“Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days.”
Ecclesiastes 11:1
I am telling this story from memory, as told by a young pastor. I am sorry that I don’t know the exact names and places. It should not distract from the beauty of the message God has for those reading this.
It is a true story. It had a great impact on me as an aging pastor. It demonstrates how God works mysteriously in people’s lives to accomplish His purpose.
Often, as shown in the book of Job, we don’t see the way God works and the mystery of the spiritual battles hidden from our eyes. If we trust God completely, we are not discouraged when we can’t see the fruit of our labors or when our prayers seem to be ignored completely. This is where faith comes into play, knowing that “our ways are not His ways, nor our thoughts His thoughts.”
This story is about the loss of someone’s faith (trust in God) because it seemed God was working against him to bring the gospel to a village in Africa.
_____________________________
A young husband and wife felt God’s calling to go to Africa. It was an irresistible urge from The Lord to sell all they possessed and go to a small village on this large dark continent to tell the people the story of Jesus.
After a long journey of planes, trains, and finally a jeep, they set up camp outside a particular village. Once they settled in, they approached the chief of the village to tell him about Jesus, who cut them off and refused to hear them. Not only would the chief not listen to their story about Jesus, but he also told the village to ignore these strange pale people and their god.
The husband and wife had little supplies, clothes, and the conveniences they enjoyed in the United States. They began to pray for God’s guidance. The chief was kind-hearted enough to supply them with some of their needs, such as water and food. He sent a young boy regularly to bring them things so they could survive in the dense jungle. The boy was not to speak to the couple.
But the wife would tell the story of Jesus to the young boy each time he arrived at their campsite. He said nothing and returned to the village.
After many weeks, the wife became pregnant. The husband suggested they return to the U.S., but as they prayed, they felt they needed to stay. Sadly, the wife died giving birth to a little girl. The husband was heartbroken and so discouraged. He decided to put the young female up for adoption and move back to America.
Feeling abandoned by God, he left the work unfinished, As he thought about his failures, He soon lost his faith in God and began to drink.
The child he left behind became a young lady and wanted to find her birth father and mother. She heard the father had moved to America. After much research, she located his address at prepared to see him. When she arrived at his apartment, she was surprised to walk into a filthy apartment. Her dad lay drunk on his bed as she began to introduce herself and tell her story. The father quickly sat up and heard the sobering words of the daughter he had long forgotten.
The young boy that heard the story of Jesus from his wife began to tell it to the village. Soon the entire village was converted to Jesus. Even the chief was converted, and the story of Jesus began to spread to the other villages! The young abandoned daughter helped in the ministry there in Africa started by this young husband and wife who responded to the calling of God. These words became true for them and will be true for us:
“Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days.”
Ecclesiastes 11:1
As I heard this story, I felt the conviction always to trust God regardless of the circumstances. How often do we let our faith in Christ be affected by circumstances we didn’t anticipate? I was discouraged when I planned a series of meetings expecting hundreds of people, but only a few came and sat in a large room filled with empty chairs.
Have you prayed for someone to be healed from a deadly sickness, and then that person died? Are you discouraged when you give your life to God and things start to go wrong? I once met a man whose mother died at age 92. He was so discouraged that God let her die that he left the church and his faith in Jesus.
Are you discouraged and ready to give up on God when you have spent thousands of dollars to repair your car or home…when you’ve lost your job? A few days ago, the motor in our 200-foot-deep well went out. We tried to pull out the pipes and make repairs. But we made mistake after mistake. It will likely cost us thousands of dollars to get running water again. But, praise God, He knows our trials and tribulations. He has a hundred ways and purposes where we can see none.
Many people treat God like the ideal of Santa Clause. Ask, then get precisely what you requested. We expect God to provide just as we want it…with ease, convenience, and no challenges. But wouldn’t we be a bunch of spoiled brats if we got everything we wanted and when we wanted it? I am reminded of Paul’s words:
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
James 1: 2-3
Job was known for his patience but also for surviving the testing of his faith. He was so determined to trust God that he said these words:
Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.
Job 13:15
Knowing all this, I have begun to pray a prayer of preparation and trust. It goes something like this.
“Lord, I praise you for the good life I enjoy now. But when the bad times come, and they are sure to do so, let me trust in you and glorify your name in my spirit regardless of the circumstances.”
