Alive but dead?

Moving many times and living in various parts of North America makes Thanksgiving easier. While there is no perfect place nor any perfect churches, I’m so glad to be where I am and for the privilege of being part of a strong church.

Today’s devotional points me to God’s words to an ancient church, one that was not doing very well. It had a good reputation, but something was seriously wrong . . .

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.’” (Revelation 3:1–5)

How can a church that seems good be called ‘dead’? James explains that for faith to be alive and well, it must be producing works or activities or ministry that comes from the grace and power of the Holy Spirit. He said, “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” (James 2:26)

That is, a body of believers can claim faith but their lives do not show it. Their ‘faith’ might not be real in that the Lord Jesus Christ has not given them His renewing life. Their ‘faith’ might be immature in that they believe the Gospel but have not made its truths part of their lives. Whatever the reason, this church was not demonstrating faith by works done in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Works do not save, but they are evidence that salvation has occurred. If a person or a church is not keeping short accounts with God concerning their sin, is relying on their own abilities to ‘serve’ God and has not understood or determined to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, then whatever they do is incomplete in some way and failing to accomplish the will of God. The opposite was said of Paul and Barnabas when they sailed to Antioch “where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled.” (Acts 14:26)

I used to think about this problem of deadness in the church with the prideful attitude that I could fix it. I just needed to teach others what they were missing and the church would be alive and well. This is naïve and vain. The church is built and sustained by the Lord. I’ve no idea why all are not perfect churches.

I also have no idea why it is not true in my own life. I want to be a mature, alive, strong Christian who is filled with the Spirit and doing God’s will in effective and powerful ways. My desire does not make it happen. My desire does not help me understand why God is not making it happen. Church building and Christian building is His business and while perfection is His desire and He is all-powerful, I’ve no idea why there are churches and individual Christians that seem alive but are dead, who need to wake up and repent.

^^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, even in this perplexity, You call me to trust You. I’m to walk by faith, not by what I see and not by what I think should be happening. You are the Sovereign God who is like the manager of a grand performance; You know what is happening on center stage, but You also know what is happening back behind the wings.