Jump Start # 2760

Revelation 3:1 To the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars says this: I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.”

This verse ends with such a solemn pronouncement, “You are dead.” The death of a church is not something that puts a smile on a face. And, like Sardis, a church can be dead, but not out of business. They can continue to assemble, worship and go through the motions of life, but they are dead.

There are two sad realities about death. First, death requires no effort. It takes energy to stay alive. But to die, do nothing. This is true physically. Decades ago, there were a group of protesters in Ireland. They refused to eat. Days and days went by. They would not eat. They died. If you get an injury, a sickness or a disease and you do nothing about it, there is a good chance you could die. Infections spread when there is no medicine to stop it. And, the same principle works for a church. It doesn’t matter the size, the history, nor the age of the church. Do nothing, and the church will die. Stop evangelism. Stop encouraging. Stop teaching. Stop connecting. And years and years of growth, will wither away and the church will die.

Second, a dead church offers no comfort. Comfort comes from hearts that care. Comfort springs forth out of love. Comfort demands contact, cards sent, calls made, prayers offered. That doesn’t come from a lifeless church. What you find in a dead church are people who only care about themselves. Visitors are ignored. The discouraged are abandoned. Those with questions and left to themselves. No thought about the future. No plans. No goals. No comfort. People still shuffle in every Sunday, but it’s more out of duty and habit than love and dedication.

Now, what is interesting about this passage and true to all congregations is that a church doesn’t start out dead. Sardis wasn’t dead to start with. It takes effort, zeal, focus and planning to launch a new congregation. There is an excitement about it. But in time, a church can die. It can die when error replaces the truth. It dies when members are more interested in their happiness than the holiness of the Lord. It dies when people no longer care. And, what is interesting about a dead church is that it doesn’t take very long before one can sense it. You can just feel the lack of interest, the lifeless worship, and the apathy about the work. I’ve seen it. Such a sad, sad situation.

The Sardis example also shows us that Jesus knew what was going on. He knew what others thought about Sardis. They had a name, Jesus knew that. Many thought they were alive, Jesus knew that. And, Jesus knew the truth about them. They were dead. They weren’t what people thought they were. Their character and their reputation didn’t match.

And, from this, here are some thoughts for us to consider:

First, we must be more concerned about how God sees us than how others see us. Reputation is built upon an image of how others see us. Some are more concerned about the outside image than a heart that is true, righteous and pure before God. The image that we present can actually misled and hurt people. Some see us as perfect people. And, for a new person, they feel like they can never measure up to that. Perfect marriages. Perfect obedience. Always in the right place. Always saying the right things. We ought to strive for that, but we know all too well, that we are not that way. There are days this preacher doesn’t feel like preaching. There are days when temptation seems so strong. There are days when our attitudes are not so noble. There are days that we leave kindness at home. Paul reminded folks that he considered himself “the chief of sinners.” We don’t hear that much these days. We can leave the impression that next to Jesus, we are the best thing that came along. Image and truth. Reputation and character. How God sees us and how others see us. Being honest, open and transparent will humble us and keep us close to the Lord.

Second, unlike physical life, spiritual life doesn’t die suddenly. We know of those who died suddenly in car accidents, storms and falls. But spiritual life isn’t like that. A person doesn’t go from being a vibrant, growing Christian to dying spiritually in an instant. Instead, spiritual death is a gradual process of wrong choices, pulling away from the Lord and a weakening of the soul. One stops growing. One stops praying. One stops attending. One stops connecting. Slow steps, but each step away from the cross. More associations with those who are not Christians. More justifying what is wrong. More temptation allowed than resisted. Many of these steps are private and very few people see them. By the time people start recognizing a slipping saint, they have been going that way for months and months.

This is where family plays an important role. When one is married to someone who is not a Christian, that slipping saint will be allowed to fall all the way. But when one is married to a strong Christian, red flags start showing up all the time. The mate can try to turn things around. The mate can call in for help. Before spiritual death becomes a reality, help can arrive. This is why marrying someone that will help you get to Heaven is so important.

Shepherds of the church ought to be noticing things. A lack of interest, a lack of attendance, a lack of involvement, all points to a spiritual heart that is in trouble. However, leaders that are occupied with the maintenance of the church building, the financial wellbeing of the church, often never notice a slipping saint.

