Fighting for Your Life—at Church

“They’re just dead. Nobody cares. Nobody wants to do anything.”Have you ever felt this way?

Jesus told the church at Sardis that they were dead. "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead” (Rev. 3:1). They had a reputation for being on fire and active, but they were dead spiritually. The Lord does not see as man sees (I Sam. 16:7).

There are congregations like that today. People talk about how dynamic the church is, but it is dead inside. A church is not vibrant just because it has an eloquent preacher, large attendance, plenty of activities and a lot of noise.

At the same time, it is not fair to say that a church is dead merely because it has mostly old people. They may lack the energy and outward enthusiasm of younger Christians and children, but they may be bustling with spiritual life.

But what if a congregation today is like the church at Sardis—dead? Is there hope? Yes, but it will take action. First, Jesus said the church must “be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die” (Rev. 3:2). The congregation needs to go into survival mode quickly. That takes leadership. It takes love, faith, courage, sacrifice, and great patience. It takes the wisdom to see what are the “things which remain that are ready to die” and to deal with them wisely and methodically.

Second and most important, it will take good old-fashioned repentance. Jesus said, “Hold fast and repent” (Rev. 3:3). That is the key. A church can organize and plan and budget (and all that is good), but if there is no genuine repentance it will just be on artificial life support.

Jesus said there were faithful members even in this dead church. “You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments” (Rev. 3:4). They refused to let dead members they worshipped with put out their fire. This is not easy because the people around us have an influence on us. But it can be done.

Sometimes Christians grow weary of apathy in the church and move to another congregation. That is understandable. But some do not have that option. If that is your situation, stand strong, keep the faith, and remember the dedicated members of this ancient church.

Kerry

West End church of Christ • February 1, 2026