“There are a few left in Sardis …and they are worthy.”

It is joy for me to introduce to you a guest blogger for this weekend’s post. I’m sure, if you have visited Possessing the Treasure before or Slice of Laodicia or other godly Blogs across the Internet, you have read comments by “bruisedreed.” The following post was written by my friend “bruisedreed” and I believe it is timely, relevant and fits very well with our current study of the Compromised Church. As you will read, “bruisedreed” is actually Elizabeth Patterson Scott. The subject of this post is one that is vital and needed in today’s suffering church.

In Christ

Mike Ratliff

“There are a few left in Sardis …and they are worthy.”

by Elizabeth Patterson Scott

“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. ‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. ‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. ‘But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. ‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ Rev 3:1-6

There is no doubt that the church in America is compromising. The compromise is complex. It is not enough to just say, oh the leaders in the church are selling out, they are not being faithful to the Word. The reason is this: there are a few left in Sardis. There are a few ministers left, who have not compromised, and are not going to compromise. I am married to such a man.

The Compromised Church Part 2 – Spiritual Blindness

by Mike Ratliff

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23)

Over the last several months, perhaps even over the last few years, I have become aware of a disturbing phenomenon in the Church in America. Perhaps you have noticed it as well. The phenomenon I am writing about is willful ignorance in our spiritual leaders.

The Compromised Church – Introduction

by Mike Ratliff

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. (2 Timothy 3:1-9)

The discerning believer knows that something is “just not right” with the Church in America these days. He or she may not be able to pin down exactly what is bothering them, but red flags of warning are ever before them as they observe the American Church change radically at an ever-increasing rate. Even though some “Church leaders” claim that more are being brought into the kingdom than ever before, something is not right.

Seeker Sensitive Methods Create Self-centered Seekers

This missive from Pastor Ken Silva of Apprising Minstries is a must read. It shines light into the darkness created by the confusion of the Seeker Sensitive – Church Growth movment. Prayerfully read this as you ask God to open your heart to the truth.

Pragmatism: Modernism Recycled?

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

(By John MacArthur)

Is Pragmatism Really a Serious Threat?

I am convinced that pragmatism poses precisely the same subtle threat to the church in our age that modernism represented nearly a century ago.

Ten Shekels and a Shirt

The following sermon is one of my personal favorites. I am in full agreement with Brother Reidhead’s assessment of “Pragmatism”, “utilitarian religion”, “Expediant Christianity” and Humanism. The spiritual bankruptcy of the church today is the product of the very things Brother Reidhead preached against here. However, primarily, this sermon is one of personal repentance. Prayerfully listen to or read this sermon or both at once :-).

In Christ

Mike Ratliff

Humility

Those reading this who are familiar with my Bible studies, books or my posts and comments in the blogosphere know that I write a great deal about humility. Why is it important? Is it possible to please God and not be humble?

Genuine humility is a marker of a regenerated heart. The non-Christian can generate a form of humility, but it is actually pride pretending to be humility. Many believe that timidity is a sign of humility when actually it is pride in negation. The genuinely humble believer will not be timid. Instead he or she will be bold yet broken before the Lord.

In this article Bill Williams explores the attributes of genuine humility. Please prayerfully read it.

In Christ

Mike Ratliff

The Bleeding of the Evangelical Church

by Mike Ratliff

Without a doubt, God is in the process of cleansing His Church. There is a very visible division becoming more and more apparent, to the discerning Christian, between the counterfeit church and the genuine Church bought by the blood of Jesus.

In many cases the differences between the two are subltle. However, there are also glaring and distinct differences. The article, The Bleeding of the Evangelical Church, traces the history of this division as well as its causes. Please prayerfully read it and have a blessed weekend and Lord’s Day.
In Christ

Mike Ratliff

Live to Die

by Mike Ratliff

Lately the core messages of my writing and teaching ministry have been not only validated by some events and some reader’s comments, but they have also taken on a deeper and multi-faceted shape. God has given me the message that the majority of His people in the West, The United States and Canada especially, are living their lives for their own glory and tragically within false doctrines. They do not have a biblical view of Man or of God. They live for self-gratification for the most part. They can be quite religious, but their hearts are far from God.

A close reading of the Apostle Paul’s epistles reveals that his concept of the Christian walk was quite different than what we think it should be. We hate suffering and blame God when bad things happen to us. However in the book of Colossians Paul made an incredible statement.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. (Colossians 1:24-26 ESV)

Pastor John Piper preached a sermon entitled “Live to Die” at a preacher’s conference hosted by John MacArthur. Here are the links to Part 1 and Part2 of that sermon. Prayerfully listen to this incredible exposition of this passage. Also, here is a link to an article I wrote on the same subject here

Odeo link to Part1: [odeo=http://www.odeo.com/audio/1307526/view ]

Odeo link to Part2: [odeo=http://www.odeo.com/audio/1307540/view]