“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.” (Revelation 3:1 NIV)

Notice those words “you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead”? How haunting that must have been to have heard that God saw that church’s reputation as the opposite of what mankind saw it. It was a dead church to God!

The next verse says “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.” The warning words continue with a need to repent or there will be great consequences.

The Pharisees had seats of honor and great reputations at the exact same time that they crucified Jesus. Can a reputation among men ever be more important to God than teaching true doctrine? Can group consensus ever take the place of seeking God and knowing His heart?

Yesterday, I listened to a sermon online by a local pastor who is determined that group consensus of like-minded people is more important than hearing God speak on a subject. The pastor seems sure that God wants to be left out as long as the pastor can find a number of people who agree with him on his false trinity doctrine. Listen, the Muslims can find plenty of people to agree with their false religion. So can the Buddhists. And likewise, the Mormons and Catholics have large congregations and leaders who believe false doctrine to be true. And so it is with the false doctrines in the Christian church. Anyone can interpret the Scriptures as they see fit and find a following, hence the various denominations in the Christian churches.

If you believe that God speaks, why is He not your top priority for knowing true doctrine? I really want to know.