The Seven Churches of Revelation Pt. 9 by Chris White

Wealthy Sardis had a large school and gynasium for youth

“ Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.  So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. ⁴ But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.  He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white. garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.”   --Rev. 3:2-5

Sardis is where the legendary King Midas was supposed to have lived.  King Midas was given by the gods the unique power of turning everything he touched into gold (hence, the “midas touch”).  At first this was seen as a good thing because it created untold wealth for his city, but in time proved to be more of a curse than a blessing.  Imagine all the things you touch in a day turning to gold.  See any problems here?  Having had too much of a good thing, Midas begged to be released from this gift and was told to bathe in the nearby Pactolus river.  Upon entering the river, King Midas was instantly free of his power but the Pactolus river became full of gold dust.  By the Christian era, the gold in the Pactolus river had played out, but not before making Sardis a very wealthy city.  And it is in Sardis that the minting of gold coins was introduced to the Greek and Roman world as a means of purchase and paying debt.  The church of Sardis was born and lived in an environment plagued by affluence, Judaism, and paganism.  Their problem was that they were not struggling with temptation, but rather embracing and walking in it.  It is interesting to note that the community of Sardis had a very short attention span and were known in the ancient world for not finishing things they started.  When the Lord rebukes them, and frankly He doesn’t seem to have even one thing to commend them on, Jesus says even his church has not finished the deeds he has called them to do.  The church of Sardis was quite incomplete in their obedience to the Lord.  How easy it is for any of us to mistake our knowledge of Jesus for actually walking with Him in obedience.  The Gospel of Christ calls us to a totally new life and way of thinking that is oriented towards the Kingdom of God.  To be living for this world is the antithesis of embracing the Gospel of Christ.  To the few in Sardis who were obedient, the Lord says keep your garments clean.  In the ancient world all priests in pagan temples wore the whitest of robes and if they had even one stain they were not to be worn in the temple because it would be unworthy of the god.  What are Christians to do when they live in a corrupt and decadent place?  Ultimately, we must look to our own lives and our own relationship with the Lord, and seek to keep ourselves unstained by the world around us.  We are in the roll book of another kingdom which means we should all be cautious of becoming over invested in the ambient culture.

With you on the Journey,

 Chris