Wake Up, Church
Scripture: Revelation 3:1-3, Ephesians 5:14
Introduction/ Ice Breaker
Is It Cake?
Have you ever experienced something that looked great, but then you found out that it wasn’t that great at all? Sometimes looks can be deceiving. Today we will be talking about a church in the Bible that looked one way on the outside but was very different on the inside.
When I was thinking about this church, I was reminded of a show that has become popular in the last few years. It’s called, “Is it Cake?” We are going to play our own version. (Use the website to play this online, or use the pictures provided.
https://www.sporcle.com/games/petenge/is-it-actually-cake
Is It Real?
It can be hard to tell if something or someone is real. On the show “Is It Cake?” there was a cake that looked so much like potatoes that no one guessed it correctly. Those potatoes really looked like actual potatoes. What would it taste like? It is giving off “potato” way more than cake. Sometimes things are not as they appear. In the book of Revelation there is a church that appeared to be something that they were not.
Revelation is written by John, and it is his account of a vision given to him from God. Read Revelation 3a:1-3. “To the angel[a] of the church in Sardis write: ‘These are the words of Him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, 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 at what time I will come to you.’”
The church in Sardis looked good from the outside. In verse one we see that they had a reputation for being alive and well. They held meetings, they looked the part. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation was that was just not real. The truth was that they were dead, and they needed to wake up. John is giving a warning to the church of Sardis that they must take seriously. He was given a vision from God and needed to share this message with the church. It is a serious message. It is not okay for the church in Sardis to pretend to be one way, but act in another. We see in verse three that the church is encouraged strongly to “Wake up!” This is very important for them. They must wake up and take inventory of what is happening in their church. The verse then goes on to say that if the church of Sardis does not wake up that the Lord God will come, and there will be judgement. They must remember what they were taught. They must repent and do what they know they are supposed to do.
This message for the church of Sardis is a message that it timely for us as well. When we think about our own church, we must ask ourselves, “Do we need to wake up?” What has our church become blind to? Are we truly living as a church the way God intended us to? I think this is something that is so important for churches to discuss. It is important that we think about what we have been taught, that we know our doctrine, and live lives that honor and glorify God. If we do not, we end up just like the church of Sardis.
There was a tree in my neighborhood that was really big and beautiful. We all loved it. One day there was a big storm, and the tree fell down causing a lot of destruction. We found out that the tree had been sick on the inside and was mostly hollow. This beautiful, majestic tree that had been such a fixture in our neighborhood fell in one gust of wind. Everything looked great on the outside, but it was dying on the inside. We can’t let that be us. We can’t let that be our churches. We must wake up and remember who God has called us to be.
Song
Play the song “Rise Up O Sleeper,” which is available on YouTube. There are several versions, including one from the Internation Staff Songsters.
Reflection and Discussion Questions
- What does the church of Sardis need to do? Do you think they can become who God has called them to be again?
- Do you see any similarities between your church and the church of Sardis?
- What steps can churches take to make sure they do not forget who they are and become spiritually dead like the church of Sardis?
- What steps can we take personally to make sure that we stay spiritually vibrant?
- How can we help one another to stay spiritually vibrant?
End in Prayer: pray specifically for our churches and The Salvation Army all over the world to be alive and vibrant.
