As believers, we are meant to flourish spiritually. Yet, believers and churches can spiritually decline. Jesus sent an urgent message to the church at Sardis saying, "I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die…" (Rev 3:1-2). The church still had a form of spirituality before others, but in reality, it was in a very deep state of spiritual decay! And what could be true of a church corporately is certainly true of believers individually. We decline slowly, sometimes without notice. It is important to examine ourselves. Ask yourselves some questions and seek honest answers: Do you make your relationship with God your principal concern in life? Do you "hunger and thirst for righteousness?" Do you have an appetite for spiritual food, i.e., the Word of God? Loss of appetite is a clear indication of poor health. If a believer finds himself in the process of spiritual decay, the first thing he must do is to acknowledge that no one else is to blame. Next, he must run to Jesus, believing that there is hope for recovery in God alone. We owe it to the Lord and each other to prevent truth decay in our lives. We must treat sin seriously. We must never compromise the Word of God. We must walk close to the Lord of the church. If we come closer to God, He will come closer to us. We must be open to being reformed. One of the mottos of the Reformed tradition is "ecclesia reformata semper reformanda" (the church reformed and always reforming). The church should always be open to being corrected by God, repenting of its sins, and being reformed in accordance with the Scriptures. |
