Look at that picture carefully. What do you see? What was once a hustling, bustling mall is now an abandoned, lonely, dead complex. The escalator no longer functions. The foliage is dead. The stores are all gone. And, most importantly, no shoppers will ever frequent this mall again. Its only function now is to be a place to explore and think about what was.
Abandoned, forsaken, deserted, discarded, left, or shelved. All of these words describe the act of leaving behind something that we once held dear. A place that once teemed with people is replaced with newer places and the old is discarded. Why? Why did this mall close? Why did people stop coming. Why did it happen that on a day years ago the doors were closed for the last time?
The same questions can be asked of so many places like amusement parks, malls, office buildings, entire cities and homes. We have terms for them; ghost towns, haunted houses, relics of the past, and urban decay. No easy answer exists that could cover all of these situations. But, in the end, they are all the same. They are left to deteriorate until they final collapse under the weight of neglect.
Can this happen to a church? Can churches become a “relic of the past”? Can a church that once was full of life and worship be closed and left to rot? They sure can. Without properly guarding the body, a church can be filled with cancer and die out.
I’m sure you know the word “zombie.” It is a mythical figure that though it is dead it seems to be alive. Obviously no zombies actually exist, right? Well, Jesus said some interesting things to the Church in Sardis. Revelation 3:1-6 describes for us this church that Jesus said looks alive but is actually dead. We could call it the “Zombie Baptist Church.” They are signs of life like activities and gatherings. But, though an appearance of life is seen. it is actually DEAD. What a sad account.
Sunday we will conclude our look at the Church of Ephesus. We will center our thoughts on the conclusion of the matter. I would love for you to be here to study this final lesson with us. We will learn some lessons that we may never be described by the words spoken to the Church in Sardis.
One thing we can be assured of is that if we are not on guard to the threats to our existence, we as First Baptist Church will simply suffer the fate of the Church of Ephesus, and Sardis. Oh may it never be said of us that we the “walking dead.”
Shepherds, aren’t they so cute. Little boys wearing their bathrobes scooting off to the manger to see the Baby Jesus. No Christmas play is quite complete without them. But, do they actually represent the shepherds of old? Not really.
If you look into the social status of shepherds in the first century you will find they were on the same rung as the tax collectors! Now, everyone knows how much we love it when the “IRS man cometh.” Can you recall the hateful things said of tax collectors in the Gospels? Well, shepherds were thought of just as malevolently as the tax collectors.
Shepherds were thought of as dirty, filthy, lonely, uncouth people. They were classed as lying, cheating, and conniving. In fact, in a court of law a shepherd could not testify because everyone just assumed he would lie! Their job was important to the ongoing of the society, but, no one wanted to be one.
Oh how different from the status of shepherds was throughout the Old Testament. Names such as Abraham, Moses and even David evoke wonderful mental pictures. David’s experience as a shepherd prepared him for one of his greatest challenges; battling Goliath. And, King David’s most endearing Psalm came from his experience as well. Psalm 23 is David’s way of pointing out that just as he shepherded his sheep, so the Lord shepherds his people.
Yet, all of that good will changed by the time we reach a bunch of shepherds on a hillside on that first Christmas night. While these lonely, dejected shepherds prepared for another long night, with the fire flickering and the stars twinkling, the sky lit up like noonday. The black darkness of their secluded spot became bright. Then, on top of seeing an unbelievable sight, they heard a voice! Was it an illusion? Was it a dream? Whatever it was couldn’t be real, or could it?
The words they heard were, “Fear not.” Don’t be afraid, are you kidding me? But, then they heard the words the world was longing to hear, the words the Jewish people had been looking forward to for centuries, the Messiah is born. But, this message wasn’t delivered to the “powers that be” in the capitol city of Jerusalem. No, it was deliverd to a bunch of looney, dirty, neglected, and rejected shepherds. Crazy, huh? But, then, God does so many things that are “out of the ordinary.”
But, then, who would feel more “at home” in a barn? Smelly shepherds or squeaky-clean Scribes? I think you know that answer. You see, God really does know what He is doing. And, you and I can trust Him for our lives as well. Let’s thank Him for showing us that we normal people are welcome to come to worship. Be sure to do that during this Christmas season.
Can you recall the hateful things said of tax collectors in the Gospels? Well, shepherds were thought of just as malevolently as the tax collectors.