The Church in Sardis made much about the name of Jesus; but did little to live by it. Most of the members were religious, in name only. They appeared being alive, when in reality, they were dead. They could fool the world, but not the Lord. Only a few souls were pleasing the Lord (Rev.3: 1-6). What was hindering these people from living up to the name of the Lord? It had much to do with Sardis itself.

We have arrived. The “Age of Babel” has returned. Remember “The Tower of Babel” where the human race tried to merge into one nation under one head with one headquarters. Fortunately, God capsized the attempt because He is for a variety and nations that can govern themselves without interference from others more powerful forces.

am indebted to our pastor on his superb sermon on: “Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not obey me,”(Lk.6: 46). The Greek has, “…and do not do what I say.” I would like to stay with what we say. Just how important is it what we say and how we say it?

Define democracy through Webster and then compare it with the political system of the U.S.A. The contrast is almost incomprehensive. Let us consider some basics.

The personal letter of Paul to Timothy, regarding women has caused more than one problem (Tim 02: 90-15). In Paul's world, women were guilty of sin and could redeem themselves by bearing children. They had to be silent, submissive and faithful servants. Above all, take note of the, “I do not permit a woman to teach and have authority over a man.” How humiliating that was for Paul or for any Jew during his time.

The word, “Beatitudes” is an abbreviation and combination of blessings and attitudes. The Hebrew “ashiri” and the Greek “makarios” depict blessedness, contentment, happiness, joy, satisfaction and whatever else that cause a good and grateful feeling in a person. These blessed attitudes result from doing what is right in the eyes of God. Psalm 01:1 and 02:12 indicate that a person is blessed when he or she avoid sinners and trust God. Listening to a wise person creates contentment (Prov.8: 34). Maintaining justice and keeping God's laws also makes a person feel satisfied (Isa.56: 1-2). Perhaps the greatest feeling of having been blessed abundantly is when one escapes persecution and death (Dan.12: 12). I can identify with Daniel. Like his people, we too were driven from our homes and nearly lost our lives.

This is the age of innovation. Everything new has to be good and superior. It reminds me of the efficiency expert. When he died and six men carried him off, he raised himself up and said, “Put wheels under this thing and lay off five.” Did not some one say,

The parable on weeds fits our nation like a glove (Mt.13:24-30). Jesus had the “Kingdom of Heaven” in mind, but the facts apply to any nation that was founded doing what is right. A farmer sowed good seed, then he made the mistake of going to sleep. While he slept, his enemy sowed weeds. When the wheat began to bud, the weeds also appeared. The servants wanted to know what had gone wrong and the farmer knew exactly who was behind the fiasco. The servants wanted to go and remove the weeds and the farmer realized instantly that it was impossible to separate the weeds from the wheat without harming the crop. Only at harvest time can the two be separated.

What am I here for? The popular view is that I am here to glorify and serve God. What kind of service does God in heaven need? The answer is, none! Instead, His creation and His image or man does. In the covenants with Adam and Noah, God commanded man to manage the earth and everything on it. The two words used to define that purpose were having dominion and replenishing. God intended man to be self-governing. The second commandment was, “Be fruitful and multiply.” God expected man to procreate and regenerate (Gen.1:28; 09:7). For that purpose God created one male and one female (Gen.1:27). When the serpent enticed Eve, the relationship with her mate was damaged. The couple began to violate the negative commandment that dealt with the desire to taste the knowledge of good and evil. Evil did triumph and man, as well as nature, began to die (Gen.2:16-17). Man began to neglect the environment and pursued selfish aims, and thereby began to dishonor God. It is a well-maintained earth and an upright human life that glorifies the Creator (Deut.10:12).

John the Elder wrote: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit; but test the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (I Jn.4:1). Was the elder judging or was he discerning? To begin with, did he have the power or the means to carry out a sentence? Of course, he could not send anyone to prison or to hell. At the same time, could he stand by and let perverted ideas destroy the fellowship? We must be the judge of what is accepted in our society and not some stranger with unacceptable ideas or morals for that matter. We must live with the choices we make. And if we are being led to choices which place us outside the kingdom of God then who is going to save us? The Bible is very specific on what God expects of us (Mic.6:8). By our obedience to His Word we identify as being his disciples (Jn.14:21-24).