And, for Sardis, without knowing all the details, one would have to assume that a lack of spiritual leadership allowed the congregation to die. It happens today. Leaders acting like out of touch CEO’s, who have little involvement or connection to the members, can pay all the bills on time, while the church slowly dies spiritually.

It’s hard to watch someone die. I’ve seen it many, many times. Little can be done other than keep the person comfortable. But watching a church die, when something could be done, is worse. A dead church is made up of dead members. And, dead members are not pleasing the Lord. They are not a Heaven-bound people. They are not living as God would have them.

So, what can be done? How do you turn death around? Sardis had a few that knew. They were not like the rest. They refused to die. They continued to walk with the Lord. Connect with those who are interested in the Lord. Fire the engines up of passionate worship. Get some real preaching going. Revive hospitality. Get some home Bible studies going. Invite family and co-workers. Dust the cobwebs off the place and out of the hearts. Get back to what is necessary, needed and most helpful. Get out those jumper cables and jump start those hearts. Bring in some guest speakers. Get some challenging Bible classes. Don’t settle, but rather, push. Push yourself and then push others. Get up out of that dusty pew and start marching to Zion.

There is no reason for a church to die. It happens when people no longer care.

Roger

Jump Start # 2004

Revelation 3:1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.’”

I have a new picture that hangs in my office. There is a story behind it, of course. Last fall, we filmed a welcome video for the church. If you haven’t seen it, you ought to check it out on our website. The producers flew a drone over the church building to get some outside videos. I asked one of them if they could stop the drone right above our steeple and to get me a still picture looking down the very top point. That’s the picture that is now framed in my office. I told someone that’s Heaven’s view of us. Actually, that’s not correct. God doesn’t really care about a building, He sees us as people.

All of this brings us to our passage today. God’s view of things. There are three things God saw out of Sardis.

First, He saw what they were doing. He saw their deeds. God knows what a church is capable of doing with what they have. God knows how hard we are trying. God knows if we are all talk and nothing else. God knows. We can fool others. We can fool ourselves. But there is no fooling God. He knows.

Second, God saw that Sardis had a name. The name was their reputation. It’s how others knew them. The name said that they were alive. God was aware of that. God saw that. God knows what others think and say about a church. God knows what a church says about itself. Sometimes we can convince ourselves that things are pretty good, when they are not. Sardis had done that. Keep saying you’re alive and after a while you might just believe that yourself.

Third, God saw that Sardis was actually dead. What was dead? Their faith. Their motivation. Their passion. Their love for the Lord. Their desire to do the things of God. I had a tree fall in my yard on Christmas eve. It made a real mess. I spent a long time picking up all the branches and pulling, as best as I could, the large pieces to the edge of the woods. We had some wind that night, but it wasn’t anything too great. It doesn’t take much when something is dead. It doesn’t take much to knock one down when they have a dead faith. A little challenge here and little aggressive argument there and the dead faith falls to the ground. I have more work to do on my yard this spring. The falling tree put some deep holes in my yard. Often there is a lot of clean up that follows a dead faith. There may be marriages that fall apart. There may be others that are hurt and damaged by a dead faith. What’s worse is that Sardis was dead and they didn’t even know it. They were convinced that they were alive. They had fooled themselves. They didn’t see themselves as God saw them.

All of this brings us back around to how Heaven sees us. God has multiple lenses to see us.

First, He sees us as individuals. We walk by faith. Unless you believe, Jesus said, you will die in your sins. This is the most obvious way that we think of God seeing us. Our attitudes. Our choice of words. Our actions. We are responsible for what we do. We can be influenced, taught, guided and misguided, but at the end of the day, it’s our choices, our decisions. God sees that. We are faithful to Him, or we are not. We are serious or we are not. We are alive or we are not.

But that’s not the only way God sees us.

Second, God sees us in our families. He sees us in the roles that we play. We are husband or wife. We are parents or children. We have responsibilities and obligations. What we do is directly connected to the previous point. It’s hard to be on the ball spiritually with God and be a dead beat dad. It’s hard to be faithful and strong and be neglectful at home. These two blend together, but they are not the same. We can be sassy with our mouths. We can have a short temper with the people we live with. We can be kinder to strangers who serve us at a restaurant than we are to our own family. Don’t you think God sees that? We can be thoughtful, sweet to folks at church and mean as a snake at home. Don’t you think God sees that? God sees us in our families.

