Counterfeit Gods

Today’s adventure continued to take us through Revelation 3, but this time through the letters to the churches of Philadelphia and Sardis. 

Though Philadelphia has not been excavated, the landscape provided the perfect backdrop to understanding the type of church that once thrived in this region. They were a tired group that didn’t let their weakness hinder them from spreading the gospel. In fact, Revelation 3 tells us that God was pleased with the church of Philadelphia. That they kept God’s word and did not deny His name (vs. 8). What an incredible testimony of running the race well, despite our constant internal desire to run from the hard. 

Sardis was another story. If you’ve read the letter to Sardis in this chapter, you know well that they’re basically the opposite of Philadelphia. God has almost nothing good to say about these people and their actions. 

In the center of the city is one of the largest preserved synagogues of the ancient world. In this synagogue, there are two lion statues representing the goddess Cybele, who promised fertility and resurrection, and a large eagle (representing Rome, who promised peace) - both rarely found in these places of worship. In the very place of God’s worship, the church at Sardis decided to become like the world and worship its false gods instead of following the way of Christ. They were complacent in allowing false idols and gods in holy places of worship. Jesus calls us to go into the city and transform it, rather than become like it. This leads us to this question, in what ways do we do that today in our own culture? 

This letter in Revelation calls us to deep repentance. Repentance for the areas of our lives we refuse to give to the Lord; repentance for the times we’ve been unwilling to stand apart from culture; repentance for our complacent faith in the midst of hardship within the church. 

Today was an incredible reminder to step back and take a long, hard look at how we choose our own control over the overwhelming love and grace Christ offers. It brought up areas in which we need to repent, and reminded us to look inward at what we’ve taken out of our culture to make into idols. 

Joel & Britt Jacobson