It's time to Wake Up!

The final writings of the Bible, known as the Book of Revelation, contains some verses that are easily understood, and some that are difficult.  The difficulty in knowing what some of it means shouldn't keep us from further study and prayer concerning God's message for us.  Near the beginning of Revelation there is a section that addresses letters to seven churches.  The verse below is a part of the letter to the angel of the church at Sardis. 

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.  Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.  Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent.  Revelation 3:1-3

The seven letters to the churches have been studied and taught in our churches for lots of years. We have even made comparative parallels by bringing some of their truth and applying it to the church of today.  So how about the church at Sardis?  Do you think there is a message here for us? Remember, these letters were written to churches like the one you attend.

This message to Sardis can be an eye-opener. First of all, they get a message from God which says, "I know your deeds." In our churches and even in our individual lives, do we think anything we do escapes the eyes of God?  He knows. For the church at Sardis, that wasn't very good news.  They were told, "you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead."

Do you suppose there are churches in our world today that have the appearance and reputation of being on top of things in their worship and work, while God sees it differently? They may even be drawing the big crowds.  Apparently for Sardis something was out of kilter in their focus on priorities. The letter to them, and to us, is simple....Wake Up! It's like the message we try and send to our kids when they bring home a bad report card.  It's the message we scream at the Dallas Cowboys when their games are lost because of mistakes. It's like a boss encouraging his employees to be more productive in their jobs.  The "Wake Up" message is intended to produce positive results.

One lesson of a positive nature is simply to "Strengthen what remains."  God wants us to know even those things which are about to die can be salvaged if we are dedicated to making them strong again.

Lesson number two is given like this, "Finish what you have started."  That one hits close to home because even in our spiritual lives and church work, we are good starters but weak finishers.  Two simple "Wake Up" commands that will make a world of difference, but I can already hear those who are asking, "How do we accomplish it?" 

 

The last sentence in the verses above give the answer.  "Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent."  Isn't it amazing that even when God sends words of correction and discipline, he also gives us directions on how to make it work.  Let's all do our share of "Waking Up!"

<ronbwriting@gmail.com>