Bible Tuesday - Revelation Part 11

Write this to Sardis, to the Angel of the church. The One holding the Seven Spirits of God in one hand, a firm grip on the Seven Stars with the other, speaks: “I see right through your work. You have a reputation for vigor and zest, but you’re dead, stone-dead. “Up on your feet! Take a deep breath! Maybe there’s life in you yet. But I wouldn’t know it by looking at your busywork; nothing of God’s work has been completed. Your condition is desperate. Think of the gift you once had in your hands, the Message you heard with your ears—grasp it again and turn back to God.
Revelation 3:1-3

The church at Sardis seems awfully familiar, doesn't it?  They have a reputation for vigor but they are 'stone-dead'.  I've been to a few of these churches.  The biggest problem is that most of the people who attend a church like this have no idea that they are dead.  And you know why they don't know?  Because they are so stinkin' busy.  They are working themselves to a nub.  They can rattle off a list of serving projects a mile long.  Their Facebook statuses make us all feel like inferior church ladies.  The next time you encounter such a person, try giving them a bit of mercy.  Think how hard it is to do all that work for nothing.  I know that sounds harsh and maybe you are judging me a bit for my finger wagging at the church in general through these past few weeks.  I need mercy too, ya'll.  Every stinking day.  But I cannot hide from the fact that these few chapters in the book of Revelation are the ONLY words we get straight from Jesus about His churches.  And you have to agree with me that the similarities to our modern church problems are pretty striking.  You think Jesus didn't know that we would work ourselves into a lather about the Hawaiian themed potluck?  Or the Easter - palooza?  Of course he did. And you know what?  If God is glorified and His love is multiplied and given freely at those events, then Hallelujah!  Keep pressing on.  But if every event your church attempts only creates division, martyrs, whiners and pouters, then it might be time to 'grasp it again and turn back'.

As always, the best part of this directive is that we all get a 'do-over'.  Jesus says their condition is 'desperate'.  But "Maybe there's life in you yet."  Turn back is one of the most precious commands in all of scripture.  It works as well for the housewife as it does for the thief or the scoundrel.

“If you pull the covers back over your head and sleep on, oblivious to God, I’ll return when you least expect it, break into your life like a thief in the night. “You still have a few followers of Jesus in Sardis who haven’t ruined themselves wallowing in the muck of the world’s ways. They’ll walk with me on parade! They’ve proved their worth!
Revelation 3:3-4

This is a pretty descriptive paragraph.  Look at the wording here.  A few followers at Sardis have proved their worth.  And look how they did it.  By not wallowing in the muck of the world's ways. Wallowing is a great word.  If you think about sin being a mud puddle, I think there is a reasonable expectation that even the best of us might get dirty from time to time.  You accidentally step in it. You fall headfirst into it.  Perhaps some one jumps into it and you get dirty just being in the same area.  But Jesus says that those who have ruined themselves have done so by wallowing in the world's muck.  That's akin to lying down in the mud puddle and making sure you are fully immersed in the filth.