Read the Word:
Revelation 3:1-6
Meditate on the Word:
There are many churches whose model of mission is called the “attractional model.” Basically, this means that they will do whatever it takes to draw unchurched people in and cater to their wants, in hopes that they can share the gospel with them while they are there. At various times, these churches have used music, stage plays, giveaways, and targeted sermons to bring people in. These churches often, at least for a time, bring in lots of people and have lots of activity. They have the appearance of being alive, but often are not.
The church of Sardis had the reputation of being alive, but was, in the words of Christ, dead. What could this mean? What we can infer from the passage is that true disciples were not being made. People may have been doing a lot in the name of Christ without even knowing Him. They may have been compromising the gospel, preaching salvation without true repentance. They may have been a church that simply told people what they wanted to hear instead of calling them to holy living. Churches that do all this are probably even more prevalent today than in the first century. After all, people are attracted to something that makes them feel good without requiring anything from them. This is not how the church of Christ is supposed to be.
Our Christian practice is not to be a performance. It is to be genuine worship and service of our Lord. These things make a church truly alive. For a church to be truly alive, her members must be truly alive. Are your thoughts and deeds the result of true worship of our Lord, or are they a performance?
Pray the Word:
Ask our Lord to help you “wake up and strengthen what remains.”
Leave a Reply