We have been talking about the Church of Sardis this last 12 months. The tactics a church of Sardis could use appearing alive but in reality the majority were in fact spiritually dead. We talked of how the pulpit has been abused hearing from man and not God and so many other acts of the flesh.

When we read Revelation 3 where Jesus called out the church of Sardis, how could someone respond to scripture like this? It could be that one would look inwards examining their heart and would ask and pray to God to reveal their short comings, to help them to change and to be obedient to follow, they may not heed the warning and the conviction that scripture can bring, and carry on in acts of the flesh.

There is nothing new under the sun. God has many times in the past done things to grab the attention of His people so that they would repent and turn toward him. But when they do not turn toward Him they can try to protect themselves in their own strength, setting up elaborate schemes thinking they are safe in those schemes that were not Gods design.

Lets look at Isaiah 30. In this chapter the Lord is calling out His people for making alliances with other countries that were not of Gods spirit. Here is that scripture.

Isaiah 30 v 1 – 2

1 “Woe to the obstinate children,”declares the Lord,

“to those who carry out plans that are not mine,

forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit,

heaping sin upon sin; who go down to Egypt

without consulting me; who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection”

In Isaiah God is telling His people to turn to Him to avoid destruction, and if they do not they will be exiled to another land. God was the one who ultimately brought the exile in love for His people so that they would turn from their idols and turn to Him. The exile did come to pass and lead to 70 years in Babylon.

What we need to consider is God trying to get your attention? Is He trying to show you the correct way to go, or are you creating your own strategies to protect yourselves when in fact you are doing exactly what the Jewish people did before the exile to Babylon, you make allies with others, when infact God wants you to turn to Him to do the right thing.

We talked of the dangers of self-deception a while back. Church leaders will say we are blessed, we have wealth, we have numbers and this shows why we should not be questioned, because God blessed us. But God is not interested in material wealth and what the outside looks like, He cares what is on the inside, and if we have gone astray He is going to jealously fight to bring us back for we are His children.

So the moral of this article is this. Is God trying to get your attention? Are you coming up with elaborate schemes making allies to protect yourselves who are no match for God? When Israel turned to Egypt did they bring peace to Israel, no they were exiled in the end.

What God wants is for you to turn to Him and do the right thing, to repent and turn the other away, before you go down a path that was not Gods design and a path that will only take you to a dead end. Think on this and pray to God and listen carefully, because Gods way is always the best way and He wants to protect you because He loves you and you are His child.

Click the link below to read Isaiah 30 it does not pull any punches.

Isaiah 30 NIV – Woe to the Obstinate Nation – “Woe to – Bible Gateway

One thing that stood out to us was this scripture in Isaiah 30 v 17.

“A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of five
you will all flee away,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner on a hill.”

We have more good news. We often say pray and pray some more. Sometimes prayers get answered quickly and others take more time. But when prayers do get answered the excitement and joy it brings fills us with more encouragement to pray and to keep praying.

There is a scripture in Mark 4 titled “The Parable of the Growing Seed” shown below in Mark 4 v 26 to 29.

“Jesus went on to say, “The Kingdom of God is like this. A man scatters seed in his field. He sleeps at night, is up and about during the day, and all the while the seeds are sprouting and growing. Yet he does not know how it happens.  The soil itself makes the plants grow and bear fruit; first the tender stalk appears, then the ear, and finally the ear full of corn. When the corn is ripe, the man starts cutting it with his sickle, because harvest time has come.”

When we share our testimony of the goodness of God with people we plant a seed in a persons heart. Then God waters that seed. It could take 1 week, 1 month, 1 year or multiple years for a seed to lead a person to salvation, Gods watering of the seed and timing is key.

It is ever so important to scatter seeds in our Christian walk, to plant seeds of the goodness of God in people’s hearts, because they can lead people to salvation. In some cases you will not know of when those seeds will sprout, it maybe that you will only find out when you reach heaven. But in some cases you will find out on your earthly walk, and that is what has happened to us today. We have a testimony of one seed planted in a person’s heart that has sprouted into salvation.

A seed that led someone to salvation

In January 2024. One of our church members organised a series of events at St Vincent’s Centre, Ely Bridge. The events were setup to televise all of the rugby Six Nations games for people to enjoy at the centre, however to do this in an alcohol free environment. The centre provided all soft drinks and a curry at half time.

We saw 100 people turn up to these events over the course of the six nations rugby.

