As believers in Christ Jesus, we are to represent Him as an Ambassador representing His Kingdom, and The Word as the only Book that gives Hope and Life to this wicked generation.
There are various sorts of people whom we come across in our lives, who can drag us through all sorts of sinful behaviors that keep us bound to those sins, and to the people propagating them! And then pass them along to our offspring — to the next generations….
Many people only scratch the surface in their spiritual lives, and are satisfied with that — but living with one foot in the world and one foot out, cannot exist!
Why? Because there are no gray areas. We must take our condition as a Church and Nation seriously.
“And to the angel of the Church of the Laodiceans write, these things say the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye-salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelations 3:14-22 NKJV.
We should be alarmed, and it should show us that we ourselves are as slack as the Laodicean Church was.
Of all the Churches in The Book of Revelation, Jesus confronted the Laodicean Church as it was of special interest.
The Church of Laodicea seemingly had the goal to be able to say, “We did it ourselves and did it our way — and have no need of anything!”
As such, the city showed the inability to distinguish between material and spiritual prosperity.
A Church prospering materially and outwardly, can easily inflate their heads and fall into self-deception, that their outward prosperity is the measure of spiritual prosperity!
Thus it was they were confused with the City of God — and the City of man.
The Laodicean Church was the most deceived, as that place and people outwardly seemed good — when it was not the case.
And how many Churches today have fallen guilty to the same?
They were considered “good, godly people” — yet Jesus’ scathing words were a wake up call to Laodicea and the countless other Churches in history who followed their own paths.
Today, many Churches are considered to have “good, godly people”, but can we possibly hear the echoes in our very spirits today — and does it bring alarm or apathy?
The link between spiritual complacency and material blessing comes up time and time again.
This isn’t a new idea. Jesus warned that material comfort would make it challenging to enter the Kingdom of God.
John Wesley, the English clergyman who founded the Methodists, made an interesting observation:
“I fear, wherever riches of increase, the essence of religion is decreased in the same proportion… as riches increase, so will pride, anger, and love of the world and all its branches.” — John Wesley
Laodicea — one of the wealthiest cities of that regiom during Roman times, was widely known for its banks, a medical school with a famous eye salve, and a textile industry famous for glossy black wool that was used for making tunics and cloaks.
The Church appears to have been as wealthy as the town and there’s no mention of persecution, or trouble with the Jewish population, or any conflict with heresy.
The city worshiped a moon God named Men, a lord of the underworld and the people counted on him for healing, safety, and prosperity.
Called ‘Lord of Two Horns’ by the Romans, he was often depicted riding a horse and carrying a scepter, crescent moon rising behind him like two horns, with a slain beast at his feet.
In A.D. 60, an earthquake leveled Laodicea (along with a lot of other places). Laodicea refused to accept Roman financial assistance because they had enough money to go it on their own. They were pretty proud of being rich enough to take care of themselves.
However, the city’s major weakness was lack of a decent water supply. It was not hot, like the water from the hot springs of nearby Hierapolis; but it was not “cold” like the water at nearby Colossae.
Aqueducts brought water from these locations to Laodicea, and it was lukewarm and somewhat dirty by the time it arrived. The pipes that have survived are coated with calcification and minerals, some to the point of blocking the water flow almost entirely. (©Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges)
Jesus is trying to get us to see that the most dangerous trait to have as a Church — is indifference (being lukewarm).
The Laodiceans weren’t going through life hostile to Jesus — they just weren’t thinking about Jesus!
Jesus would spit out lukewarm water — and He promises to spit out such Christians. They disgust him!
It’s a sobering image. When you don’t think about Jesus, you don’t stay neutral.
The more comfortable we are in the world — the more it’s the world that shapes us.
After His blistering take down, in which nothing good is said about the Laodicean Church — Jesus says: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” (Revelation 3:20)
In every other case, The LORD has noted both the good and the evil in The Church, and generally the good first.
However, here in Laodicea, He does nothing but find fault. But He adds in effect, “Do not suppose from this that I do not love you!” (©Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges)
In HIS Grace and Mercy,
~ Sherry Edwards Mackey
New Beginning Christian Ministries International 