This story of the young husband and wife started on a narrow path that seemed to lead to a dead end. But according to God’s own ways, it ended happily in the growth of God’s kingdom in Africa and the restoration of a man’s faith in his Creator.
How is your trust in God today? Does it move like reeds in the wind when things don’t go the way you want them? When things go badly, is your spirit downcast, and do you become irritable and unbelieving?
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thess 5: 16-18
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Ephesians 2: 19-22
For context, Paul is talking to Gentiles (v.11).
Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh.
Ephesians 2:11
Paul tells them that they (Gentiles) were once “strangers” and “foreigners.” The Unchosen, as I call them. But a change has occurred. They are now “members of the household of God.” How did that happen?
This “household” was built on the foundation of two groups of God-inspired people: “apostles and prophets.: The 12 New Testament apostles and the many Old Testament prophets are co-contributors to the foundation household of God.
Jesus is the chief cornerstone. He is what anchors and fits the building together. Paul continues…the building grows into a holy temple and states “you” (Gentiles) become a “dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”Paul points out that this temple of people “fitted together” and becomes a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Paul told the Gentile believers (See verse 2:11) something that caused great joy. They were now “members of thehousehold of God.” This is a complete turnaround for them! Because, at one time, they were “aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers.” What made this change from strangers to members? It was Jesus! The great unifier! They believed Him! Sadly, a good part of the people of promise did not!
But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Ephesian 2: 13
In Old Testament times, the Jews separated themselves from the Gentiles. But Jesus did something very radical. He broke down the wall of separation between Jews and Gentiles.
For He, Himself is our peace, who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation.
Ephesians 2:14
Many have speculated about the identity of this “middle wall of separation.” Some say it was the Mosiac law. These laws made Israel unique., but that was a good thing. Why? Because God gave them to Moses to instruct His people in the ways of salvation and the coming character and purpose of the Messiah.
They were to obey them for their own good, but not to be saved. It was to lead them to the source of Salvation…the “Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. ” But, they made their way of life a wall to keep out the undesirables i.e. the Gentiles or anyone that was not of Israel.
Paul calls the laws regarding sacrifice and ceremonies a “Schoolmaster” that taught them about the coming Messiah and His method of Salvation (Sacrifice). As the children of Israel participated in the ceremonies, they learned about God, the Messiah’s nature, and His great solution to the sin problem (i.e. sacrifice of God and justification through faith).
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
Galatians 3: 24
It is faith in Christ, the Messiah, that unites both the believers of the Old Testament and those of the New Testament. This brings them into the “household of God.”
“…since there is one God who will justify the circumcised (Jew) by faith and the uncircumcised (Gentile) throughfaith.
Romans 3:30
Without this faith, it is impossible to please God (See Hebrews 11:6). God was teaching, by the people of God in the Old Testament and the New Testament, the great lessons on faith (or trust in Him as their God.). Many of the Old Testament Characters who lived by faith are listed in Hebrews 11.
The point is this: Jesus’ church (believers) now has no walls or boundaries that separate Jews and Gentiles. We are all one in Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28
Therefore, the church is the fellowship of believers from the Garden of Eden to the last church before Jesus comes. Metaphorically speaking, the believers are the building. The building is not brick and mortar or a denominational name. His temple is made of redeemed flesh and spirit. This is where God wants to dwell…in our hearts and minds. Therefore, our bodies and minds is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body AND in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 6: 19-20
God has always had His people. Although the word “church” is not used in the Old Testament, it is used 177 times In the New Testament. The Greek word is ekklēsia. The primary translation, according to Strong’s Greek Concordance, is “a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly. It can also meanthe assembly of the Israelites.
In Old Testament times, the church is referred to as an assembly of the congregation. The Hebrew word for this group isqāhēland is used 123 times.
So the terms church and assembly are universal in nature. It is a simple term for the coming together of God’s people, but the building (people) is what Jesus loved, similar to a husband in love with His wife. He lived and died because of this great love for His people, whether in ages past or modern times.
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it.“
Jesus gave Himself for the church (assembly) of those who accepted the sacrifice of Jesus by faith, regardless of the time period they lived. The sacrificial system taught sacrifice and faith. It pointed forward to Jesus. It was the shadow of “things to come.”