We have just heard that a lad who came to the events, has given his life to Jesus. Do you see? We testified to the goodness of God and the Lord watered that seed and it has led to someone being saved. Here is an answered prayer asking God to water the seed.

So when you plant a seed or say a prayer, don’t be disheartened when things don’t happen straight away. Sometimes salvations and prayers take time to be answered. But rest assure the Lord is watering the seeds planted in peoples hearts. So what is the lesson from this? Keep scattering those seeds and keep praying!

We have had more great news. A friend of a friend of ours was rushed into hospital with blood poisoning. The kidneys were not functioning correctly causing this serious health scare. We were told it was touch and go if he would survive.

We immediately went to prayer and petitioned this to God. Here is the prayer.

We have just found out the good news that this person was healed and delivered from his life threatening situation. If you have loved ones who are unwell then think about praying to God and asking Him to heal them. A prayer can lead to breakthrough and also reveal more about Gods character, His goodness and faithfulness.

We serve a merciful God and a God who heals people. A simple prayer can lead to healings of all kinds. If you feel like you cannot pray please do get in touch with us here at the church and we will pray for you and those who need healing. We will be only to willing to pray.

It is interesting to see the tactics of a Church Sardis. Does the gospel set us free or is it used by fallen leaders to control and to spiritually abuse? That is a good question! We have talked about how the pulpit has been abused by fallen leaders through innuendo and talk given to congregation members not from God but from man.

The latest innuendo was to be expected and predicted long before it was spoken. (When you have had experience with false prophets they become extremely predictable!) Fallen leaders recently talked of do-gooders. But what is a do-gooder? Is it someone who does good and expects something back or to receive favouritism, or is it to work for God to shine His light into peoples lives.

So lets look at things a little deeper. What does the Bible say about doing good. Let’s take a look.

First up we have a scripture from Matthew, specifically in chapter 5.

Matthew 5:16

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Next up a Psalm of David in Psalm 37.

Psalm 37:3

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.”

Do you see? There are plenty of scriptures that tell us to ensure we are doing good, letting your light shine before others, so that good works maybe seen to which it glorifies God.

Another scripture is given to us in the letter of James chapter 2. Have a read.

James 2:14-17

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

Do you see? Without works your faith is dead. This is what the word of God tells us. What do these scriptures have to do with Church of Sardis tactics. Firstly what is the Church of Sardis. Jesus was not afraid to tell a church what it was! Here is Jesus calling out the Church of Sardis in Revelation 3 verse 1 to 3.

3 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits[b] 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 of Sardis appeared alive but in fact was dead. They looked the part, people were being saved apparently, there were baptisms, there was preaching, but Jesus called it all a sham.

Example of a Church Sardis in our modern age

Don’t forget there are Churches out there today who are operating just like the Church of Sardis did 2000 years ago. They appear alive but are actually dead. Let us give you an example. One of our church members was given a task by God to make welfare officers compulsory in over 50 running clubs in Wales.

The reason for this was the running community was like the wild west when it came to bullying. There were no real safeguards in place to protect people from bullies. Until God showed up! In 2019 a campaign commenced with the local MP to get welfare officers made compulsory in running clubs. By the grace of God we won! Today there are welfare officers in place where bullying can be reported and dealt with.

This is how God protects people in todays modern age. He uses Christians to go and safeguard people. He uses sinful people to do good! This is why there are scriptures such as Matthew 5 v 16, Psalm 37 v 3 and James 2 v 14 to 17. God is a gracious God and gives you grace to go out and do mighty things.

Here is the letter confirming the campaigning undertaken to get welfare officers made compulsory in running clubs all over Wales.

This is an example why church congregants need to step up and do good and trust in God. He will use you to help society as He has helped the sporting community in Wales.

How has the church let people down in this campaigning!

We had the upper hand when it came to safeguarding people who wanted to take part in the running community. We wanted to go further. The reason this campaign to get welfare officers made compulsory in running clubs was because bullying was taking place when it came to people of faith taking part in the running community. People were being mocked because of their faith.

It was important to let people know that people who followed a faith whether it be Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu or whatever, they were allowed to take part in sporting environments such as the running community, Why? Because the governing authorities law have made it clear they are allowed to, it is not just a place where atheists and LGBT people are the only people welcome.

Churches were approached for support to make the running community more inclusive especially for those who follow a faith. However, Churches who claimed to care about justice were all about talk, puff and no substance. They were raising a church to look just like the church of Sardis.

Jesus said in this life you will have trouble. As confirmed in the Gospel of John.