Third, God sees us in the church. Now, not just what we do in worship, but He certainly sees that, but how engaged we are and what we are doing with the church. Sardis was dead only because the members were dead. You can’t have strong members and a dead church. The church is what the members are. Laodicea was lukewarm, because the members were lukewarm. Ephesus had lost it’s first love, because the members had lost their first love. Together, we make the church what it is. There were a few at Sardis who were not dead. God saw that. He knew that. What part did those people have in making Sardis dead and what part were some, the few, still doing right with God? God saw and God knew. Which brings us to us. What am I doing to help my congregation be alive, active and true to God? Am I just along for the ride or am I doing what I can? I may not lead, preach or teach, but I still have my part to do. Do I sing enthusiastically? Do I actually pray with others? Do I try to encourage? Do I hold up my end of things? It’s easy to put some distance between self and the church. We tend to talk that way. “Those down at the church,” we say, as if we are not part of them. We are. We are connected. We belong. We are family. God sees what we are doing and if we are among the “dead” or among the “few” who are trying.

The lenses of God. He sees you in the different roles that you play. He sees you and He knows. He knows what you are up against. He knows about your health. He knows what you are capable of doing. He knows when you are really trying. Losers limp is an expression used among those who run track. Those that are good, run well. Others try. Sometimes a person is beat as soon as the starting gun fires. He knows he will be lapped. He wants to save face. So, he falls. He grabs his leg as if he is injured. He hobbles off the track. No one can fault him for getting a cramp or pulling a muscle. He tried. The truth is, he faked it. He was too embarrassed. So he came up with “losers limp.” God knows when we have faked a losers limp spiritually. He knows.

So, all of this gets us back to Sardis. Go along with the majority or do what we know we ought to do. The few that pleased God weren’t in the same camp as the majority. The majority was dead, even though they thought they were alive. The few actually were alive. God knew. How about you? Are you just sailing along with the others or are you doing what God really wants you to do? Are you willing to be different, even among the few, if that’s what it takes to please God?

God sees us. Remarkable thought. Makes us only hope that we can see ourselves as God sees us.

Roger

Jump Start # 1910

Revelation 3:1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, and you are dead.’”

Sardis thought everything was fine. It wasn’t. God declared that congregation was dead. How is it that a church can be dead and not know it? Why wasn’t something done to prevent spiritual death?

When we look at the seven churches that are listed in these introductory chapters of Revelation, there are many things we do not know. Which of the seven was the largest? Which of the seven had elders? Which of the seven had baptized the most in the past year? Today, we’d want to know about the size and age of the church building. We’d want to know how spacious the auditorium was. Is there plenty of parking space out front? How much money is in the bank account? Who’s preaching for them? Who’s coming for meetings? Those are the typical things that are asked about a congregation. Positive answers could be given to all of those questions and yet there would remain the one major issue, is the church alive?

How does a church die and why doesn’t anyone seem to notice that? Here are a few thoughts:

First, there isn’t much spiritual interest among the members. That’s a cold fact, but it speaks the truth. A congregation dies because no one noticed and no one really cared. Certainly, folks will walk through what is expected. They will gather for Sunday worship, sing a few songs, often the same songs and often without very much heart. They will eat the Lord’s Supper, with just passing reference to what that death meant. Someone will preach a lesson that is safe and not challenging nor leading to applications. Week after week. Month after month. Year after year. The church drifts. Little plans. No goals. No expectations. No accountability. Folks drift in and out and no one knows where they are. A member or two will die each year and the numbers continue to shrink.

Second, no one is willing to change course. The church drifts and no one steps up. No one suggests a new idea. No one offers to generate life among them. They stare at each other as year by year they shrink in size, enthusiasm and hope. They hope someone will come in and turn them. It won’t happen. They are waiting for someone to save them from death, but it won’t happen. Instead of rising up and taking charge to do what needs to be done, they sit and stare and wait. I have literally sat with families and watched their loved ones die. It’s a slow and pitiful process. Nothing more can be done. So the family sits and waits. Such is the state of some congregations today.

