I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Revelation 3:1
Jesus gives a stern warning to the Church of Sardis (Revelation 3:1–6). A church that had a reputation in its city and community. A good reputation. A reputation of being vibrant, active, appearing prosperous, and busy with religious activity. A church that felt secure because it was located in the midst of a fortified city. From all angles, outwardly it appeared to be peaceful and religiously on track in the society it found itself in. Perhaps too much so; perhaps it had worked so hard at being inoffensive that it lost its spiritual power and witness.
The ancient city of Sardis was once the prosperous capital city of Lydia. “The ruins are just breathtaking! Among them are the Temple of Artemis, Gymnasium—one of its kind—structures, and synagogue among others. When you walk through these buildings you get an idea about what grandeur meant.” Guided Istanbul Tours
A city well known for its wealth and opulence, Sardis is credited with being the birthplace of wool-dyeing used to create beautiful carpets for the wealthy and believed to have minted the first coins, revolutionizing commerce. Once one of the most powerful and richest cities in the region, it was because of the pursuit of luxury, self-satisfaction, and a lifestyle characterized by pleasure-seeking and decadence that they fell to both the Persian and Greek conquerors. Sardis wrongly believed their well-situated city, surrounded by cliff walls, was impenetrable. They grew lax, missing the importance of keeping vigilant guard. By the first century, when this revelation was given, Sardis had become a shadow of its former self. Its reputation and political significance no longer matched its current lived reality. Sadly, there were those who remembered and lived vicariously through “the Good Old Days” rather than “awaken,” be on guard, and step into the land of the living.
It is to this church in Sardis Jesus gave this strong caution to wake up. A caution those of the church could relate to… Wake up, turn, repent, hold fast to not lose what remained. If not, His unexpected return would catch them unprepared, and like the city of Sardis, they would be caught unaware, experiencing the consequences of their unfinished deeds…it is not the works themselves that Jesus was interested in but rather the heart and intention. His concern was that their deeds would be shown to measure up to God’s standard, not the loose standards of the culture around them.
The Church of Sardis’s reputation no longer aligned with the lived reality of the church. From all external views, it looked good, but Jesus saw past the activity and saw into the heart. A heart that had become nominal in its faith and was dying. One that began good works but failed to see them through to a proper completion. Although it was late and their situation was not good, it was not hopeless. There was still time to strengthen that which remained... Jesus hadn’t given up on them but was cautioning them the time was short to get things in order.
Yet, there were a few who had remained faithful and true, who had not soiled their garments with the influences of the surrounding culture of excess, easy-living, and sloppy, inoffensive doctrine. I love that Jesus saw this faithful remnant, promising their names would never be blotted out of the book of life and that they would one day walk with Him dressed in white!! How encouraging that even in a city that is immoral and a church that is nearly dead, there remained a faithful few who refused to be compromised by the pressures of their culture and their church. They are seen by the One who sees all things. Their reward is a deeper, more intimate walk with Jesus for all eternity… Wow, a richer reward than anything this world in all its grandeur and opulence can ever offer.
As we visited the ancient site of the city of Sardis and reflected on the warning Jesus gave in Revelation 3:1–6, I could not help but be reminded of many western churches’ quests to be seeker-friendly and how a number of them have come off their moorings, so to speak, theologically. Nominal faith is sadly very prevalent in our current age. Many profess the name of Jesus, but their lives show little evidence of a Spirit-filled life. Faith that is vibrant and alive is one in which we regularly seek a fresh encounter with the Spirit of the Living God. I am so grateful that the Alliance adheres to a solid biblically based theology and encourages us to be freshly filled with the Spirit of God on an ongoing basis!! Is there a place in your life you have become lax, unguarded, and at risk of dying… I encourage you to accept Pastor Leon’s recent invitation to engage in spiritual breathing… Ask the Spirit to search your heart and breathe new life into those places so that you too will be counted among the faithful few of the Church of Sardis. “A good reputation is no guarantee of true spiritual character.” Guzik, Enduring Word
