The Church To Nowhere

THE CHURCH TO NOWHERE (REVELATION 3)

https://bible.ryl.hk/web_en Grammar Bible (English)

https://bible.ryl.hk/web_Bah Tatabahasa Alkitab (Indonesian)

https://bible.ryl.hk/web_Esp Biblia de Gramática (Spanish)

https://bible.ryl.hk/web_Tag Gramatika Bibliya (Filipino)

https://bible.ryl.hk Chinese Bible (Chinese)

Most people were not able to take a vacation last year, and not so soon in the immediate future, because of the pandemic, quarantine, flying and other restrictions. What do you do when your vacation becomes a staycation? Enter the sea-cation “cruise to nowhere” in the summer that was approved last week (May 2021).

The prerequisite is that all passengers and crew members should be vaccinated. The expected cruise would cost about HK$1,000 a night, and most would last two days and a night or three days and two nights.

Up to two days ago, the first two "cruises to nowhere" are already 90 percent fully booked one week after bookings open.

https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/fc/11/230543/Vaxxed-vacations-on-cruises-to-nowhere

Anyone going?

The seven churches in chapter 2 (2:5, 2:16) and 3 (3:3, 19) are separated and split into two chapters because the two chapters begin and end with the conjunction “therefore.” Five of the seven churches in Revelation were going nowhere. They were warned of their plight and pitfall with a “repent” imperative (vv 2:2, 16, 3:3, 19) and the middle fourth of seven churches was singled out thrice with the verb “repent” (3:21, 22).

The second church of chapters 2 and 3 is a good church, while the rest is altogether bad or ugly. What kind of a church or churchgoer are you? Why are some churches progressing, while others are regressing or digressing from her foundation and faith? What and how can you contribute to get the church on track?

Reinforce and Remain

1 "To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Recently I get a letter from the Internal Revenue Department asking me to pay 5% more tax because I did not file my (2019) tax last year. I said, “How can it be true? You even returned me a month’s check!” What happened, the man on the phone told me, was that I paid twice the previous year (for 2018 tax), so they refunded to me, but in my mind I thought I had paid for my 2019 and 2010 tax. Don’t ask me how!

How did such a big mistake happen? The man told me they did not send tax statements to my home last year and this year because I had gone on to their web and, unknown to me, had signed up for online statements. To ratify the mistake I had to send a letter to IRD or go online again, which I rejected.

The disobedience, deviation and decline of God’s church comes with a steep price – damnation, disgrace and disappearance. Reputation (v 1) is “name” in Greek, which is more pointed, provocative and personal. The noun “name” makes an alarming 8 times in chapter 3. Unlike the church in Ephesus who has persevered and endured hardships for His “name” and have not grown weary (Rev 2:3) and the church in Pergamum who remained true to His name and did not renounce their faith (Rev 2:12-13), the church in Sardis is alive but dead, active but lifeless, able but disabled. The church was church in name, by title or repute, not in fact, reality or practice. It is fake new, false positive and far-fetched.

The first command to the church in Sardis is “be watchful” (vv 2, 5 gregoreuo), the most in any chapter in Revelation, where the name of Greg or Gregory is derived. The imperative is “be” is the present tense and the participle “watchful” is also in the present tense. It’s always in the present tense as an imperative or in the context of an imperative (“BE” watchful). It means be on your feet, on your toes and on your knees in prayer. The church in Sardis is ready to die (v 2) but not dead.