Sardis

Sardis was the ancient capital of the Lydian Kingdoms and overcame multiple conquest attempts. It was originally founded by the Hittites in 1200 B.C. but it was captured by Persians in 550 B.C. before becoming a center for gold mining for Lydia.

Jesus had quite a few words for the church in Sardis, they can be summarized by the following: be sensitive to sin, be supportive of the faithful, be submissive to the control of the Holy Spirit, and be sorry and repent of sin. Jesus called them spiritually dead, despite their reputation of being alive, because they just went through the motions. Jesus commanded them to wake up and stop marking steps off their checklists, none of that would help them. Those who heeded His command would be clothed in white and have their names stamped in the book of life.