“… the shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
Colossians 2:17
2.) Jesus built the church on Peter
“…having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,”
Ephesians 2:20
As mentioned at the start, the “building” of believers was built on the “apostles and prophets.” and they are unified or stabilized by Christ the cornerstone. The prophets mentioned here are a direct reference to the many prophets of the Old Testament.
So, it is not Peter alone who participates in the building; it is all the other eleven apostles as well. Included in these numbers are Old Testament believers such as Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, David, and many others. Each had a particular purpose in building a body of faithful believers.
Nevertheless, Peter’s confession or statement of faith is the bedrock of Christ’s church.
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16
Here is the starting point for all believers, both Old and New Testament people. To be people of faith, the believer must acknowledge and trust that Jesus is the promised Messiah, but also the Son of God, to be true members of the household of God i.e. the church.
Jesus reminded Peter that he was a stone even though his God-inspired statement was a rock; it is the foundation for all believers who make up the church.
Jesus stated He would build “His church” on Peter’s inspired confession. It is the transition from the shadows of the Old Testament….the faith of the loyal who looked forward to the day the Apostles were living the reality of their experience of “God with Us.”
Jesus gave Peter (petros) his name, which means a pebble or stone:
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).
John 1:42
Compared to the mighty power of the bedrock belief in Jesus as both the Messiah and His deity, Peter is just a stone. While Simon Peter is referred to as a stone, Jesus is often called the Rock (Petra). Peter had nothing to do with the work of Jesus in Old Testament times, but Jesus did! Here are just a few examples:
“…all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. “
1 Corinthians 10:4
“No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.
1 Samuel 2:2
“The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, The Rock of my salvation!
1 Samuel 22:47
For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?
Psalm 18:31
The only head of the church is Christ. No man, no prophet, no pope , no man or womand can claim that title: He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1: 20-23
There is no other name (including Peter, John, Paul, Pope Francis, etc.) that is responsible for our salvation.
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:12
Jesus is to be given “preeminence” (first place) above all others:
And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
Colossians 1:18
Preeminence in Greek is Prōteuō. It means to be first or hold first place. He is in first place before Peter, Paul, Mary, John, and any other. Is there any doubt as to who is the head of the church? Who should be first in our lives, and where we go to seek answers?
I like Paul, but Jesus is better. I like John, Isaiah, and Moses, but Jesus is better. He is number 1! He must have preeminence in our lives. He is number 1 ahead of our pastor or priest. No one is entitled to come between us.
A pastor priest is no longer needed in the process of salvation. God has made a way for us to go directly to the throne of grace for confession, forgiveness, and help:
Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16
Only Jesus can forgive sins. He doesn’t assign silly things to do or recite to be forgiven. If sin is confessed to God, He freely forgives and provides what no earthly priest can give…power over the sin.
Only Jesus can forgive sins. He doesn’t assign silly things to do or recite in order to be forgiven. If sin is confessed to God, He freely forgives and provides what no earthly priest can give…power over the sin.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me, you can do nothing.
John 15:5
3.) God commands us to go to church
Going to church is sometimes used as a test of whether a person is in Christ or not. When asked if Jesus is Lord and Savior, the response might be, “Yes, I go to church.”
Someone once said, “Going to church doesn’t make me a Christian any more than going to a garage makes me a mechanic.”
Can it be shown from the Bible any commandment to “go to church?” How about the 4th commandment?
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days, the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Exodus 20: 8-11
Many people say that the 4th commandment is obeyed by going to church. But the commandment says nothing about remembering to go to church. The direction from God is to “Remember.” It gives the believer the right to rest by ceasing from the labor of the previous six days and by keeping it holy. Why? Because God blessed the Sabbath (Seventh-Day) and made it holy. Keeping it holy is confusing to many believers because the experience of being holy or sanctified is foreign in a materialistic secular world. This is a study for another time.
Most of Christendom does not remember the seventh day to cease labor and keep it holy because it is not convenient. It is often rationalized away as being for Jews only or changed by Jesus (both unbiblical).
God is not just giving another rule to follow or showing that He is God. He is giving His creation the gift of rest from their labors, both physical and spiritual.
Obviously, missing from the commandment is the idea of going to church. Going to church on the Sabbath is not prohibited. It is no doubt part of keeping the day holy. But neither is attending church on any other day of the week prohibited. Either way, the blessing of the seventh day still stands as a day that God blessed and made holy.
We can not make anything holy, but God can. Any other day of the week is not blessed and made holy as with the seventh day.
