Strange Problems in the Church
This Church was self-deluded and self-indulgent. The few contending believers among them were warned to be watchful, and to keep what they have. Christ is sounding the same warning to everyone today. You must be watchful not to be carried away by sinful deceived members in our midst. You must be watchful not to enter into competition with anyone. You must be watchful not to feel inferior or frustrated because of their riches. You must be watchful not to dress like them, talk like them or conduct yourself like them.
‘Be watchful, and strengthen the things, which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy’ (Revelation 3:2-4).
You must be watchful not to lose what you have already, your salvation and relationship with Christ. You must not compare yourself or do as they do. You may be in the same group, prayer team, singing group but you must be watchful not to join their evil ways. If you have joined, repent quickly, urgently and come back to God. Christ is telling the few members who were still in faith then and now to keep fighting and to live right. Let your garment, thoughts not be defiled because of the way they live their lives. Do not be carried away because of their big testimonies, houses, cars and boastings. Keep your heart clean so that you will walk with Christ in white.
‘But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was’ (James 1:22-24).
Christ’s letter reads, be watchful, keep my word, and obey my commandments. Do not follow them in disobedience, evil plans, and sinful lifestyle. You may keep fellowshipping with them if you must, but keep my word. Do not follow them to hear my word in every gathering without acting on them. Hear and do as I commanded and never follow them in wrong doings. Avoid the way they do business, get rich without obeying my word. Christ is saying, get married, buy cars and build houses but avoid breaking my law because you must do those things. You can look for job, get job, work in an office but avoid the wrong way of sinners. Do not follow them to disobey my words, insist on doing the right thing everywhere. Christ’s letter is straight, simple and direct, keeps my words. His letter says, many people, though not all who hears my word, preach my words, sing with my words, conduct deliverances are deceivers.
Misguided Teachings and Exploitation
They hear but they do not obey, they are not doers of my words, they only hear. It is possible to go to bible school, learn how to preach without having the power to do what you tell others to do. In Sardis church, many preach, teach but they lack power to obey. They are trained to preach, teach and pray but they lack the power to put in practice what they teach others. They take ministry as a means of survival, not service to God. They preach holiness but lack the power to live holy. They preach deliverance but they live in sin and lack the ability to deliver self. They preach fasting, give you reasons why you must fast, the results of fasting but they lack the power to fast. They receive tithes, seeds of faith and become rich materially but they are poor spiritually. They live in immorality, adultery, anger, envy, jealous and wickedness, yet they preach deliverance. They look at you and tell you the secrets of your life, everything about your past, present and future but they lack power to stop fornication, lies, anger and all the works of flesh.
‘And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God’ (Luke 12:16-21).
They plan how to get money from people in a wrong way. They use prophecy, covetous preaching and witchcraft to achieve their selfishness. They plan how to get what you have, take away your riches without involving God. They use God’s Word to make money, enrich themselves, manipulate others but they keep God away from their lives. They have massive wealth through evil means of wealth creations and built greater bans without involving God. They operate fat bank account; home and abroad, build bans here and there without considering God in their actions. They gather wealth through evil means, break God’s law and enrich themselves with God’s name. They laid down much goods for themselves, children, born and unborn for many generation with the sweats of the poor.
Spiritual Death and False Confidence
They bewitch members, take their money, their labors, they eat, drink and merry without God. They claim to be gifted in raising fund, not for God’s project but for personal use. They think they are wise, rich and smart but they are fools. They feed their body fat, starve their souls and die spiritually. They think they are protected with great wealth, financial power but they are destroyed by self-indulgence. They are dead spiritually because they prefer self-indulgence to self-denial. They lack self-control, practice sin and abandon themselves to their fleshly desires. They do not have any reason to be happy, yet they move about rejoicing because of the physical blessings that have no God in them. They are self-deluded, self-indulgence without self-control.
‘We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick’ (Numbers 11:5).
‘His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs, which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant’ (Isaiah 56:10-12).