A False Reputation of Being Alive

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

“‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” Revelation 3:1-6 ESV

If we interpret this in light of what is going on today in the American church, overall, but not in every congregation, and if someone said to you, “That church is really alive!”, what would you think they meant by that if you were not reading this Scripture in advance, but just on the basis of what you know of the church culture overall in America today?

From what I have observed over my 74 years of life as part of the gatherings of the church and/or as being a Christian 67 years of that time, and in five US states, and in 10 US cities, and in 4 different church denominations, and in multiple church congregations, as well as over my nearly 20 years of writing my devotions on the internet and interacting with people from many different locations (including from foreign countries, and from multiple church backgrounds and experiences), I would conclude that “alive” in the American church today has more to do with the world than with anything to do with God.

For “alive” is seen as something fun, exciting, entertaining, friendly, and full of activities and events and programs and things to do and people to meet and places to go, etc. It has to do with having a dynamic speaker who is funny, entertaining, charming, and a good communicator, who knows how to make people feel comfortable and at home, and who has a winsome personality. And then there has to be a really “cool” praise band with super talented musicians who play contemporary music that young people like, even if the old people prefer the old hymns. So, it’s like a big social club.

And the goal of these “churches” which are “alive” is to “draw in large crowds of people from the world,” and so they market the “church” to the people of the world in order to attract them to their gatherings. And, so they entertain them, and they provide all kinds of fun activities for them and for their children. But they don’t want to offend the people of the world and so they dilute/alter the character of God/Christ, and the character and purpose of the church, and they alter/dilute the gospel of our salvation to make them more acceptable to human flesh and to the ungodly of the world.

But in the eyes of God, that is not what he calls “alive.” For he is speaking of being alive spiritually, i.e. having first of all been crucified with him in death to sin, then raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. Those he deems “alive” are those who are denying self, dying daily to sin, and who are following him in walks of obedience to his commands (New Covenant), and in holy living, and in moral purity, honesty, and faithfulness. They are those who are committed to Jesus Christ and to serving him with their lives.

So, although a “church” gathering may have a reputation of being “alive” in the eyes of the world and of human flesh, they may be dead (or mostly dead) in the eyes of the Lord. For God doesn’t see like we humans see. For they may be full of followers of man who are not followers of God at all. But they may be those professing faith in Jesus Christ while they are still living much like they did before they professed faith in Jesus Christ. For their “faith” is shallow, lip service only, and they never did die to sin, and so they aren’t genuinely saved from their sins nor are they on their way to heaven.

But let me interject here that the church is not a building, and it is not a social club nor a civic center nor a place of fun and entertainment. It is not a corporation under the state being marketed to the world like any other business. This is what it has been turned into, mind you, in the eyes of humans, but the church is none of that, and it is not a particular church denomination, either. The church is the people of God who have died to sin and who are living to God and to his righteousness, in the power of God, by the grace of God, according to the will and purpose of God for his church.

So, what the Lord wants his church to repent of today is this turning his church into a marketplace to be marketed to the people of the world, and of this unholy union with the government and with big business, and of these divisions of denominations, and of this overall diluting and altering of the truth of the Scriptures, and of the character of God and of his true church, and in order to attract the world to their gatherings. And he wants them to repent of these false gospel messages which are giving people permission to keep living in sin while promising them heaven as their eternal destiny. 

Instead he wants them to deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience, and to serve him as head of his body, the church. And those who are doing that, in the power of God, who have not sold themselves out as slaves to sin and to other humans, he says will walk with him in white, in purity of relationship with him, and with true hope of eternal life with him. But for all who turn from their sins and from their rebellious ways to now follow Jesus in obedience and in surrender to his will, we all will be clothed in righteousness, and we have the hope of eternity with God in heaven.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

With Eternity’s Values in View  

Alfred B. Smith 1916-2001

With eternity’s values in view, Lord,

With eternity’s values in view,

May I do each day’s work for Jesus

With eternity’s values in view.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqOfeOn6bpo