Jesus said,
The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Mark 2:27
From Jesus’ words, we understand that God made the Sabbath for you and me (mankind), but, too often, restrictions were made by the religious leaders so that people felt like they were serving the Sabbath. The only things God asked us to do is to remember that He blessed the day and made it holy and to cease our labors. If you do, you now have time to be with God, whether in worship, with family, or hiking along a trail. The Sabbath is to be a delight:
if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable,…then you will find your joy in the Lord, Isaiah 58 13b-14a
Unfortunately, the religious leaders in Christ’s time put a burden of a multitude of rules and regulations on the Sabbath and turned it into a day of restrictions rather than allowing people to find their joy in the Lord. In many ways, these restrictions continue today. On a Jewish website, I found a few of these restrictions customized to modern times:
No writing, erasing, or tearing;
No business transactions:
No driving or riding in cars or other vehicles;
No shopping;
No using the telephone:
No turning on or off anything which uses electricity, including lights, radios, television, computer, air-conditioners, and alarm clocks;
Fortunately, God did not give lists of “no-nos”. He gave guidance using the words: “Remember,” “holy,” and “joy“. The only restriction was to cease our labor. Of course, religionists felt a need to help God out by making lists related to what labor or work meant. It seems that “not working” is the emphasis of the commandment rather than a day of joy in the Lord with family, friends, and fellow believers.
The only encouragement I can find in scripture about assembling together is here:
“…not forsaking the assembling (episynagōgē) of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Hebrews 10:25
This passage in words or context does not specify the day of assembling (church-going). At every opportunity, we should gather with other Christians, especially as we see the signs of Christ’s return.
After Christ ascended and the Day of Pentecost had come, Jesus’ followers did not limit coming together to just one day. It was daily! And they met in each other’s houses! Small groups! They were so excited about Jesus!
“…continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, Acts 2:46
Oh, that Christ meant that much to us today, and we greatly anticipated His return!
4.) Going to church will save me
The assembling of God’s people in a building of brick and mortar is for at least seven good reasons that I can think of: In no particular order, it is to…
1.) Worship the Creator;
2.) Encourage others;
3.) Encourage self;
4.) Learn about God;
5.) Serve others in the congregation (particularly those in need)
6.) Disciple the lost;
7.) Serve the community
Not one of these seven reasons saves a person as good as the reasons may be. Salvation is through Christ alone.
Going to Jesus saves you. Going to church should encourage you, but it won’t save you. It doesn’t help gain any favor with God. Faith or trust in God please Him.
Going to Jesus saves a person, not going to church. But, participating in these activities builds up strength in the Lord and thereby helps keep them from the sinful pull of the world. Involvement in the church, with good leaders, will build up (edify) the body of Christ and encourage each individual to go and make disciples of the lost. The church, or assembly of believers, has one main purpose: To equip the saints and take the gospel to the world.
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying (building up) of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
Ephesian 4: 11-13
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16: 15
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19
5.) My church is the only true church
There is a true church. It is the body of Christ. The church is not a building, not a name above the doors or on the sign out front. It is a body of believers wherever they may be. His church transcends time and space.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 1 Corinthians 12:12-14
Of the 2.5 billion Christians in the world today, there are over 34,000 denominations to choose from Catholic, Protestant, Methodist, Church of Christ, Baptist, and Non-denominational, plus many others.
But Jesus says there is only one body, one Spirit, one faith, and one baptism.
Jesus prayed for unity among us.
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” John 17: 20-21
Was this prayer answered? It would appear that God the Father ignored this prayer. But, I propose to you it was answered. The great Unifier, Jesus, brings us all into one body identified in a particular way.
If a person is in this one body, they are “in Christ.” The phrase “in Christ” appears some 85 times in the New Testament. Here are just a few:
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, Romans 8:1
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Galatians 3: 26-27
A summary of these few verses states clearly, “in Christ” we :
Have eternal life “in Christ.”
There is no condemnation “in Christ.”
The old past is passed away, and all things are now new…
You are sons of God “in Christ.” We have “put on Christ” if we are baptized “into Christ.”
So the true church is not one of the massive numbers of denominations. It is the Cornerstone, the Unifier, and Stabilizer of Christ alone.
