About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman

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A Dead Church

He was a corporate manager throughout his adult life, so while attending a weekend conference at a politically popular mega church he was beyond impressed, just blown away at how everything was managed so perfectly.  The professional-sounding music team, the dynamic preacher, the memorable meals, the comfortable accommodations, the gospelized political trinkets for sale were all more than he anticipated.  He came home thinking that this church was really alive.    

I'm not a fan of Dow Jones-style mega churches where their reputation is more like a well-managed corporation than the 1 Corinthians 12 living community of Jesus.  They remind me of the Revelation 3:1 to 6 church at Sardis where Jesus said "I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead". 

The Sardis church, like that at Laodicea, had a great reputation of being alive, well-managed, wealthy and self-sufficient.  It appeared to be stunningly successful, but appearances can be deceiving.  It's why Jesus said "stop judging by mere appearance, but instead judge correctly or "righteously" as some versions read (John 7:24).  What someone's or something's reputation appears to be isn't what he, she, or it necessarily is.  To be clear, Jesus never told us not to judge.  He told us how to judge.  He told us to "judge correctly", which demands a righteous well-thought-out process.            

We must look beyond the entertaining professional-sounding music team rocking away on stage that paves the way for the spirited preacher.  When looking beyond the appealing appearance, do you see people devoted to a daily life with Jesus, their Master?  Do you see God's Spirit sanctifying lives into godliness?  Do you see a Biblically literate congregation, or might you see a Sardis-like church, like the Galatian church that Paul called foolish for exchanging God's Spirit for their own human effort (Galatians 3:1 - 5)?    

When the church replaces the Holy Spirit with its own human effort it loses its Biblical legitimacy.  It becomes an organization that is no different from any charitable organization or a Fortune Five Hundred Corporation.  It may appear to be alive but in reality is spiritually dead.     

Jesus told the church at Sardis to "wake up"!  "Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God" (Revelation 3:2).  This church had a chance to rise from the dead, but that was its choice.  Jesus told them to "remember what you have received and heard; hold it fast and repent.  But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know what time I will come to you" (Revelation 3:3).  When it comes to judging correctly, this church was to judge itself which would prove its need to repent.  Could Jesus be saying something similar to today's Sardis-style expressions of church?  I think so.  Prophetically speaking, this is the Word of the Lord for our western-world church.  

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