Third, they are afraid of doing something different. They haven’t learned the difference between methods and Biblical patterns. So, in a world that is moving at blazing speed in technology, this dying church wants nothing to do with “those modern things.” No lessons are recorded. No website is posted. Definitely, no Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Those are all viewed as a waste of money and “evil.” So, the dying church sits there, and other than having a church building, no one in the community even knows that they are there. Fear of anything different has kept this dying church locked in the dark ages. They feel safe. They feel secure. But they are dying and they do not know that. Nothing is done to reach out to the community. Smaller and smaller the church becomes. They never change the way they do things. They feel that all change is wrong. They don’t want to be wrong, so they are stuck decades in the past, but they feel safe. They do not understand that a congregation can be Biblically accurate and use modern methods of connecting, reaching and sharing the gospel.

Fourth, they remain isolated from other brethren. They do not get around and visit other places. They don’t connect with brethren in neighboring congregations. Ideas are not shared. They don’t learn from others. Isolation makes them feel safe. The doors are shut and nothing can bother them. All around within driving distance are congregations that are thriving. They could get ideas. They could get help. But no one thinks this way. No one is willing to do anything. They just sit and stare and wait for the next member to pass away.

Fifth, they haven’t given any thought about the future. A quick look around the typical dead church and you find a few senior citizens. What happens in ten years? What happens when these senior saints are no longer on this side of things? Who takes their place? No one thinks about this. No one seems concerned about this. Even the prayers do not reflect the need for help.

They are dead and they do not realize it. Such was Sardis. Such are some congregations today. Life in a congregation isn’t based upon size, location or whether or not they have a church building. The difference between death and life is activity, interest, passion and love for the Lord. Just as a couple in a marriage can take each other for granted and the marriage becomes stale and lifeless, so can our spiritual life.

Sardis was dead as a church because the members were dead spiritually. Their interests in spiritual things was not there. No life. No activity. No zeal. No hospitality. No outside visiting. No deep prayers. No challenging Bible studies. No seeking the lost. Nothing out of the ordinary.

I see these same signs of coming death in congregations today. People do not seem very concerned. Nothing is being done to prevent the coming death. The young among them move away or drop out. Very few new faces show up. The place seems stale. The building has a stale feel to it. The worship seems stale. The preaching seems stale. The atmosphere seems stale. Everyone seems tired. Everyone seems lifeless. The only excitement is when folks talk about their favorite sports team or the weather.

A while back, I went to lunch with Jason, my preacher. There was a place I have been wanting to try. I had in my mind what I thought was going to be on the menu. It wasn’t there. They offered goat, which I passed on. The food was good, but the entire time we were there, no one else came in. The place was empty and this was at peak lunch time. That was a bit creepy. I kept thinking, why are we the only ones in here? Why isn’t anyone else here? Something just didn’t seem right. You can sense that in some congregations. You can feel the tension. You can feel trouble. You can feel that things aren’t right.

A church doesn’t have to die. Repent is what God told Sardis. Change. What you are doing isn’t working. Folks are dying in the pew. Get some help. Ask others for advice. Generate ideas. But all of this is built around the concept of caring. Don’t you care what is going on? Don’t you care that this church may not exist in a decade? Don’t you care that folks are dying in sin all around you and nothing is being done? Don’t you care that your love for the Lord is so vain and empty that it is doing nothing for your life? Don’t you care?

A congregation needs to do what we do in life. When we are drowning in financial debt, we don’t go to a broke cousin for advice. We seek out someone who has done well financially. We ask. We listen. We learn. If you want to play golf, you don’t talk to someone who hates the game and has never played. You seek out that guy who plays once a week. You ask. You listen. You learn. You need to fix something in the house. You don’t seek out the guy who can’t change a light bulb. You find that person who is Mr. Handyman. You ask. You listen. You learn.

Should we not do this spiritually? Individually, maybe we are not praying so well. Maybe we are in a rut. Who do you talk to? The co-worker who never worships God or the person who seems to be a spiritual giant. You seek out the giant. You ask. You listen. You learn. Shouldn’t a stale congregation do the same? Seek out a congregation that seems to be hitting on all cylinders. Get ideas. Ask. Listen. Learn.

Sardis was dead and they didn’t even know it. How about you? Are you alive spiritually? Are you seeking out someone who can help you? Maybe it’s time.

Roger

Jump Start # 1783

Revelation 3:1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this, ‘I know your deeds that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.’”

