The Church at Sardis

The Church in Sardis has gotten complacent. They earned a reputation among the believers from past faithfulness, but they allowed it to make them lazy and proud. As you read, consider how you might relate to this church, and the warning God might speak through this passage.

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REFLECTION

Listen, Follow, Repent

By Kelsey Bacon

Throughout all these passages where Jesus is talking to each church, it is interesting to see each church has different problems. They all struggle with many kinds of sin. Some are more outright, like the false teaching and immorality of Thyatira. But Sardis had different struggles. On the surface, Sardis looked like a well put together, Jesus-following church. But beneath the surface, sin had taken over in a different form. I think you could call it laziness, or apathy, or maybe even complacency. Whatever you call it, Sardis was in trouble. They were once awake, alive, on fire for Christ. But now they had stopped trying, stopped growing, stopped serving, thought they had it all figured out.

Even though we don't like to face it, I think it's scary how easy it is for Christians to fall into this trap--even if it's not on purpose. You can say you're a Christian, and you believe in Jesus, but you don't reflect it in your life. You don't serve others or seek to understand others, or you put yourselves before others, or you don't seek God every day or put his will above your own. You let the title of "Christian" be our Christianity, rather than our thoughts, words, or actions.

I know there are moments, periods even, of my life when I have sinned in these ways. Listening to false teachings and acting immorally are loud sins, but the sins of Sardis, and the same sins we can easily fall into, are quiet, less easily spotted sins. Which is why it's easier for us to get away with them among our fellow believers. Because on the outside, Sardis "had a reputation of being alive," but Jesus called them dead.

So how do we fight this? How do we not become Sardis? First, I think one of Sardis' big mistakes was their concern with reputation. That is definitely a trap that Christians fall into, because humans are so quick to judge. And when our reputation as a Christian or as a church is questioned, the importance we place on human opinion becomes evident. Second, Jesus spells out the solution pretty clearly in this passage. Verse 3, "Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent." Those are clear instructions. Remember God's word, follow it, and repent of your sins, meaning not just asking for forgiveness but also changing your ways. Do not let your title of "Christian" be the only Christian thing about you, or one of the only things. Look into your heart, into your life. Ask God to show how you can grow. Then listen, follow, and repent.

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