I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to remind myself, “It’s not rocket science."
Have you ever made a mountain out of a molehill?
John Foxe used the “mountains out of molehills” language in 1570 when he warned about our tendency to make small things too big. Interestingly, he also warned that we can do the opposite: make big things too small.
Apparently, we’ve been getting the size of our problems wrong for a while.
And maybe that’s part of the problem in Revelation 3.
Jesus sends a simple message to the church in Sardis: “Wake up, and strengthen what remains.” Then he says something even simpler: “obey it and repent.”
Sardis had a reputation for being alive. Apparently, you could look at the church from the outside and think things were going great. But Jesus saw something different.
“You are dead.”
I wonder if they were surprised to hear that.
Churches can get pretty good at looking alive. We can have programs, calendars, meetings, worship services, budgets, buildings, and enough activity to wear everybody out. We can have all that and still need Jesus to wake us up.
Today, we have plenty of statistics that can help us see what’s happening in our churches. Attendance, giving, and participation all tell a story. Now, they don’t tell a full story, but we shouldn't ignore what they’re saying.
So, what do we do when we sense our churches are dying?
There are plenty of books, conferences, podcasts, consultants, strategies, and innovations worth exploring. And I’m grateful for them.
But also, this isn’t rocket science.
Jesus tells Sardis to wake up, strengthen what remains, remember what they received, obey, and repent.
Before jumping to the question, “What new thing should we try?” let's make sure to also ask, “Where have we stopped following Jesus?”
Innovation can help a church change. But only Jesus can make it alive.
Stay blessed...john
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