The apostle John’s letter to the seventh and final church in Asia Minor, the church at Laodicea, completes this section of the Book of Revelation. Recording a message from the glorified Christ, John writes of the “things that are”: the condition of these seven churches, with areas of both commendation and correction. These messages have immediate local impact for each church, plus applications for every individual who reads it today. In addition, they are guides to take inventory of our own church, and, finally, perhaps represent a much broader picture of the history of the Christian church, with an eye towards identifying the end times in our future.
Christ’s message to the church at Laodicea is one of deep concern. It is a warning about how far things have fallen for them, and a plea to turn things around while there is yet time.
Jesus tells John to write:
14 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation:
15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! 16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! 17 You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. Revelation 3:14-17 (NLT)
Being lukewarm towards the things of God, feeling comfortable with and reliant upon their material wealth, likely enjoying a high standing in the eyes of world around them, the Laodicean church felt little need for intimacy with the Lord Jesus. God was more of a distant concept than a priority or relationship in their lives. Perhaps their weekly assemblies were more like social events than a worshipful focus on Jesus. Whatever the case, Christ gave them a harsh rebuke, and probably shocked and surprised them with His words.
Jesus loves His churches and His true believers. He suffered and died for them so that they, too, would be raised from the dead to live with Him forever. He wants the seeds of faith to be spread far and wide throughout the entire world, and relies heavily on His churches to do so. A church that is essentially ignoring Him cannot be very effective at supporting His global mission.
If a church has so little regard for Jesus now, what does that say about their desire to follow and worship Him into eternity? Lukewarm faith is a very dangerous and troublesome position to be in.
But Christ still extends to Laodicea the loving hand of hope and a path forward: Turn away from worthless things and choose the divine – seek the true gold of God’s kingdom rather than the earthly praise of mere mortals. Get your priorities right! Turn to and receive the righteousness of Christ. Invite Him into your church and into your heart, and begin to live for Him. Then He and the Father will both enter in to make all things new, glorious, and of eternal, limitless value:
18 So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. 19 I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.
20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. 21 Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.
22 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.” Revelation 3:18-22 (NLT)
The grace and mercy of Christ will place each of us into a regal position with Him, even to the point of sitting with Him on His throne, if we will recognize and admit our sin and turn to Him in faith. A lifetime of indifference towards Him can be eliminated in a moment if we come to our senses and turn to Him. His goodness is overwhelming.
Anyone with ears, listen to the Spirit, and understand what Jesus is saying to the churches, and to each one of us.
Reflection
Where have I given Christ a low priority in my life? As imperfect human beings, we all have areas of shortcoming, sin and failure. We bring these to the Lord, admiting when we have done wrong, and seek to do a better job of following Him and His will as He completely forgives us. We also seek to make amends with others when we have hurt them, and forgive them when they have hurt us.
We prioritize Christ by making time to read the word of God, pray, serve others, and worship Him. We do not earn our salvation by doing these things – that only comes by faith in Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross and resurrection from the dead. But Jesus’ letter to the church at Laodicea highlights how important and valuable it is to give Him our attention – we are the ones He loves so much that He laid down His life in exchange for ours.
These are the extremely valuable treasures in the accounting of God’s kingdom – the true gold of the divine, and the white robes of our eternal salvation and righteousness.
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Jesus and His great love for us. Help us to invite You into our daily activities, seeking to follow Your will rather than solely the will of the world around us. You are the true gold – help us to invest the time and energy in You that You deserve. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Have a blessed and beautiful day in the Lord today.
Times and Seasons - The Book of Revelation FOR TODAY 