IS THERE ANY HOPE FOR A DEAD CHURCH?

     Is there really such a thing as a "dead church?" Indeed there is! Jesus told the church in Sardis, "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead" (Rev 3:1). What a tragic thing to have the King of kings say! He would rather commend His people, and surely will when there is a cause. To the Laodicean church, Christ's word was even more scathing. "You are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked: (Rev 3:17). Did the Lord of glory write off these churches, declaring them unrecoverable? Emphatically, He did not! 

     To the dead church in Sardis Jesus said, "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God . . . Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent" (Rev 3:2-3). To the miserable church in Laodicea He said, "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent" (Rev 3:18-19). This is the church that had locked Him out. Yet, He stood and the door, calling out to any one who would give heed to His call. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Rev 3:20).

     To move them forward in recovery, the Lord made some marvelous promises to these churches. To Sardis He promised, "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" (Rev 3:5). To Laodicea He guaranteed, "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne" (Rev 3:21). Remember, the "exceeding great and precious promises" are given so we might "participate in the Divine Nature" (2 Pet 1:4). Yes, a "dead" church CAN recover – but it must do so quickly. The Word of the king must NOT be spurned or rejected. 

     The prophet Ezekiel once had a vision of a valley of dry bones. The bones were very numerous and very bleached. They had been in the valley for a long time, and were separated and scattered. As Ezekiel viewed the valley, the hand of the Lord was strong upon him. He was asked, "Son of man, can these bones live?" The prophet, unwilling to speculate on a such a weighty question, replied, "O Lord, You know." The Lord then told him to "prophesy" to the bones, even giving him an exact message to deliver. The message was simple. It affirmed what the Lord was going to do. "O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD." The Word records that as he prophesied there was an noise in the valley, as the bones began to come together. Then sinews, flesh, and skin came upon them–but they were not alive. Upon word from the Lord, Ezekiel called to the wind to breathe upon these slain. It was then that they stood up "an exceeding great army" (Ezek 37:1-10).

     If there is hope for Sardis, Laodicea, and a valley of dry bones, there is hope for many "dead" churches of our day. If you are in such a church, ask the Lord to use you to sound the Word, so they may recover themselves from the from the snare of the devil.

PRAYER POINT: Father, I lament that there are dead churches, and pray you will use me to bring the Word to them. Start the work in me, O Lord. May there be no deadness or insensitivity in me. Then, use me to get the Word of Jesus to those who stand in jeopardy, even though they have a name of being alive.

– MONDAY: GOD WILL NOT BE SERVED BY OUTWARD COMPULSION –