Jump Start # 2310

Revelation 3:3 “Remember therefore what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. If therefore you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you.”

Our verse today comes from the message to Sardis church. There are many layers of lessons to be seen here, and in doing that it is easy to miss the obvious, overall lesson. That same overall lesson can be found in the message to the church at Ephesus and as well as Laodicea. Those three churches, as described to us in Revelation, were a mess.

• Ephesus had lost their first love
• Laodicea was lukewarm
• Sardis was dead

Not sure which, if any, were better than the others. I guess it’s like saying, “Would you rather get punched in the stomach or in the face?” My answer would be, “Neither.” Churches do not start out this way. Lukewarm won’t start a congregation. Dead definitely won’t start anything. It takes energy, drive, zeal, goals, vision and a whole lot of work to begin a congregation. There is a level of excitement. Lots of folks are invited and talked to. That’s how churches generally start. But, by this page in our Bibles, time has passed by. Things have settled down. Ephesus lost their focus. Laodicea was going through the motions. And, Sardis, was on life support, already flat lining.

What is interesting in the Lord’s words to all three of these congregations is that the word “Repent” is used. A whole congregation can repent. Things can change. Now here are some thoughts:

First, the Lord had not given up on these places. You read in the paper of stores closing their doors. They are going out of business. They can’t make it. That’s not the message here. Dead churches can come alive. Lukewarm churches can become hot again. And, churches that have lost their love can get it back. Things do not have to stay the way that they are. A dead church isn’t destined to remain dead. The fate isn’t sealed. It’s not too late.

Second, for these churches to change, the individual members had to get on the ball and change their lives. A church is dead because the members are dead. A church is lukewarm because the members are lukewarm. A church loses it’s love and focus because the members have. So, for these churches to change, to repent, it would have to start within the hearts of the members. This is where the ball is often dropped. We go along for the ride, wanting someone else to turn things around. Don’t count on me and don’t use me, is a common thought. If things get better, I’ll stick around. If they don’t, you won’t see much of me. It’s that spirit that keeps a dead church dead. Until everyone repents and gets on board with the Lord, the place will remain dead. Faith in Jesus is lived at home and at work as well as in worship. What was going on at home? Were they praying? Were they connecting to the Lord? Our faith can’t remain at the church house. It is who we are. Our faith defines us. Our faith determines our choices. A dead church is the result of dead faith—everywhere.

Third, until these churches turned around, they were doing more harm than good. The state of all three, loveless, lukewarm and lifeless is of no value to the community nor to the members. People aren’t encouraged in such places. Going through the motions doesn’t touch anyone’s heart. Lives aren’t changed and people aren’t brought to Christ in such settings. These places create a false sense of security. The illusion of being right fogs the reality of heartless indifference. There isn’t much difference between the man in the world and a dead faith in Christ that these folks had. A dead faith won’t make the right choices. A dead faith won’t deal with worry, fear and death. A dead faith doesn’t help anyone.

I know some places like this. Small, doing nothing, keeping house and wasting money because they don’t have the energy to turn things around and they don’t want to have to go to some other place. So, they keep heating and cooling these church buildings and the numbers continue to get smaller and smaller. No reaching the community. No social media presence. No bringing in friends. No goals. No future. Just lifeless sermons being preached to lifeless folks sitting in the pews. Why? Why put up with this? Why not change?

Fourth, the avenue of change comes from the word of God. That is always the roadway to life, hope and forgiveness. God’s word must be preached. It must be preached boldly. It must challenge, move and change those people. Leadership must begin to lead. Stir the pot. Get back into a deeper study of God’s word. Focus upon the power of that word and how it changed lives.

We understand this individually. In our sins, we were dead to Christ. Yet, through that powerful word, we believed and we changed. We found life and our whole lives changed. It works individually and it will work congregationally. Preach the word. That’s the key. Don’t preach nice, safe lessons. Preach what needs to be preached. The power is in the word of God. Believe that.

Loveless, lifeless and lukewarm—terrible conditions for a church to be in. But they would remain that way if the members remained content and didn’t want to put much effort into their faith. Deception is one of Satan’s greatest lies. We convince ourselves that things are not too bad, when they really are. We take no steps to change things. Problems do not go away. A leaky roof doesn’t fix itself. A heart problem doesn’t cure itself. Closing our eyes to the obvious only lengthens the time a church remains in a desperate condition.

And, with all of this, God is not pleased. He wants us to be strong and growing. He is not happy when we are loveless, lifeless and lukewarm. We fool ourselves that all is well, but it’s not. And, to think God may ask of us, “Why did you not repent?” “Why did you not change?” That would be hard to answer. Some would point their fingers at others and believe, ‘it wasn’t our place to change things.’ But it is.

We cannot accept nor be content with substandard faith and actions. We tolerate weakness and accept the idea that some will just be like that. Help the weak, is what the Thessalonians were told. Bind up the broken is what the shepherds of ancient Israel failed to do. Get a Bible study going. Have some conversations. Stop accepting what the Lord doesn’t. You don’t find in these Revelation passages the idea that some are just this way and that’s ok. What you do find is the word, Repent.

