Religion or Relationship?
Mark Pittenger
“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. ‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.’’” Revelation 3:1
The “angel” of the church is often identified as the pastor, bishop, elder, or leader of the church. The fact that those who are in this position are the ones being addressed here, gives credence to 1 Timothy 3:1, “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.” This would explain why He goes so hard on the “angel” in Sardis.
The passage gives an interesting description, “The words of Him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars?” Who is this speaking of? The “He” referenced here is Jesus. We see that Jesus “has” the spirits and the stars in John 10:29 when it reads, “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”
When I said He goes hard on the angel of the church of Sardis, I mean it! He says, “I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.” Ouch! Imagine being on the receiving end of that statement being made by Jesus. That one cuts pretty deep. It is especially harsh because when He addressed every other church, He gave them a pat on the back before He corrected them. However, with Sardis, He went straight to the tough talk. There are no compliments found here for the church of Sardis. In fact, it says the only “good” thing going for them is their reputation, but even that is not justifiable.
It is believed that the church of Sardis was very active in the community and appeared to be thriving. However, the church had taken their eyes off of Christ and therefore were practicing “religion” instead of a “relationship.” To the outside world, the church of Sardis was alive and well, but to Jesus, they were on the verge of death! That may hit home for some of us, huh? Do you get up and go to church on Sundays because “that is what we do”? Are church gatherings, activities, and events just part of your routine? Or is it more than that for you? Is there a relationship with Jesus? We need a consistently “under construction,” always growing relationship being built on the truth of Christ and what He accomplished for us. I pray that your relationship is real.
Matthew 7:21-23 says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”