Of the seven churches listed in Revelation two and three, Sardis and Laodicea probably get the most attention and are most surprised to hear what the Lord says about them. Sardis had a name that they were alive. Laodicea claimed that they needed nothing. Both were terribly wrong. They were just the opposite of what they thought. How could a congregation be so wrong? How could a congregation miss it by that much? They weren’t close. They were nothing like the Lord said that they were. That amazes me. That concerns me.

Is it possible for you and I to be way off in how we see ourselves? Is it possible that our assessment of our congregation or worse, even our own spiritual walk is completely wrong? Sardis and Laodicea were not bowing down to idols. Nothing is stated about false teaching. The doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which was hated in Ephesus but taught in Pergamum is not mentioned at either Sardis or Laodicea.

Simply put, “How are we doing?” We have nice, safe answers to that question. We often say, “Pretty good.” “I’m not where I could be, but all in all, I’m doing fine.” Alive. Need of nothing. We don’t hear folks say, “My prayer life stinks,” or, “I don’t read the Bible like I ought to.” That’s bold, open and honest.

First, we understand that there is a huge slice of the religious community that believes that they are saved. They have missed a few doctrinal points to be accurate Biblically, but in their hearts they are saved. What is written in Revelation, is not addressing this type of thinking. A doctor can say you are well, when you are not. It’s easy to believe him. He’s the doc. Tests will show otherwise. How you feel says otherwise. Spiritually, the tests are the word of God. Spiritually, how you feel, is your behavior. Salvation is not a feeling but a relationship with the Lord. There are steps to get into that relationship. There are steps to maintain that relationship. It is based upon faith that is built upon the word of God and a walk that follows what is laid out in the Bible. Saying I’m saved, doesn’t make it so. Many who say that, certainly don’t act that way. Read what they post or like on Facebook. Shocking. Follow them through a week. They’ll head to church on Sunday, but are partying hard on Friday night. Nope. Just saying you’re saved, doesn’t mean you are.

Second, for Sardis and Laodicea, they were those who understood the word of God and had obeyed Christ. Paul’s letter to the Colossians was to be shared and read in Laodicea. He was aware of the great struggle that was going on in Laodicea (Col 2:1) and shared a great concern over them (Col 4:13). So, with Sardis and Laodicea, we are not talking about some that are confused religiously, or have been the drinking poisonous water of error. What happened is that these were Christians who took their eyes off of Jesus. They lost their focus. They were unwilling to admit the truth about themselves and denied that things were as the Lord saw them.

Denial is a wonderful place that many like to go to. A couple denies that they are having marriage troubles. They keep pretending things are fine when they are not. A person denies that he has a serious health issue. He refuses to go to the doctor, claiming that it’s just sore muscles. A person denies that he has a drinking problem. He knows that he shouldn’t drink and proudly confesses that he could quit anytime, but he won’t. Parents deny that their child is on drugs. They don’t want to admit it.

There is a common thread that runs through all of those above situations. A person refuses to look at the facts. They refuse to see things as they are. They see things as they once were. They see things as they ought to be, but to see things as they are, is to admit there is a problem. We don’t want to do that. So we deny. “Sure things could be better and sure there are things we could work on, but it’s not that bad.” That’s the theme song for deniers. For Sardis, “we’re not dead. Look what people are saying about us.” For Laodicea, “we don’t need a thing.” Denial. Wrong.

The problem of denial is that help is held at bay. There are no alarms going off. 9-1-1 hasn’t been called. The deniers are convinced that they can change things and fix things if it ever gets to that point, but they are convinced things are not that bad at the moment. Denial. So, Sardis died and Laodicea grew lukewarm. Instead of turning things around, the denying led to their death. And so it happens with the above situations. The denying of marriage troubles will lead to a divorce. The denial of health problems will lead to a heart attack. The denial of a drinking problem will destroy him. The denial of a drug problem will lead to the child become addicted, arrested or dead.

What pulls the plug on denial? Honesty. Being honest with yourself. Don’t compare self with others. Look to the word of God and look at those lives of those first Christians. Is that you? Is that your faith? Is that how you feel? Do you go very long without thinking about Christ? Do you get through an entire day and never once think about your spiritual journey? If that happens, then the choices you made, were not shaped spiritually. Your words, your attitudes, your behavior may have all missed what Christ wanted you to be.

Honest. Do you enjoy worship? Do you love to read God’s word? Do you long to pray to God? Do you want to be in the presence of other Christians? Honest. Pull the covers back. No hiding. No excuses. No denial.

