20th April 2020
THE SEVEN CHURCHES
(CHURCH IN SARDIS)
David Abankwah
SERIES: Day 5
…..“I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
-Revelation 3:1 | NKJV
The church in Sardis is a dead church. It is the type of believer who has the reputation of having strength in the Lord concerning the work of God he does or his ministration, but does not do the works of his own soul. These believers are like signboards who show others the way to New Jerusalem, but are unwilling to take up their own crosses and follow Jesus Christ. This type of believer is a Pharisee or a Shepherd who prepares messages for the congregation, but he is not willing to obey them. Many Ministers of God are victims of this. They have the intent of preaching to the congregation, but they don’t preach to themselves first.
The Sardis type of believer is a hypocrite or pretender who appears spiritual but carnal in his closet. It is only the Lord who knows the deep secret sins the person engages himself in. It is better to be a sinner publicly than to be a sinner privately. There are sins one commits that no one can notice and advise one on. These are the sins one commits in the mind and in the heart. One of such sins is to look at someone lustfully. Many have the problem of stripping people naked in their minds and even have sex with them in their minds, which is termed as sexual fantasy. Physically, the person hasn’t commit fornication or may appear righteous, but spiritually, he is dead because of sin.
There are three main deaths: Physical death (separation of the soul from the body), spiritual death (separation of the soul from God because of sin) and second death (separation of the soul from God eternally because of judgement). Some appear to be prayerful, religious, Godly-focused, eternal life-ambitious, but they are pretenders. Some go to church not because of salvation but because of material things. They don’t genuinely love God, but they want things from Him. The Sardis believer speaks in tongues but the Holy Spirit doesn’t abide in the person. The Sardis believer professes he knows God but does not do His will (Matthew 7:21).
The Sardis Pastor prophesies in the name of Jesus, drive out demons in the name of Jesus, perform many miracles in the name of Jesus, and depends on that without working out his own salvation with fear and trembling or practising righteous life. Such Sardis Pastor focuses on the gifting or power part of public ministry and neglect the presence part of the private ministry of his own soul. If you have anyone to preach, preach to your soul first. If you have any soul to win, win your own soul first. If you have anyone to pray for, pray for yourself first. There is no selfishness when it comes to salvation because salvation itself, is not multitudinous but individualistic.
•| Prayer Diary |•
Lift up prayers for self-inclination and strength of God to focus and to work out your own salvation with maximized effort as you focus on the salvation of others in the name of Jesus Christ.
Quote
Salvation is not plurality. It is rather singularity. If you have any soul to save, save yourself first.
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© 2020 David Abankwah
David Abankwah 