“It’s like what happened after we dropped the [atom] bomb in World War II. The results were so catastrophic that now we’ll do anything to avoid dropping another one.”

That’s how John Lombardi, former president of the University of Florida, described the “death penalty” applied to Southern Methodist University in 1987 after the NCAA determined that the school had been paying several football players. The initial reaction to the penalty—was one of shock. The Mustangs had gone from undefeated to non-existent in just five years. The fallout from the punishment was so bad that it hasn’t been used against another Division I school.

Revelation 3 – Lifeless Gospel

Revelation 3 includes the last three church letters from Jesus. While the church in Sardis didn’t receive a “death penalty,” it was already considered dead inside because of its lifelessness. Many churches today are morgues with a steeple, but it might not be evident from the outside. What appears alive from our perspective may be “dead” in God’s eyes. These deceptively dead churches preach TED Talks rather than the Word of God. To reach out to the “unchurched,” many churches have embraced a market-driven philosophy of “doing” church.

Gary Gilley sums up the problem with “doing” church with a lifeless gospel in This Little Church Went to Market, “The new gospel is a liberation from low self-esteem, a freedom from emptiness and loneliness, a means of fulfillment and excitement, a way to receive our heart’s desires, a means of meeting our needs. The old gospel is about God; the new gospel is about us. The old gospel is about sin; the new gospel is about our needs. The old gospel is about our need for righteousness; the new gospel is about our need for fulfillment. The old gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing; the new gospel is attractive. Many are flocking to the new gospel, but it is altogether questionable how many are actually being saved.”

The Great Physician conducted an autopsy of the church in Sardis and made an offer of life that is still available today. He told them to repent (3:3). They needed a change of mind and attitude to put them on the right track.

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete remain loyal to the true gospel of Jesus Christ and refuse to be influenced by unfaithful dead churches.