The Seven Churches of RevelationSýnishorn

When does a church die? Or, better yet, why do churches die? Thom Rainer, a cataloguer of lists, has one on why churches die, and he lists: (1) because they refuse to admit they’re sick, (2) they are waiting for the super pastor, (3) they don’t take sufficient responsibility, (4) they are unwilling to change—at all, (5) they are too inwardly focused, and (6) they want to return to the glory days (“Why Are Churches Dying?”).

When I Googled this question, there were numerous sites providing other lists. Numerous does not tell the story: 12.3 million results in 0.42 seconds! No two lists are the same. At one time a mainline expert claimed mainline churches were dying because they didn’t have a robust enough theology or high enough expectations for Christians. Conservative church leaders loved that study, but they are now realizing their churches are dying, too! Another scholar said the decline of the mainline occurred because mainliners, rising up and up into the upper-middle and upper classes, were not having enough babies. Simple demographics. Other writers contend the secular age has made belief more and more difficult.

The church at Sardis, directly east of Smyrna and northeast of Ephesus, was dead. We will probe the symptoms of dying, thinking too that what Jesus urges for Sardis may speak to you and me about the health (or unhealth) of our churches. The problem at Sardis ties into a knot of naivete, arrogance, and laziness. Especially arrogance. Nothing evokes Babylon more than arrogance (17:5; 18:1, 7). Nothing warns a church of its demise and death more than arrogance. Arrogance presumes we are good enough, gifted enough, efficient enough, big enough, wealthy enough, successful enough, and busy enough to avoid disaster and to determine our desired results.

Colossus Christ and His Commendation

The Colossus Christ who speaks a message to the church of Sardis is one who holds “the seven spirits of God” as well as the “seven stars” in his hand (3:1). Only in Revelation does the “seven spirits of God” occur (1:4; 4:5; 5:6), and those verses indicate they are before God’s throne (1:4; 4:5). Yet, we read that the “Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes,” and those seven eyes are “the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth” (5:6). That the seven spirits appear between the Father and the Son in 1:4 makes it most likely that this is John’s special language for the Spirit of God on mission. The Spirit brings life. Which means Sardis needs a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus finds precious little to commend about the church in Sardis. One could say they have some good works (NIV: “deeds”) and a good “reputation” (3:1). Neither dresses any flesh on the bare bones of a dead body. But Jesus does come back to commendation in 3:4 when he observes that there are “a few people [the Greek has “names”] in Sardis who have not spoiled their clothes.” And “not spoiled” is hardly a strong commendation. Jeff Weima concludes Jesus’ words here do not add up to a commendation but are, instead, a concession (Weima, Sermons, 172). The metaphor of unsoiled clothing, in other words, temple-pure and white, most likely refers to moral uprightness, and perhaps also theological uprightness (6:11; 7:9, 13–14). Soiled clothing most naturally refers either to sexual sins (14:4) or to eating food offered to idols (1 Corinthians 8:7). Again, notice the two-fold expression of Babylon creep in the seven churches: idolatry and sexual immorality. All Jesus can muster is that some in Sardis have not fallen for idolatry and immorality. More than the “some” are the many who have compromised their allegiance to Jesus.

Babylon Creep and Correction

Jesus spots the reality that, though the church folk of Sardis think they are flourishing, they are dead (3:1). They lack self-awareness, like narcissists. Like Babylon. They assume their public image fools the crowds. Taking stock of their successes, they think they are on the side of the angels. But not Jesus, because he has “found [their] deeds unfinished in the sight of my God” (3:2). Those in Sardis connected to the church, like Ephesus, began well but have faltered and have become so lazy their mission work lies unfinished on the drawing room floor. They have failed to fulfill their discipleship. The theme of faltering shows up in 3:3 as well when Jesus reminds them what they “received and heard,” namely the gospel about Jesus.

Five words express Jesus’ correction for the church at Sardis. The first, “Wake up!” has often been said to evoke the sleepy, overconfident nature of Sardis as an impregnable city. Twice its exalted acropolis was captured by stealth—at night. The second, “Strengthen,” assumes they have heard the gospel and begun walking the way of the Lamb but need more resolve to complete the tasks, while the third exhorts them to “Remember” the basics of the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1–28) and gospel living that turns away from immorality and idolatry. Remembering is tied to the fourth, “hold it fast,” while the fifth calls them to turn back (“repent”) from their apathy (3:2–3). All five combine to form a full correction on offer for Sardis. They have succumbed to Babylon creep, and now they have to purge the place.

Consequences

If they don’t follow those corrections, Jesus will come “like a thief” to exercise divine judgment (3:3 and 16:15; cf. 2:5, 16, 25; 3:3, 11, 20). This warning reflects the words of Jesus (Matthew 24:42–43), Paul (1 Thessalonians 5:4), and Peter (2 Peter 3:10). Unlike the Sardis of old, they cannot rest secure in their presumed safety. No, they must “wake up” (3:3).

Those who have not fallen for the way of the dragon and Babylon “will walk with” Jesus dressed in the purity of “white” as those worthy of citizenship in New Jerusalem (3:4–5). Furthermore, their names will remain etched in the “book of life,” never to be scratched out. The third expression of a good future for these believers is that the person’s name will be openly recited—like a graduation ceremony—before “my Father and his angels” (3:5).

How many churches and church leaders have we watched in free fall and collapse in the last decade or two? Church experts may have found the technological problems and the strategic problems and the process problems, but at the core of church collapse is the arrogance to think it’s all about us. Not just leaders but the entire culture of a church can drown itself in arrogance.

Questions for Reflection and Application

1. What are some of the reasons you have heard for churches “dying”?

2. How has Babylon crept into the church of Sardis?

3. What is the significance of “names” in this section?

4. Examine yourself and your church. Where do you see arrogance creeping in that you want to be aware of?

5. Which of the three instructions to Sardis most resonates with you? “Wake up,” “strengthen,” or “remember”? Why?