Chapter 2

Will the Real Church Please Stand Up

What constitutes a real church? How can you tell if she is still breathing?  Let’s take a look at Revelation 3:1-6:

 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis; These things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.  Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.  Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent.  If therefore thou shall not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.  Thou has a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for the are worthy.  He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches.

  When the Lord wrote the Church at Smyrna, in Revelation 3:16, he didn't have one bad thing to say about the Church. But when He wrote the Church at Sardis, He didn't have one good thing to say about the Church. Yet, it was the kind of Church that we would have given the blue ribbon. Of all the 7 churches, this is one we would have most impressed with and probably would have wanted to be a member. The things that often impress us in Churches are the things that least impress the Lord. We are often captivated by the externals, but God is more concerned with the internals. Never is that more evident than in this letter our Lord sent to Sardis. We would have said it was alive. But Jesus said, Dear Sardis: Your Church is dead!

  The Lord usually began His letters in Revelation by commending the churches for the positives. But the Lord started this letter by condemning the negatives for to Him there was no positives to commend; this church had a reputation that was deceiving. 

  In it’s appearance, the church was lively.  Jesus said to the church at Sardis, "thou hast a name that thou livest.” From a human perspective this was a most impressive Church. I'm sure that it never had a shortage of resumes when it's pulpit was vacant. I'm sure it was often visited by others to learn how and what they were doing. I'm sure it was considered a model church by the other churches around it.

  In its popularity, this Church was second to none. It had a "name." This was a well known and very popular church. If you had visited Sardis, you could stop and ask for directions to the church and anyone in the city would have known where this church was located. It was the church all the preachers and people talked about. You could go just about anywhere in the country, and people had heard of this church.

  In its personality, this Church was second to none. Every church has its own personality. Some are cold and some are warm. Some are compassionate and some are complacent. Some are exciting and some are boring. This church had a personality that was impressive. I'm sure it was the envy of all the churches. It had the kind of personality that all the churches wanted.

  In its programs, this Church was second to none. This Church had it going. This was the Church that had something for the whole family. It had programs for its children, youth, singles, young adults, parents, senior citizens, etc. I'm sure something was going on each night. It's programs reached out to the whole man: body, mind, and soul.  In short, this was a very active place.

  In its possessions this Church was second to none. While many Churches had a little budget, this church had a large budget. Its offerings were staggering to the mind. Its buildings were appealing to the eye. This was the big Church; the First Church. This was the Church that everybody was saying was alive. This was the Church that was getting it done. This was the Church that was on fire. Yes, in it's appearance this Church was lively.

  But in its assessment, this church was lifeless because what the members and other people thought about the Church was one thing and what the Lord thought of this Church was another thing. If anybody would get a raving letter from Jesus, surely it would be the Church at Sardis. Yet they had a label but no life, a reputation but no reality, a form but no force. Again, Jesus said plainly and very abruptly, "Thou ... art dead."

  Many spiritual ministries often go through 4 stages: a man - a movement - a machine - a monument. This Church was at the monument stage. Instead of being the Temple of the Living God, they were the morgue of the lifeless group.  They were more of an organization rather than an organism. In reality, they were more of a skeleton than a sanctuary, more like bones than a body. Like Samson, they were unaware that the spirit had departed from them.