My wife and I have enjoyed this truth. It gives us the joy to seek out our brothers and sisters who are “in Christ” at the different churches or denominations. It is by our love towards each other (not fear, suspicion, or judgment) that demonstrates to the world we are part of the body of Christ and are His disciples:
By this, all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.”
John 13:35
Let us be careful not to make snap judgments about a person’s relationship with Christ based on the name of their church.
Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
Romans 12:10
“There will be people in heaven whose theology may not be totally correct, but they have the right spirit of Jesus, but there will not be a person there who has right theology, but the wrong spirit.”
Pastor Ignacio Silverio
A Quick Summary:
1.) The church (God’s People) has been the “apple of His eye” since the beginning of time. His love for the church transcends time and space.
2.) Jesus built His church (His people) on the truth that He is the Christ and the Son of God. The church is not built on anyone else. He is in First Place above all other names.
3.) Just going to church does not save us…Only Jesus. The church’s purpose is to edify its members and prepare them for ministry to the community and seek out the lost.
4.) Jesus doesn’t command us to go to church. The 4th Commandment invites us to have a date with Jesus, whether in church or not. He invites us to rest in Him. The Sabbath is to be called a delight. Not a day of dos or don’ts to gain favor with God. We go to church because Jesus saved us or we are looking for him, but the act of attendance does not save us.
5.) You are the true church only if you are “in Christ“. A set of beliefs, traditions, lineage, and theology does not make a true Church. His people are those “in Him” regardless of where they have their membership. Love for each fellow Christian proves that we are truly His disciples—no love…no discipleship.
‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. 4 You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
6 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’
Revelation 3:1-6
Message Structure To All Churches:
Each message to the church has these seven components:
1.) Greeting – God’s knowledge of the church and their works
2.) Descriptionof Jesus – Identification of Jesus in terms relevant to the condition of this Church
3.) Condition – Condition of the Church.
4.) Problem – What is good and what is not.
5.) Counsel – The solution and consequences of rejection
6.) ConditionalPromise – If the counsel is followed
7.) Closing – Universal Council to all readers. Listen to what the Spirit says to the seven churches!
Greeting and Problems
The greetings are always short. God goes straight to the heart of their problem. This would indicate that God is eager to help His church. Only He and His instructions will ensure the shortfalls of the people will be corrected. So if we are listening to what the Spirit says to the churches, we will find the solutions to the problems of our local congregations.
The description of the Sardis church revolves around their reputation as being alive. But they are actually dead spiritually. They have many “works” or what we would call community outreach programs, but it lacks Jesus and the gifts of the Spirit. This fact will always cause a church to die spiritually. Just as faith without works is dead, works without Jesus and the Spirit are ineffective and dead despite a great reputation. Their reputation might be real in the community, or it might be self-deception by this body of believers.
Sadly, many of today’s churches might fit into this category where their concern is more about a good reputation and good works, But the power of God’s spirit to bring souls to a knowledge of Christ is cutoff or dead in this church. Never forget that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He can resurrect a dead church.
Jesus’ Description and His Resources
Jesus’ description of Himself is relevant to this dead church.
Jesus is described as having “seven Spirits of God and the seven stars.”. A casual reading of this snippet might lead one to think this is a new doctrine of seven Holy Spirits. But, when read in the context of others things written in Scripture about the Holy Spirit, it is most likely a description of the complete works of the Spirit even though there are multiple gifts of the Spirit. Jesus “has” access to these gifts, which are given to those who ask for it (Luke 11:13 b). Paul helps clarify this point when he wrote to the once renegade Corinthian church.
There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 1 Corinthians 12: 4-7
Council to the Church
Be watchful– Watchful of what? That would be my first question if I am a member of the Sardis church. God often tells his people to watch and pray. These two usually go together. Jesus told his disciples,
“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Matthew 26:41
In the case of Sardis, they are weak, as indicated in the next council. Therefore we, like the people of Sardis, must be on our guard and observant of the things around us so that we aren’t tempted away from the side of the Lord.
Strengthen the things that remain. What remains can be found by remembering when they were once strong. There was a spark of life in them because they had, at one time, been living a life of watchfulness and victory over sin.
Remember how you received How did they receive the Lord? It was by faith or trust in God. As time goes by in our spiritual life, we can start up habits, create forgetfulness, and lose sight of the Lord. They had drifted from God and were weak. What remained was only a spark of life. They were on life-support! Their eyes needed to be on Jesus, who started their journey.
