"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!