This Sunday we will be looking at the Church at Sardis which was called the Dead Church from Revelation 3. Christ designates Himself as the One who operates the churches through the ministers of the churches by the seven-fold ministry of the Holy Spirit. Christ's relationship to the church follows a simple principle: The Church works by the power of the Holy Spirit through the leadership in the church. Christ wanted the church at Sardis to know that He wanted to control the church by the effectual working of the Holy Spirit. Zechariah 4:6 provides the key. God says "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit " says the Lord. Sardis was operating without the Spirit. There was plenty of human activity because Revelation 3:1 says "I know thy works" They were an active and organized church, but the missing ingredient was the Holy Spirit. Consequently no matter what they did, it was to no avail, they were dead. Christ reminded them that the Holy Spirit needed to be in control of the leadership. This Sunday we will heed this warning to keep us from becoming a dead church.