“looking unto Jesus, the author, and finisher of our faith,
Hebrews 12:2
keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Jude 1:21
When we realize we are weak, God asks us to remember how strong God made us when we first began our lives in Him. Remember how God we merciful towards you even though your sins were like smelly sewage. He tells us to hang on and “keep in the love of God.”
Hold Fast– To hold fast takes determination and strength that only God can give you. Many followers of Christ do not realize an enemy is seeking to take away their crown. Even to the Philadelphia church, which received no negative assessments like the other churches, God told them to hang on so that no one would take their crown.
Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
Revelation 3:11
The enemy has many arrows in his quiver, many tricks, and programs to tempt the believer away. When a person asks Jesus into their life, they enter a spiritual war. It requires “suiting up” for the battle each day. An honest Christian will know what “weights” and “sins” prevent them from putting on the whole armor of God to ensure victory in the fight with self and the enemy.
“let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ” Hebrews 12:1
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.“
Ephesians 6:11
Repent – It is interesting that repentance is one of the last councils. But it is in the correct order of things. When a person becomes aware of God counseling them, conviction comes upon them, and they are faced with admitting their need for Christ. They repent and turn from their deadly path. Likewise, If this church doesn’t repent, they will not follow the council Jesus gives this church.
Repentance includes sorrow for sin and a turning away from it. We shall not renounce sin unless we see its sinfulness; until we turn away from it in heart, there will be no real change in the life.”
Steps to Christ-White
When Peter preached his powerful sermon in the second chapter of Acts, the people were under great conviction and asked,
“What shall we do?”
The very first words of Peter were, “
Repent.”Acts 2: 37-38
Consequences for Rejecting the Council
If the people of Sardis refuse to watch, the remainder of the council cannot be met. They can’t take their condition casually. They are in trouble even though they can point to their great reputation.
Consequently, Jesus sadly says,
I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
This doesn’t sound good. This verbiage is similar to another passage of scripture with the same warning:
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
2 Peter 3:10
For those not “watching” for the enemy’s temptations or not “watching” for the return of Christ, the event will come as a surprise. Connected with His coming as a thief is destruction. But those who know the Lord, have repented, and are watching for His return are not overtaken as a thief:
“But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.”
1 Thess 5:4
Good works alone are of no value unless they result from God working through the born-again believer who knows Jesus personally. This is explained by another group of people, like Sardis, who point to their reputation in the community for doing works of religion, even in the name of Christ, but their results are useless:
Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Mathew 7:22
Conditional Promise
Many of God’s promises have a condition. Here is just one example:
Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
What is the condition? “Delight yourself in the Lord.” Will a person get their heart’s desires if they take no delight in the Lord? No! Will being good, moral, and religious give the desires of your heart? No! It is when you know God enough to take delight in Him!
Sadly, when converted, many people become religious instead of a disciple of Christ. Life in Him by faith is foreign. Consequently, the benefits of being in Christ are not realized. No peace. No Joy, No victory over sins.
This church has a condition to meet if they want the promise, as do we, if met, the promise is sweet!
“He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
Overcoming is a vital part of the Christian experience. But never think that you can do it in your own strength. If we overcome alcohol, drug abuse, infidelity, sexual sins, depression, unbelief, or any other sin that so does so easily beset us, it will be through our connection with Jesus. Otherwise, we can do nothing!
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
John 15:5
The righteous sap of Christ, the vine, feeds the branches and will produce fruit. This means you must be grafted “in Christ.” Being “in Him” was Christ’s prayer for you and me. Will you allow his prayer to be answered in your life?
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us,
Jesus (John 17: 20-21)
Despite all this warning and council, there were
“a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.“ (Verse 4)
Even in the dead church of Sardis, a few who, like Philadelphia, have no warning given them, only praise from a Holy God. They have the white robes of Christ’s righteousness, and they walk with Him! God always has His people, even in the worst of churches. So this message is not for them except as it relates to giving CPR to a lifeless body. Hopefully, this church will be revived and listen to what the Lord says. That brings us to the last council. It is for you and me in 2022:
Closing Council
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Verse 23
Did you hear what Jesus said to this church? Does it apply to you and me? The council and life support are for us today. We can be resurrected from the dead.
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
Ephesians 2:1
If you hear and react to Christ…welcome to life in Jesus! Don’t leave Sardis; help them!
