February 7.
The Operation Of The Church

Revelation 3:1

And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God

Notice first that the Bible says the Lord spoke to the angel of the church in Sardis. Now remember that the angel of the church was the pastor of that particular church. If things go wrong, God holds that under-shepherd accountable. When a pastor has been in a church at least ten years, eighty or ninety percent of all the problems fall right at his feet. The pastor he should be spiritually strong enough to have the saints headed in the way that God has called him to lead them. If he’s spiritual, then they will be spiritual. If he’s carnal, the church will be carnal. If he’s broad hearted, then they too will be broad hearted.

The number seven refers to being total and complete. When he said the seven spirits, he is talking about the total operation of the church – the total functioning of the work of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 11:2 outlines the sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit: the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him; the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. (1) the Spirit of the Lord (2) the Spirit of Wisdom (3) the Spirit of Understanding (4) the Spirit of Counsel (5) the Spirit of Might (6) the Spirit of Knowledge (7) the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord. Isaiah is speaking about the sevenfold spiritual ministry of the church. A church cannot function as designed by the Designer if it is not functioning by the dictates of the Holy Spirit. We can not function and operate a church based upon our own knowledge, on our own ingenuity; on our own ability, or on our own thoughts; it must be based upon the finished work of Jesus Christ and the operation of the Holy Spirit. The pastor must lead by example and by yielding to the sevenfold master design.