John 16:33

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

The churches that did not support us, the church of Sardis types have decided that trouble is cancelled. Leaders prefer their high salaries, their plane rides to countries all over the world, enjoying their luxurious journeys going in and out of airports and so much more. But when it comes to matters of justice like ensuring people of faith are allowed to take part in sports, they would not stand up to be counted. This was a disgrace.

This is proof that the church of Sardis is live and up and running in this modern age. They look alive but they are dead just as Jesus spoke these words in Revelation 3. We are indeed in the end times where false prophets are rising, the pulpit is being abused filled with innuendo and talk not of God but false doctrines being embraced and false disciples raised up.

We must pray and pray some more for the safeguarding of the church, to pray that false churches do not change the doctrine subtly and in a way where a fickle congregation can follow oblivious to what is really going on. Maybe this is the example that is needed for a fickle congregation to wake up.

Remember this scripture:

2 Corinthians 11:14

“And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”

We must be ever watchful because the pulpit can potentially be used by the enemy. 1 Timothy 4 v 1 says:

4 “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”

This confirms that people can be used from the pulpit to teach deceiving doctrines. So lets keep praying.

Why did God allow self-promotion? This we find is a very interesting question! Obviously when you use social media it should always be done with the correct motives and with integrity. But in an age where discrimination is rampant and favouritism a cancer in society, we wonder to ourselves could these be the reasons why God allowed self-promotion, to expose favouritism.

What does Gods word say about favouritism? Let’s take a look.

James 2

Favouritism Forbidden

2 “My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?”

How has social media and self-promotion exposed favouritism?

Let’s look at a scenario. A person who has a lot of talent blessed by God, he or she may well excel at what they do in their lives and are highlighted for their work. For example, they may manage a social media profile, and it was found by social media giants like Twitter now called X and complimented. The person managing the profile did nothing other than do a good job in running the digital platform but attracted Twitter in, a platform with 400 million users.

If Twitter now called X knock your door through no fault of your own, we would say that is a huge blessing. However, if that person has features about them that society does not like, that is when rejection and discrimination can occur against a person regardless of whether Twitter found your work or not. Let’s give you an example.

God may have built a person to be a heavy weight sort of person, well built and carries a few extra pounds than others, or let’s say what is deemed in todays society not perfect (But then who is perfect!). Here is a picture of a person who potentially could be rejected by society because they carry a few extra pounds.

The chap above gets his work found by Twitter, but nobody really cares, because of what that person looks like. This is discrimination. A person can be favoured over another person not through merit but through favouritism, and this is how self-promotion exposes favouritism and makes it SO OBVIOUS.

Again to drive the point home. A person who is discriminated against gets his or hers work accredited by Twitter, but nobody cares because of the way he or she looks etc, it is so obvious that favouritism and discrimination is taking place that it leaves egg dripping all over the offender’s face.

Could God be allowing self promotion to convict people of favouritism because self-promotion is making it so obvious that people are being discriminated against!

Where does favouritism take place in the church?

There are churches out there that do uphold Gods word, but there are those that do not. Over the course of the last 12 months, we have been focusing on what a Church of Sardis looks like and the tactics they employ to look good. Jesus was not afraid to call them out for what they were. Let’s take a look at the scripture in Revelation 3 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.”

The Church of Sardis was a church that appeared alive, there were likely baptisms, there were so called passionate worshippers, there were community groups, there were people who prayed, however this appeared correct, even though they did all of these things Jesus is in fact calling their actions dead, because there were things like discrimination and favouritism taking place in the church. Self-promotion has made it SO OBVIOUS that discrimination and favouritism is rife in society and also in our churches.

The good news about the scripture in Revelation 3 where Jesus calls out the Church of Sardis is this. There are still a few people left in these churches that have not soiled their clothes, meaning there is hope for these churches that they can do the right thing and apologise and turn from their wicked behaviour.

Those pastors who do not like self-promotion and have complained about it, they must now shut down all of their social media platforms in order for them to lead by example, including their personal platforms and the churches, because they think self-promotion is bad. However, we don’t think that they will until they acknowledge their hypocrisy.

Keep praying and pray some more for churches that appear alive but are in fact dead. Jesus gives them a chance and so should those who have been discriminated against and have fallen victim to the cancer of favouritism.

If this is a convicting read, then is God pulling at your heart strings. For those who use self-promotion in a respectful and integral way where it is helping society keep up the good work! Stay tuned we will be writing more about self-promotion shortly.