MFM DEVOTIONAL 19TH NOVEMBER, 2021 - SARDIS: THE DEAD CHURCH (I)

                                         Mountain Top Life DAILY DEVOTION

SARDIS: THE DEAD CHURCH (I)

19^TH NOVEMBER, 2021

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Galatians 1-3

FIRE SCRIPTURE: Revelation 3:1 – 6

1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 

2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. 

3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. 

4 You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.

 5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

6 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” 

MEMORY VERSE: ” Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. ” –Acts 3:19

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE:

I belong to Jesus’ generation, what about you?

PRAISE WORSHIP: Take a worship song as led by the Holy Spirit.

PROPHETIC WORD FOR TODAY:
.I SHALL WALK WITH THE LORD IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING, IN THE NAME OF JESUS.

THE MESSAGE:

The fifth letter in the book of revelation was written to the Sardis Church and it was a sad one indeed. Only a few had not soiled their garments. The church in Sardis was spiritually lifeless, with only a few of its members remaining faithful to the true message of Christ.

Outwardly, it appeared alive and active and had a reputation of success and spirituality but that was past glory. The church in Sardis might have had seemingly effective ministries and dynamic form of worship, but was void of the purity and power of the Holy Spirit. The church’s reputation might have fooled a lot of people but Jesus saw the secret lives and hearts of all the people.

He saw a form of religion but not true spirituality. Not a single commendation was given to the church at Sardis. For a better understanding, let’s look at a bit of the history of Sardis. Seven hundred years before the letter was written, Sardis was one of the greatest cities in the world. It was a very wealthy city with a river full of gold.

The greatest king of Sardis, Croesus, was the richest man ever to have lived up to that time. The city was built on a hill so steep that the dwellers were very comfortable and secured and they believed nobody could conquer them because of the natural defense of the city. But they were conquered and captured on two occasions.

Beloved, this is the city that Jesus Christ wrote to. The condition of the church in Sardis should prompt churches and individual Christians today to examine themselves and see whether they are alive and growing spiritually. The Bible says that the things that are written are for our learning. It means that we need to identify all the Lord condemned in the Sardis Church and ensure that they are not parts of our personal lives as well as our church.

The Lord said that though the Sardis Church appears to be alive, it is dead. It means that the church is no longer yielding fruits unto God and not profitable to heaven. The Lord added that the church should repent so that the few other things that remain of it will not die. The Lord also noted that only few in Sardis had not stained their garments with sin. He expected the church to do a lot better.

I pray that you will not fail and disappoint heaven, in the name of Jesus. Beloved, learn from the pitfalls of the Sardis Church and make amends. Jesus called the church to repentance. He is calling you to repentance as well today!

PRAYER POINTS:

MORNING

1. Revival fire, pass through my life, in the name of Jesus.

2. My Father, deliver me from spiritual death, in the name of Jesus.

3. O Lord, give me the grace to lay aside the works of darkness, in the name of Jesus.

EVENING

4. My Father, help me to be on fire for you, in the name of Jesus.

5. Sin will not have dominion over my life, in the name of Jesus.

6. O Lord, let my heart be fixed on you, in the name of Jesus.

7. Jesus, help me not to disappoint you, in the name of Jesus.

DO HAVE A BLESSED DAY

MOUNTAIN TOP LIFE is a daily devotional by Dr. D.K Olukoya (General Overseer, MOUNTAIN OF FIRE and Miracle Ministries, Worldwide)