If Jesus were to evaluate your church, what do you think He would say? What might He say to other churches in your area? We actually have a pretty good idea. In Revelation, Jesus wrote seven evaluation letters to seven first-century congregations in Asia Minor, beginning with the church in Ephesus and concluding with the church in Laodicea. Jesus reviewed each local assembly of believers’ faith and works, including points of commendation, concern, and correction. Though these letters were addressed to specific congregations in the first century, there are some remarkably relevant applications for us because we still face some of the same issues today.

The fifth church Jesus addressed was the church in Sardis. A church who was regarded as being vibrantly alive, but when the Great Physician put His finger on her pulse, He declared the church dead. He commanded that they wake up!