Neglected Faith

Neglected Faith

Women In Sardis

Read: Revelation 3:1-6

After she got home from the doctor’s office, Renee stared at her right arm in the mirror. No one would ever guess that she had done strength training for two years. The arm that had done bicep curls with fifteen-pound dumbbells now hung flabby and almost useless at her side after four weeks in a cast. Renee now understood what the doctor meant by muscle atrophy.

Jesus’ message to the church at Sardis accused those believers of being as lifeless as an atrophied muscle. He acknowledged that they had a reputation for being active and effective, so those hearing the letter must have been shocked by Jesus’ evaluation: “You are dead.” The believers hadn’t exercised their spiritual muscles by developing the disciplines of the Christian life or by fighting against sin. As a result, they were “soiled . . . with evil,” except for a small group whose lives were pleasing to God. Jesus sent the believers in this church a wake-up call, telling them to strengthen their faith by remembering and obeying the basic truths of the gospel.

If we don’t nurture our faith, it doesn’t stay the same—it weakens, leaving us vulnerable to sin’s influence. In order to grow spiritually, we have to practice habits of prayer, worship, Bible study, and obedience. God’s Holy Spirit works with our personal discipline to help us make godly choices. As we obey God’s commands, we become more like Christ. But if we go through the motions of the Christian life while neglecting to deepen our relationship with God, that relationship will deteriorate. We may look good on the outside, like the church at Sardis, but that doesn’t fool God. Sooner or later, he will send us a wake-up call.

Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead.

Revelation 3:2