Being lukewarm about Christ is like being lukewarm about a plague. We’re continuing our thoughts on “the church of the Laodiceans” from Revelation 3.14-22. And again our title for this whole section of Revelation is: Change Now. If a Commander told you to do something, your only response is to do it. It’s our obligation to carry out the commands of our Lord. It should also be our desire to do so. What happens when that desire fades? What does that look like? Like lukewarm vomit according to Jesus (16).
Lukewarm can also be seen as indifference. A lack of passion either way. That doesn’t describe modern so-called Christianity does it? I read this quote somewhere a while back— “Offer me your hate or your heart but not your timidity.” Timidity is such a disease among Jesus’ churches today. There is an all around lack of fire and focus. Mediocrity reigns in so many hearts. Nominalism and ‘getting by’ defines way too many churches. There has to be a change!
When Jesus said— “the church of the Laodiceans”, He was saying a lot. Look at the different sub texts in this letter called Revelation. He addresses angels or messengers to 7 different churches. In order: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and to Laodicea last. In each of these He gives a recipient’s address. For Ephesus Jesus said— “the church of Ephesus”. For Smyrna Jesus said— “the church in Smyrna”. For Pergamos Jesus said— “the church in Pergamos”. For Thyatira Jesus said— “the church in Thyatira”. For Sardis Jesus said— “the church in Sardis”. For Philadelphia Jesus said— “the church in Philadelphia”. But here to Laodicea He said— “the church OF THE Laodiceans” (emphasis is mine of course). It had become ‘theirs’ and no longer His. It’s in a possessive sense here. It no longer is “of” Christ. It no longer just “in” or “of” a certain location. Nope. It’s most definitely ‘their’s’.
This is a problem folks. I think it’s a problem today in churches. We think we have ownership, and in many cases this is true. There is an issue of hostile takeover. A hostile takeover occurs when the acquirer appeals directly to a company’s shareholders, bypassing the management team that does not want to be taken over. Today we have church leadership or pseudo leadership taking what is not there’s, by appealing to the membership for allegiance and control. Promises are made, agreements are struck, and Jesus is left outside (Revelation 3.20). Churches may vote, but they can vote Jesus right to the curb. Matthew 18 does not mean that when we make a church decision, that Jesus is ok with that decision. He is not obligating Himself to agree with our votes. The clear understanding of that passage is church discipline, restoration, and unifying under the headship of Christ Himself. We have to agree with our Head, not the other way around.
To continue with that thought, look at what Jesus calls Himself in verse 14— “the faithful and true witness”. He knows what is really going down. He is not taken by surprise by anything! Neither will He dilute or distort the truth. He is Truth! (John 14.6). A church must trust what He says about what is going on. No one here wants unvarnished truth. You need it, but you do not want it. It stings, it wounds, but it’s life giving when it comes from Christ. He gives it like a surgeon does his scalpel. It does cut, but it is essential the disease is cut out of us.
He also calls Himself “the beginning of the creation of God”. Not a single blade of grass grows without His permission. Yet, His own church isn’t listening. Why would they need to if they have taken control? Why would any lord over land listen to anyone else about their property? And this is the problem, isn’t it? Even a little cold on a fire can be re-lit. But compromise—a little cold and a little warm is like wet wood. It may smoke, but no heat. So it is with a church that depends on themselves and God. A church that depends on the world and God is doomed. They are lukewarm.
Jesus uses a name of His that is both attributive to His character and His useable name at the same time. This is true about all of His names, it’s how He reveals Himself to us. But this one is unique, in the fact that we use it all the time without knowing what it means. He calls Himself “the Amen”. “Amen” is ‘amḗn’ in greek. That was easy wasn’t it?! It’s the counterpart of the Hebrew Old Testament term and means— ‘sure’. In most cases it is used as an ‘emphasis marker’ such as in Mathew 28.20 where Matthew says it at the end of the commission and book. It also means ‘truly’ or ‘of a truth’. In all cases amen is a way of saying “so let it be”. Jesus says He is: the emphasis, the sure thing, truly of a truth, and the one that makes it be (so let it be). Not the Laodiceans. Not us. Not you. Not ever. Only Jesus. He is Lord! He is THE Amen!
The church of the Laodiceans were popular, prosperous, pragmatic, polished, and proud. But they were also powerless. They will only be able to do what is in their power to do, with progressively less ability as time goes on. This was true then, and it is true now. They have fallen for materialism. Jesus said in His indictment— “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing…” They are actually saying it. They are pridefully confessing— ‘we are doing good, have money in the bank, properties, and resources.’ Sound familiar? They were completely unaware of their true condition. The materialism blinded them to their true condition spiritually. No matter what man says, God does not measure us on what we have or don’t have. If that were true then Paul, Peter, James, and Jesus Himself while on this earth… failed! Did He? No. Man has a twisted view of what is blessed or not, what is prosperous or not, what is needed, and what is not needed.
Jesus counsels them to— “I counsel thee to buy of me…”(18). He has to become our dependent source again. The word “buy” is interesting to me. We have nothing to buy with. Or do we? He purchased our pardon with His own life. He purchased our redemption by His blood. He paid the debt we could not pay, with the self-sacrificial death He died. The Apostle Paul said of Himself— “…I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15.31). The book of Romans chapters 5-6 explain that when we accept Christ’s sacrifice for us, by His death, we have died as well. His death accepted, is our death too. 2 Corinthians 5 explains that if He died for all, then we were all dead. We were separated from God, now reconciled. Because we are reconciled and “in Christ” then we are a “new creature”. Everything has changed. Travis ended in 1988. He no longer exists. I have been made new. He is still calling me out, and calling the “old man” out of me. As He purchased me with His death, I am to buy from Him by my own death to self. I must die to my way, so that I may grasp for His way. I must lose my will to gain His will.
We must want Him and His ‘goods’ more than our own and our self. Verses 18-19 describe what is needed here. It explains what He offers, if we are wiling to “buy” from Him. He offers: spiritual value that outweighs our worldly things; spiritual moral virtue that outweighs our personal moral standards; spiritual vision that outweighs our limited human desire and sight. The answer is simple in these verses… repent. Get on fire (zealous) and repent! Be quick about it in other words. Be fast and hot about it. In my mind’s eye, I think of hearing this terrible news, jumping up from where I am and running as fast as I can to where He is.
Our Lord made it clear that a trade of sorts needs to happen. In verse 21 He says— “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Trade your materialism and self will for an eternal glorified position. In verse 22 He tells us our first and continuing primary step— “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” You haven’t been listening. The ‘stuff’ of this life and our ‘selves’ have clogged our spiritual ears from hearing the Spirit’s voice. We should have known this is a bad path, but we weren’t listening. It’s time to clean our spiritual ears out. It’s time to remove the wax of self and stuff. It’s time to listen and obey once again.
I mentioned in our last post how we have an individual responsibility to rush to the door and open it quickly. This reconfirmed in the phrase— “…hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” He is speaking to every true member of each and every one of His true churches. What makes this confirmed from last post is the phrase before this one— “He that hath an ear, let him hear…” As a member of His body here where I serve, I must listen. Even if everyone else is walking another way, towards the material and the self-willed life, I must listen and obey.
In this we must change. And we must do it now. Are you ready to “buy” from Jesus again? Are you ready to abandon all other temporal sources of this life, including self and others? The church of the Laodiceans is not what I want… how about you?