We know we have been talking about the book of Revelation over many months. But we want to go a little further. We have been talking about artificial churches, spiritual abuse and a lot more, everything a church of Sardis can be caught up in.
Next up let’s look a little bit more deeply at things. We wrote a while back about the pulpit and how we want to hear from God and not innuendoes from man. Well sadly the pulpit is not just being abused from preaches and sermons, it is being abused in many forms.
For example, one church had come under scrutiny suspected of malicious practice. An investigation took place. We won’t go into what for, but at the end of the day they were put under investigation. Obviously, church has to continue, and the church carried on with their Sunday services until the investigation concluded.
While that investigation was under way, the church decided to put a little praise God campaign together. Cards were put on to every seat in the church and congregants were asked to write on them what they were thankful to God for and what they could praise God for. Cards like the one shown below. This campaign was announced from the pulpit.
What were they really up to?
Because the church was under investigation leaders were hunting for information. They wanted intelligence, they asked the congregation to write information down on these cards purely to fish for information and anything that could help them with the investigation that was going on behind the scenes. A complete manipulation of a fickle congregation.
This is a church of Sardis tactic. For those of you who don’t know what the church of Sardis is, let’s explain this to you. In the book of Revelation Jesus pointed out faults in churches. One of them was the church of Sardis. Jesus specifically told them that although they appeared alive, their church was actually dead. Here is the scripture specifically shown below.
Revelation 3
3 “To the angel 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.
4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Because of the times we are in you will probably see more than one church of Sardis. When you see praise campaigns and cards left on your seat, think about such things, are they campaigns carried out with genuine motives to glorify God, or are the leaders who run the church so in fault and up to their necks in trouble they are just desperately in need of intelligence, and a little snippet of information can come from the congregation through writing on these cards that can be used to get them off the hook.
What are they doing? Manipulating a congregation and the congregation is fickle and oblivious to know what is really going on, and why they are being asked to fill in cards like the one shown above.
Pray and pray some more about deceitful schemes in the church. From fallen leaders or flat-out false prophets who do not care about the poor, do nothing to seek justice and are far from God. The church may appear alive but actually it is dead, and care about all of the things that are actually detestable to God.
Your prayers can help detract leaders from carrying out such deceitful campaigns, not trusting God for protection, but trying to save themselves in their own strength, or are a part of dark schemes to cause chaos in the church. Keep praying about such things because the Bible says no scheme of the enemy will ever prevail against Gods plans.