Many of us pray
for revival in the Church.
Every church
however does not need revival just as every person does not need medicine. In the Book of Revelation chapter 3, we read
about the fifth of the seven letters to the churches, the letter to the church
at Sardis.
This is a
troubling and actually very tragic letter to a troubled and tragic church
because this church is dead. We know
this church is dead because Jesus Christ himself says at end of verse 1,
"You are dead."
What is
interested to note is that this church does not even know it is dead. That is what
makes it even more tragic.
When we take a closer
look at this church in Sardis, while we find it tragic that they are dead there
is still hope. Jesus says in the very
next verse, Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I
have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.
In finding out
why it is dead, we may find the key to revival.
A revival for not
only this church in Sardis but all other local churches that may be already
dead as well.
Note that for
each of these seven churches, Jesus presents the Godhead in a particular
way. The way the Lord
presents himself to each of these churches is a clue as to what the church
needs. Here in Sardis Jesus calls
himself "him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars."
These symbols were identified for us in
the first chapter of Revelation. The "seven spirits" are a symbol of
the Holy Spirit in his fullness.
Here is a clear
fact. It is the Holy Spirit that gives
life. The Apostle Paul
said it is the Holy Spirt that gives life in Romans 8:11
“AND if the
Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you,He who raised
Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his
Spirit who lives in you.”
If there is no
Holy Spirit, there is no life.
The church is not
a building; it is the Body of Christ.
This Body includes all believers.
When we become a believer, God places the Holy Spirit within us, who leads
us whenever we listen and respond to the Holy Spirit’s counsel. The Holy Spirit
is our Guide, He is one who walks with us along the way.
It is the Holy
Spirit that will convict us of sin and will enable us to repent (And when He
has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of
judgment John 16:8). When the Holy
Spirit convicts us of sin,we are led
to repent.For the church to
experience revival, the people need to repent. That is why our
Lord says to Sardis, "Remember how
you have received and heard, and obey it and repent." (Rev 3:3)
That is the place
of new beginning. This is the opportunity for revival!
It is in
repentance that people experience and demonstrate conversion from a sinful life
in Christ and it is the Spirit of God that imparts the life of Christ.
It’s in repentance
that we will experience revival.