It’s time to please the Lord and not the folks sitting in the pews.

Roger

Jump Start # 1235

Revelation 3:3 “So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.”

  Our verse today comes from the admonition addressed to Sardis. The Lord knew what was going on. They had a great reputation, a name that they were alive. This would have been the general thought among brethren. Romans and pagans would not know, understand, nor care what God’s people were doing. However, among Christians, the church at Sardis was the place to be. They were thought to be alive. Much activity. Much busyness. Christians from other places may have tried to model what was going on at Sardis. But something was not right. Something was missing. Jesus knew. Their reputation was a cover. What was really going on was much different than most thought. They were dead. Lifeless. No faith. Apathy and indifference and being caught up in the world choked and killed what faith they had. Sure they still met as a church. Services were conducted. Plans were made. They still looked good on the outside, but on the inside, there was serious trouble. And Jesus knew.

A few were awake. A few had not been ruined. A few were still faithful to the Lord. These thoughts lead us to a few observations:

First, I don’t have to go along with what others are doing. Most at Sardis were dead. Not all. You can still shine, be faithful and please the Lord in a dead church. These verses prove that. Too often, when everyone around us is dead, we just complain and give up. We use them as an excuse for not doing what we ought to. We point our fingers at others but allow our own faith to die. It doesn’t have to be that way. For many today, as with the folks at Sardis, you do not have the option of just going to another congregation. There is no other congregation nearby. You have what you have. Some congregations lack vision, leadership, heart and hope. They are stuck doing things the way they always have. Nothing is working and no one is stepping up to try something else. Slowly, one by one, members die. Things are stale, sour and negative. More time is spent talking about what’s wrong with others than looking in the mirror. Within a generation or two, that congregation won’t be meeting any more. But that doesn’t mean you have to die along with it. You can still extend hospitality in your home. You can invite others. You can teach the Bible out of your home. I have seen amazing things that take place in a congregation. One family, just one family, can change the atmosphere of an entire congregation. One family moves in that is sour, complaining, against everything, and like mold on a wall, it just spreads and kills a congregation. I’ve also seen one family move in who were alive, exciting and wanting to do things. They had the heart of a servant and before long, others have caught their spirit and things brighten up. One family. That one family could be your family. Don’t throw in the towel because everyone else has.

Second, it is possible to change. That’s the hope given to Sardis. The Lord is optimistic. If they will but wake up, remember and get about doing what they should, the direction of that congregation can change. This happens when the individual people change. Stingy people can become generous. Hard, demanding people can become forgiving. Stubborn people can become submissive to others. Ignorant folks can learn. Dead faith can be awakened and resurrected to what it ought to be. God hadn’t given up on Sardis. Not yet. Sometimes we do not allow folks to change. We see them one way and that’s the way they are for the rest of their lives. Not so. People change. Congregations change. The living word of God intersecting with honest and good hearts will bring about great things.

Third, Jesus expected the folks at Sardis to be responsible and take care of things themselves. They were in a desperate situation. They were dead spiritually. They could awaken. The help wasn’t coming from Corinth, Rome, Jerusalem, a visiting apostle, Timothy or Apollos. These thoughts are addressed to the people of Sardis. They alone, with the word of God, could turn that ship around. That’s wonderful news. Open up that Bible. Start really chewing, digging, looking, and believing. Pray powerful prayers. Count on one another. Get busy. Help isn’t coming from afar. The help is there. It’s among the people. It’s about time churches started asking themselves, “Are the best days ahead of us, behind us, or right now.” How they answer that question tells you what their mindset already is. Some may have already given up. The best days are in the past. Pack house. Great preaching. Strong leadership. That’s how it once was. But now…Sardis may have felt that way. Jesus didn’t. Wake up. Remember. Get busy.

It’s time we took responsibility for our faith and stop blaming the church for our lack of knowledge, activity or hope in Christ. Sure things may stink down at the church house. There may be all kinds of problems, fighting, jealousy, and indifference. That doesn’t mean I can be the person Jesus wants me to be. My faith is not lived through the church, it is linked directly to Jesus Christ. I can soar with the Lord even when others can’t tie their shoes spiritually. We know what to do. Don’t wait for others. Do what you can. Pray often and deeply. Walk by faith. Believe and trust in the promises of God. Shine your light everywhere you can. Grow. Be strong in the Lord. Worship enthusiastically. Attend all the time. You’ll feel tried and alone. You’ll feel like you do it all. You’ll think no one else cares. May be that’s true. Do it anyway. Do it because it’s right. Do it because there may be others who are counting on you that you do not realize.

I have seen dead churches. Sad, sad, sad. I have seen churches that are truly alive. Exciting. Busy. Faithful. Everyone wants to be part of the live church. These things do not just happen. It’s not based upon location, size or the building. It’s when the people, one by one, decide to believe in Jesus and do what they should. They don’t wait for others. They move by their own faith. Their faith is alive. Together, the church becomes alive.

So it starts with you. It starts with me. Where are you and the Lord at? Get your faith where it needs to be. Work on this at home. Develop spiritual habits. Get strong. Then work on your family. Then it will trickle to the congregation. It starts with you.

Roger