Jump Start # 1618

Revelation 3:4 “But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.”

  Our Jump Start yesterday addressed what to look for in a congregation. The point was made that a person may have to drive a while to be part of a thriving congregation. The church close to where they live may not be the best option. That’s great if there is that option. What is one to do if the only option is a congregation that is stuck, lacking leaders and dead? What then? Not everyone has the luxury of living near a city where there are many congregations of various sizes. In many places, the handful of disciples that meet is it.

Our verse today is of great help for that answer. Sardis was one of the seven churches of Asia. By the time Revelation was written, they were going through the motions. They had a name, which meant a reputation. The reputation was good. Others thought well of them. That reputation may have come from the past. Once, they were great. Not now. The reality was that they were dead. Lifeless. We are not given the specifics here about Sardis. Typically, dead faith stays at the church building, even though they didn’t have a building back then. Dead faith doesn’t see things through spiritual eyes. Choices are made, not based upon spiritual impact and consequences. The young marry people who may not be Christians and who may not help them get to Heaven. Little thought is given about their soul, their influence or the Lord. Business deals may not be ethical, honest or decent. Entertainment choices may cross the border of right and wrong. Language is not wholesome. Prayers are few. Searching the Scriptures doesn’t happen. Come Sunday, they gather and mumble a few hymns, eat the Lord’s Supper, endure another sermon but nothing changes. They do not want to change. They are dead spiritually. If they died that way, their souls would be lost. There is little difference between them and the world. There is little warmth, love and care in such congregations. There are no plans in such congregations. Just get through another Sunday so we can do what we want to do. Dead. Dead plants don’t need to be watered. Dead pets don’t need to be walked. And, dead people have no response to what you say and no joy in their eyes. Dead. Sardis was a dead church.

If there was ever a reason to go to another church, Sardis is it. Who wants to be part of a dead church? Yet, all over this country, there are many dead churches. They will not change. They will not try. They simply go through the motions. Stale. Dull. Stuck in the 1960’s. Clueless. Indifferent. Apathetic. Lifeless. Members drop out and no one cares. Same things are done over and over and over and over.

Our verse however reveals that not everyone was dead at Sardis. The church was dead, but there were a few who continued to walk with the Lord. That faithful few was alive. That faithful few were doing things that the dead were not. That faithful few were pleasing the Lord in a circumstance that was terrible.

What do you do if your only option is a dead church? You become like the few at Sardis who were not dead. You keep yourself alive and try to do what you can. What does that mean? Here are some suggestions:

• You do not have to be negative, sour and dooms day like everyone around you. You keep your spirits up. You trust in the Lord. Avoid gossiping about others. Avoid nit-picking. Avoid complaining. Be thankful. Look up, the Lord is good to us.

• You must continue to feed your faith. Your walk and relationship with the Lord is not confined nor defined by the church completely. The church may be dead, but you don’t have to be. This tells us that what happens in the church doesn’t have to happen to you. To keep a faith alive, you must feed it and use it. Have a home Bible study. Invite some of the other few and it may just be a few, it may even be just one, that comes. But lower the nets. Have some depth. Study some great things together. Take a page out of the Gospels and really look at what happened. Notice what Jesus noticed. Make applications. Be practical. Make your study encouraging and exciting.

• Invite some to your home. In dead churches, hospitality is rare. You, being one of the few, don’t wait for the others. You get involved and do what you can. Have a few families over. Talk. Share. Laugh. Connect. If you invite one of the dead over, don’t expect to get invited back. Those with dead faith don’t do that. But you do what you can. For some, it may be the first time EVER that they have been invited to another Christian’s home.

• Offer to teach a Bible class. Usually that is shocking in a dead church. No one wants to do anything and it’s the same people that teach over and over. In some places, the only way a woman can get a break from teaching is to have a baby. Otherwise, she is stuck teaching for decades. Tired, worn out, needing a break, that will never happen in a dead church. But you, being one of the few, ask if you can teach. If that is allowed, get down there and gut that class room. Most class rooms in dead churches look dark, damp and are miserable. Brighten it up. Put some imagination in what you are doing.

• Try to influence. Make suggestions where you can. Often in dead churches, those suggestions will be ignored because it means change and only the living can change. But try. Little steps. One step at a time. Don’t flood them with too much. In dead churches, there is always a concern about keeping a mountain of cash in the bank account. Dead churches will never use that money, because there is a fear that something might happen sometime. So money is not spent.

– suggest some preachers to come and preach

– suggest putting together a church bulletin —and you offer to do it.

– suggest a singing night

– suggest a work day to clean things up

– suggest having a class about shepherding God’s people

Those suggestions may die as soon as you say them. But stay with it. Encourage. Be kind. Don’t turn the situation into a you vs. me choice. We are in this together. This is our congregation. Leaders are not used to some who want to do things. You might be viewed as pushy. Be careful. In your hospitality you can plant some seeds. Be willing to be the one who makes the calls, do the leg work, be the driving force. Suggesting dead people do something isn’t going to bring positive results. But with you leading the charge, include them. Ask them. Invite them.

Be patient and prayerful. Don’t expect big changes. You are working with dead people. Little by little you are trying to resurrect faith and life in these people, one by one. If you don’t do these things, you are likely to become dead yourself. You are doing this not just for their sake, but for your sake as well.

Then, so important, every so often, get away and get your spiritual batteries recharged. Find a great church, get on their website to listen to some helpful sermons. Go visit a place and get ideas. Go and get yourself pumped up again. Attend gospel meetings when you can. On business trips and vacations, plan to worship with some thriving congregations. Keep yourself alive.

There were a few at Sardis. They weren’t dead. They were walking with the Lord. You may be just like that where you worship. Don’t get discouraged and quit. The Lord may have you there for that very reason.

I wish that everyone could worship at a great congregation. I wish that everyone would be excited and busy in the kingdom. It’s not that way. Some are dead spiritually. Some are content doing nothing, going no where. It’s their loss. You don’t have to be that way.

One of the few…that can be you!

Roger