“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars:
‘I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.
‘Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine. Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.'”
I deeply believe that these verses are a word for the American church in the Trump era. The riots and insurrection on Capitol Hill with many waving Jesus flags and claiming to be Christian show the death of the church in America. Many Christian leaders have spoken as if Trump was the new messiah, and they defended him and propped him up even when he made racist, sexist, or extreme remarks. Many have been led astray by conspiracy theories and calls for violence. Even after clear rioting and inciting of violence, some Christian leaders claimed that other groups were acting as Trump supporters to make them look bad. Already these have been shown to be lies. The message to these so-called Christians: “I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God.”
This is not a political post. This is not about whether or not Trump has created any good policies. But I believe that when the church chases political power and religious rights, we die. We have been dying a slow death in that regard for at least the past 40 years, with the horrific results of the Trump era placing a nail in the coffin. How many more nails will there be?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: any “gospel” or teaching that is Jesus + something is not the Gospel. Jesus is it. He summed it up with love God and love neighbor. Violence is evil. Racism is evil. Placing our hope in a larger-than-life political messiah is evil. Placing support of a political party over condemnation of wrong is evil. The church needs to wake up, repent, and return to the heart of the Gospel before it is too late. For those who have stood firm during this time, be encouraged that God sees you and he will not forget.