Revelation 3:1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

Revelation 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.)

My daddy heated our house with an old coal stove. On cold winter nights, the fire had to be banked, or covered, so it wouldn't go out during the night. In the morning, if the fire burned through the night, stoking it with a poker, and adding more coal, could bring it to life again. The smoke made the house stink for a while, but a blazing fire on a cold day soon made you forget about that. Sooner or later, the fuel in the stove burned low, and we had to add more coal. If the coal bucket was empty, yours truly had to carry it out to the coal pile and fill it up again.

In far too many churches, the fire of the Spirit is banked as well, smothered so that very little warmth or light comes through. The liveliest things around some churches are the mice that scamper around the basement at night. I have been in churches, and you probably have, too, where you feel cold walking inside, even with no air conditioning in the middle of summer. Churches, meaning the congregations that make them up, can die spiritually, just as surely as their members will one day die physically.

What are the signs of a dead church? A church that goes on from year to year without seeing a single person saved, or a single recommitment, is either dead or on its deathbed. A church that does not exalt Christ in worship and word, but instead substitutes some human notion of what the Bible means, is headed toward the grave if it doesn't change. A dead or dying church has social gatherings, but no true Christian fellowship, and programs but no real mission. It may have Wednesday evening classes and Sunday school, but they discuss books and ideas, not the Bible.

The church at Sardis, one of the seven churches addressed in Revelation, thought itself still very much alive, but in God's eyes it was already dead. Some of the other churches were on their way on the downward path; the Laodicean church was lukewarm. I've been in churches like that as well, all too many of them. These are complacent congregations, content with things just as they are, not too hot and not too cold. The church at Ephesus was doctrinally sound, but its love for Christ had grown cold; the fires were banked (Revelation 2:2-6). Still other churches were of the liberal variety; they tolerated and even encouraged sin in their midst.

There are some churches for which revival is too late. If there is still any spark there to fan back to life, programs won't do it. Seminars and classes won't do it. Even bringing in help from outside won't do it, if that's all there is. Revival, bringing life and fire back to a congregation, comes about only through one of three things: prayer, prayer — and prayer. Unless someone, preferably more than one person, is on his or her knees seeking revival for that church, whether they're members or not, the Spirit won't move and revival won't come.

In our church, a prayer group has gathered every Monday morning for over 2 ½ years, and other people in the congregation have prayed faithfully for revival. In recent months, as I mentioned last week, we've seen the beginnings of the Spirit's renewing work. During the course of practicing for our Easter musical, our choir often did not finish our rehearsals, because we would be so overcome by the power of the Spirit that we would fall to our knees in prayer. When the performances came, the anointing of the Lord was so heavy upon us we could hardly sing. Eleven people were saved after the concerts, and dozens rededicated their lives to Christ.

Revivals are for Christians, not sinners. It is certainly true that many unbelievers come to revival meetings (which, by the way, don't always bring revival with them, in spite of the name), and some of these come to know Christ there. I, myself, was saved during a revival meeting, but I can't remember that any spirit of revival remained in that little church after the meetings ended. The key idea of revival is "revive"; individual Christians and their congregations are enlivened and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Sinners are spiritually dead; they can't be revived, but must be born again.

Just as there are signs of a dead church, there are also signs of a church in the midst of revival. There is a spirit of unity; bickering and infighting diminish for at least a while. There is a sense of excitement and expectancy, especially during worship services. Many in the church come close to the light, and see how dirty their garments have become. They will either repent, and recommit their lives to Christ, or turn away altogether. Unbelievers are attracted by the light as well, and some of them will realize their need and recognize that Christ is the only answer. Everywhere in the body there is a sense of love for both those in the body of Christ and the world outside it. Members of the congregation turn more and more to the truth of Scripture, and the power of prayer. Lives are transformed, and, above all, Christ is glorified.

Revival doesn't happen in the body of Christ until it first happens with individual Christians, who, after all, make up the body. Revival at First Baptist Church does me no good if my own fires stay banked under layers of dead ashes. To use an age-old refrain, which is no less true for its overuse, "if the church has revival, let it begin with me." Is your church vibrant and alive, like the Revelation churches if Philadelphia and Smyrna (Revelation 2:6-11, 3:7-13), or is it just lukewarm? I pray that yours is not like Sardis; if it is, pray that the Lord will preserve what little is left alive, so there is something left to revive.

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Beneath His Wings Devotionals - Vol. 2