IMITATING LIFE

As the song says, "we were made to thrive". But it is one thing to thrive as an individual believer, quite another to thrive as a fellowship of believers. When Jesus tells us 7 times to listen to what the Holy Spirit says to the CHURCHES it is a good indication we should listen very, very carefully.

A servant of Christ BELONGS to Christ individually. A church, however, is where they join in fellowship and mutual support and encouragement with others who equally belong to Christ. But fellowship among equals is not without its problems. The 7 letters to the churches could easily be published in a short book titled "What Can Go Wrong When Christians Get Together."

One letter I always found specially intriguing is that to the church at Sardis. A church enjoying  a REPUTATION as an alive (and thriving) church. No accusations of false teaching or false prophets are made. Nor accusations of being lukewarm like the church at Laodicea. And yet for all the appearance of an alive, thriving, doctrinally sound church the Spirit pronounced it DEAD already and in urgent need of resurrection or else the Lord Himself would visit it as a thief in the night. But a thief in the night comes to quietly steal away a householders possessions. The Lord is no thief so what is it He would take from such a church? I think He would take back what was His to begin with. His people, His gifts, His anointing, His blessing, His Holy Spirit. The Bible does not tell us what happened but one has to wonder, if the Church at Sardis did not even notice it was dead, would it have even noticed the Lord's people and the Lord's anointing, blessing and Spirit leaving? Or would it have simply substituted these things with corporate strategy look-alikes, stage managed shows, and groovy music in order to preserve the illusion of life for the sake of its reputation?

Sardis provokes the obvious question HOW DOES a dead church imitate life so well it can deceive even itself that it is a living, thriving church? It also provokes the follow up question, how do other churches stop themselves falling into the same trap?

It is not surprising that the key to a thriving personal life IN Christ and a thriving church OF Christ are the same thing. It is to get REAL with God and to get REAL with others. To have the courage (in Christ) to actually live and breathe the exciting, adventurous, and abundant, God purposed,  compassionate, loving, good working, truth seeking, World defying, Spirit filled life for which Jesus suffered and died .... And not just try to imitate it.

D.J. Ludlow

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