“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write,.. “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead." -Rev 3:1
A dead person lacks movement, oxygen, and consciousness (physical). A corpse will also develop a stench as the body begins to decompose.
Sardis was the dead church. A church that had "a name" that spoke of life yet they were in fact dead and dying. One of the problems was that they were not watching themselves, they were sleepy Christians. It is interesting that historical Sardis was taken over when the guards fell asleep on their post, when they should've been alert and watching. Jesus' prescription to this church was to hold fast and repent.
As Christians we carry a name that speaks of life and resurrection. But when we aren't watchful and are compromising with sin we tend to not live up to the name of Christ. See a dead Christian can be very much like a dead body; lacking movement, not busy serving the Lord, being in a spiritual comatose. A dead Christian can lack oxygen by quenching the Spirit and not allowing Him to freely move in them. It is just like fire--without oxygen it dies out. Third a dead Christian like a dead body will be unpleasant to be around because they give off a nasty attitude. Lastly they lack awareness, they don't recognize where God is moving anymore. A dead church is usually out of the loop--lacking the necessary vision to move forward.
The solution for a dead church, or a believer displaying these characteristics is the same as with the church of Sardis; "hold fast and repent".
Sardis was the dead church. A church that had "a name" that spoke of life yet they were in fact dead and dying. One of the problems was that they were not watching themselves, they were sleepy Christians. It is interesting that historical Sardis was taken over when the guards fell asleep on their post, when they should've been alert and watching. Jesus' prescription to this church was to hold fast and repent.
As Christians we carry a name that speaks of life and resurrection. But when we aren't watchful and are compromising with sin we tend to not live up to the name of Christ. See a dead Christian can be very much like a dead body; lacking movement, not busy serving the Lord, being in a spiritual comatose. A dead Christian can lack oxygen by quenching the Spirit and not allowing Him to freely move in them. It is just like fire--without oxygen it dies out. Third a dead Christian like a dead body will be unpleasant to be around because they give off a nasty attitude. Lastly they lack awareness, they don't recognize where God is moving anymore. A dead church is usually out of the loop--lacking the necessary vision to move forward.
The solution for a dead church, or a believer displaying these characteristics is the same as with the church of Sardis; "hold fast and repent".
- WHAT EVIDENCES ARE THERE IN YOUR LIFE CURRENTLY THAT SHOW YOU ARE NOT A "DEAD" CHRISTIAN?
- "Spiritual deadness is the stillborn offspring of overconfidence and a failure to watch" -Albert Garcia