Letter Five

“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.’” ~Revelation 3:1

Have you seen the drawing where from one angle it looks like a rabbit but from another it’s a duck? Another optical illusion is even harder to discern: at first glance there’s a beautiful woman dressed for a social occasion, but upon closer examination you see a haggard old woman bundled against a winter wind. 

The church in Sardis is an optical illusion church. From one angle they look alive. They have a reputation for good works. Perhaps they are known in the city for their kindness. Perhaps they are known among the churches in Asia Minor for being a church worth emulating. They seem to have it all put together — they are growing numerically and their budget is bursting at the seams. By all human reckoning, they seem alive and well.

Unfortunately, like the optical illusion that conceals an old woman beneath the appearance of beauty, Sardis looked healthy outwardly while inwardly it was near death. Their works, though outwardly impressive, are incomplete because they are lacking wholehearted devotion to God. While Christ notes that even there, a few remained faithful — those who had "not soiled their garments" (v. 4) — from His perspective, they are a church standing perilously close to ruin. 

Friends, it is easy for a church to look alive outwardly. It has well-attended discipleship programs, Reformed services of worship, and a thoughtfully crafted budget that supports commendable ministries. A church might have a compelling vision statement and occupy a beautiful facility. None of these things necessarily means a church is healthy or faithful or truly alive. Even all these things combined do not necessarily mean a church is alive. 

To be sure, a vital church will have solid ministries, faithful services of worship, and a wisely stewarded budget. But there is something else: a living church will be marked by a posture that pursues the glory of God in all it does. It won’t be known for being great, but for believing that God is great; therefore, everything it does will be aimed at directing others to Him rather than to itself. 

What is true of the church corporately ought also to be true of her members individually. By this I mean that individual Christians can also project an outward appearance of spiritual vitality while inwardly being marked by spiritual lethargy. We need to consider whether we are more concerned with maintaining the appearance of spiritual health than with truly walking in holiness before Christ.

The letter to Sardis is a needful reminder that we mustn’t only view ourselves or our church from the most flattering angle, but should rather look at them from Jesus’ angle. Would He say we’re walking in holiness? Would He call us conquerors over sin and reputation-seeking? 

Whatever your assessment, hear what Jesus says in this letter: repent where you discover disease, and remember that the same Christ who holds the churches in His hands will keep you and present you holy and blameless before the presence of His Father’s glory with great joy.

Rev. Kyle Lockhart, Pastor