"Thou Hast a Name..."

In Revelation, the apostle John writes to the seven churches in Asia Minor. From the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea he can see the coast of what is now called the country of Turkey. It is a well worth study (and  Revelation 1:3 promises a blessing to those that read this letter) to see how the seven churches represent a historical panorama of the church. For a summary, see Dolphin's work:
http://ldolphin.org/cleanpages/rev02.html (copy and paste)
Notice how John through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit refers to the church of Sardis in Revelation 3 as "having a name". Sardis according to the historical timeline of the churches refers to the Reformation church. The Protestants broke from the Roman Catholic church but did not break free of many of the trappings of the RCC unfortunately. As an example, the Lutheran church formed as a result of this split. Today, there are many "Synods" of Lutheranism that have formed. They differ on things such as liturgy, sacraments, and the definition of words used in Lutheranism. They also differ in modern ideologies such as the ordination of women, homosexuality and ecumenism.
    Sardis was built on a mountain and it's high walls overlooked the plain below. No armies were thought to be able to conquer Sardis because of this natural geological deterrent. The inhabitants were confident that Sardis would be safe from attackers. Sardis was confident in their surroundings. They had born in a city that was thought to be a great defense. They were confident in their works as well. Sardis coined the first coins that were made from pure silver and gold. Before this, coins were made from various ores that could not be guaranteed to be of any particular metal. They invented a process of separating the metals out from the ore. They trusted in their temples as well. They were set, so it seemed. Confident in their currency, their trade (the Lydians had the popular purple dye), and their works. They had a name... Well as it turns out, Sardis was invaded many times in their history. Cyrus the Persian, Alexander The Great, The Ptolemies, all successfully scaled their defenses. The Sardians were not known to be great warriors. They depended on the natural defenses and their popularity as a center of commerce and wealth an notoriety.
    As a young man growing up in the Lutheran church, I felt confident of the name.... I was a Lutheran. I was
OK. I was set. I had been baptized, confirmed and was a member of a well known denomination. When confronted by a born again Christian or convicted by a tract that talked about a personal relationship with Jesus, I had the confidence and backing of a name.... Lutheran. Don't be too confident in your church name. Whether it is Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian, or whatever...it is a personal relationship with the Head of the true Church, the Lord Jesus Christ is what is life-saving, not a name. Read carefully Revelation 3:1-6 and look what it means to be given a personal name in the Book of Life! Heaven is not sectioned off by denominations. Trust in Jesus and He will give you an everlasting name!

About (Part 7)

Now where to go to church? That was the question before me as a newly saved believer in Christ Jesus.
I looked in the churches section of  the yellow pages (remember them?) and "Evangelical Free Church" seemed to stand out to me. I knew that back in 1985 at least, the word evangelical had the meaning of : a messenger going forth proclaiming the good news of the gospel. I liked the name of that church. Next Sunday I found myself in a small strip mall store space with folding chairs and a makeshift podium and about 30 people ready to worship. No liturgy here, just a few hymns of praise and then the sermon. Afterward I asked the pastor if I could speak to him for a moment.Well that talk must have lasted at least 30 minutes. I just poured out to this young minister all that had happened in my life recently. It was like I just had to speak about my testimony to someone. The man that had cut my hair for the last 10 years gave my wife and I the location of a church that he recommended. He and his wife became very close friends and prayer partners. Little did I know that this man was a believer that had been praying for me over the years. Next Sunday my wife and I attended this church. It was called a "Community Church" and was non-denominational. I liked the idea of non-denominational. I just wanted to be known as a Christian now, not placed into a category or denomination. The pastor preached an incredible sermon. We felt blessed for having come. Unfortunately after the service we found out that that was the last sermon for that pastor at that church. The church's elders had voted in a different pastor! We briefly chatted to this outgoing pastor about where to fellowship and he recommended a nearby Bible Church. God knew that we needed rock-solid biblical teaching and discipleship and He directed us to the right place. Some of the elders and teachers at that Bible Church were quite elderly and they knew the bible backward and forward and were great men and women of God. Some had authored books and commentaries and others had vast experience with missions and the mission field. Learning about missions and talking to missionaries was an eye-opening experience for my wife and I and our children. Never before had we heard of Christians that were currently in the mission fields risking their lives and even dying for being a Christian missionary. We were honored to have a few missionaries stay in our home. We were so blessed by this. That was nearly 30 years ago. That was my testimony. That finally ends "About Me". Your comments are greatly appreciated.