-identify as members of the Christian community.
Image Credit: Ryk Neethling Open Bible, CC BY 2.0