When the Church Resembles the Wizard of Oz

The Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz

If you've ever seen "The Wizard of Oz," you probably remember the first time you heard about the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz. Why, he could do quite anything. If you had a request, you brought it to him. If you were in trouble, you beckoned him to help. If the house you were sleeping in got caught in a tornado, fell on a witch, and you were surrounded by munchkins, they would point you to him. 

I assume you also remember the great despair upon discovering that "great" and "powerful" were not words that described the wizard. He was just a short, bumbling old man with a machine! How on earth was their any hope now? 

The Great and Powerful Church of Sardis

The church in Sardis was the Wizard of Oz of their time. The church had a name for doing massive things for the kingdom of God. When someone within two-hundred miles said the name "Sardis," people would nod and mumble, "What a great church." 

Jesus saw something entirely different. When he looked at the church in Sardis, He saw decay. 

He saw a church not facing persecution and not spreading the gospel - not doing anything for the Kingdom. Like the Wizard of Oz, they represented something great, but when you walked inside, you could smell death.

Warren Wiersbe says this of the church in Sardis, "There was no persecution because there was no invasion of the enemy's territory. No friction usually means no motion. The unsaved in Sardis saw the chuch as a respectable group of people who were neither dangerous nor desirable. They were decent people with a dying witness and a decaying ministry."

The Warning of Jesus Christ

"Be watchful," says The Lord, "and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die." When the Savior of the universe looks down at a church that is supposed to be full of the Holy Spirit, but instead He finds decay, He is not pleased. The church was about to die. 

Whether this means the members would be persecuted, killed, or simply lose heart for good and close the doors, this group didn't have long left. Immediate action was necessary. "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent." The action necessary isn't a burden too heavy to bear. Most of it can happen in a single church service. 

1. Remember the way things used to be - the life and enenrgy that had been poured into sharing the Gospel and worshipping God. 

2. Hold Fast to Christ's commandments of love and call to missions - to the life the Spirit gives. 

3. Repent individually and corporately. Turn from idleness, from selfishness, from laziness and pride. 

Reward

Compared the reward, the action is a walk in the park. Christ promises white garments - pure, spotless, royal. And we shall walk with Him forever. Our name is written in the Book of Life, and He will not remove it. What on this small blue planet could possibly keep us from sprinting toward that reward with all the life and energy we have flowing through our veins? 

Remember. Hold fast. Repent. 

The Wizard of Oz has no place in the church.