Sardis and Laodicea, two congregations that within a generation or two lost their focus and their purpose. There is but one solution, keep your eyes upon the Lord. Do what is right, not what is easy. Do what God wants, not what others want.

How are you doing? Great question to ask yourself this morning.

Roger

Jump Start # 1124

Revelation 3:1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.’”

  The opening line in Dicken’s Christmas Carol is “Marley was dead.” A twist of that could be said about Sardis. Sardis was dead. Now, they didn’t start that way. No churches do. They start small but with great hope and enthusiasm. Family and friends are told about Jesus. People are taught. Baptisms take place. The little group starts to grow. A lot of excitement. Joy fills their heart. In time, the group matures. Leaders are appointed. The work expands. Often, in those early years of a new church, different places are found to meet in. They experience growing pains. Then along the way, they started to settle down and settle in. Routine replaced motivation and drive. The same ole’ same ole became the norm and the standard. Growth tapered off. Some fell away. Others moved on. Before they knew it and realized it, the long, slow process of death started taking over. Sardis died and they didn’t even know it. They still had deeds, but they were dead. They had a reputation, but they were dead. The best years were behind them. They were existing but not living. Church life was routine and no longer a vital and important part of their life. They’d still meet but that’s about it. A dead church is composed of dead members. Dead on Sunday. Dead on Monday. The spiritual needle no longer moved in their hearts. Living, finances, families, fun replaced Christ. They were a great showroom but there was nothing in the warehouse.

Yesterday I asked a question an the end of our class. The answer to the question determines everything about a congregation. I asked, “Are the best years for this congregation in the past, present or still to come?” For Sardis, it was in the past. When a church views that as the answer, then they have moved to simply existing. They will go through the motions of life, but it’s all pretense and a show. They talk about events in the past. They glory in preachers long gone. They talk about how large they once were. PAST, PAST, PAST. The best years were in the past. For such places, they are simply waiting for death to take them over. They are in the nursing home phase of existence.

Others would say that the present is the best. That’s not a bad answer. This means a church is busy and engaged in what is going on right now. They would be growing and teaching and enjoying fellowship with each other. You could feel the energy, intensity and joy. The downside to all of this is that there isn’t much forward thinking or planning going on. They are so busy with the present that they fail to anticipate, plan and  move toward the future. Where are they going to be in five years isn’t something that they think about. Who will be the next leaders? They don’t think those thoughts. Who is on the five year list to be an elder? Who is on the ten year list? Most likely, they don’t have those lists. They are busy with today. Sometimes congregations like that get caught off guard. They didn’t anticipate needing to expand the building and they didn’t prepare for that. Something happens and some of the leaders move or resign because of personal issues and they are caught in a time without leaders. They didn’t think about that. A church must be engaged in the present, but they cannot take their eye off the horizon to see what is next.

Some congregations are in the mode that the best is yet to come. I believe this is where God wants us to be. Busy in the present, but planning for the future. Looking at the little 2 year old class and realizing that someday they will be in the teenage class. Making the proper steps to shore up and strengthen things for the future. There is a lot of planning and vision for congregations with this mindset. They recognize that what they do today paves the way for the future. The classes taught today are in anticipation for tomorrow.

Interesting question to chew on. The best days: behind us, right now, or ahead of us. The answer to that question will set the tone for what the church does. Don’t be a Sardis that died without anyone recognizing it. Don’t let the past be the best. Do things, the right things, so today, and even tomorrow will be better than the past. This takes busy servants. This involves planners and dreamers. This takes finances. This takes the congregation catching hold of that spirit and believing it. This is not giving up and throwing in the towel. This is working on current problems and then trying to hold off coming problems. This is anticipating rather than reacting. This is seeing that each person is responsible and each person has different spiritual needs. This is the work of overseers. A skipper that is looking behind the ship will crash. He must be at the helm, looking ahead. We need more and more leaders to be like this. To get out of the rut and plan, dream and anticipate. What does the congregation look like in five years? How about 15?

Sardis was stuck in the past. They were dead. Don’t let that happen to you or your congregation. A church dies because the members die. Getting life back in the congregation begins by getting life back in our hearts as individuals. Don’t wait for others. Don’t sit on the sidelines any longer.

The best years…when are they?

Roger