One of the foremost cities of Asia Minor was Sardis. By the time John wrote the Book of Revelation it was past its glory and in decline. It had once been very prosperous. It was well fortified and its citizens believed they were impregnable. In Revelation 3:1-6 the church in Sardis (and by extension all of us) was warned to "be watchful" (have a spiritual awareness, discernment and readiness) --- and do whatever is necessary to remain alert, awake and responsive to the situation around us. Today we will examine Paul's admonition in 2 Timothy 1:6-7 to "stir up the gift" of the Holy Spirit.

W. Fred Crow

Pastor, United Church of God

Fred Crow is an elder with United Church of God; pastor of the Eureka and San Jose, California congregations. After 34 years, Fred retired from the aerospace industry in 2015. He and his wife Sue have two daughters and eight grandchildren. On the side, he wrote a newspaper column, taught scuba diving, was a published cartoonist; and he is a writer, photographer, and traveler.