“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Revelations 3:14-22
Believers beware.
Background
The new testament is filled with critiques of various church’s spiritual status in the form of letters, many penned by Paul. A performance review of sorts. The holy spirit was setting a foundation for thousands of year’s to come. Strong foundations are a prerequisite for strong structures.
The church communities needed feedback. What was going right? What was going wrong?
But this letter to the churches written by John was unusual. These observations were revealed directly through a heavenly encounter. With an angel. For some reason the Lord wanted these messages to be crystal clear. And the angel offered a promise – “blessed are those that hear it (prophecy) and take to heart what is written”.
Heavenly feedback was provided to 7 churches, with the Laodicea feedback being provided last. And this message was not wrapped in diplomacy.
The Laodicea church was rich. It had acquired material possessions. And in its pursuit had become satisfied, not believing it needed a thing. But the Lord saw something else. He always evaluates the heart. He saw a church that was wretched. Pitiful. Poor. Blind. And naked. Not the types of words you want in a performance review.
But interestingly, the church wasn’t assigned a temperature of “cold”. It was assigned a temperature of “lukewarm”. There must have been some degree of heat. Some attributes that looked Christ-like. But…“kind of” looking Christ-like isn’t good enough. In fact, he went so far as to suggest it would be better to turn off the heat altogether to “cold” versus pursuing the status quo.
And this is the haunting critique – “Because you are lukewarm – neither hot or cold – I will spit you out of my mouth.” Direct. Almost harsh. Certainly uncomfortable.
Why would the Lord prefer a “cold” temperature to a “lukewarm” temperature? Perhaps, because one of our biggest responsibilities on this earth, as churches and individuals, is to be conduits to reflect His glory. His light. A serious mandate.
A church or individual that self describes themselves as “Christian” but consistently demonstrates attitudes and actions that look no different than the world, do more harm than help. They invite a perception that there is little upside for Christianity. Little life change. Little power. But rules. Maybe financial obligations. Hmmm…who would sign up for that?
Our father chases his prodigals. Aggressively. There is hope. This message would be delivered through an angel. It would strategically be the last church described. What do you do if you are lukewarm? Be earnest. Repent. And receive an invitation to sit on His throne.
Reflections
For the last 20 months I have been working in Hong Kong, a good part of the time alone…away from my family and friends. Sherri and I thought His direction was clear. Go. It really didn’t make sense from my lens. I didn’t feel remotely qualified. But in this case I stepped forward. My tenure in Asia has been interesting. Protests in Hong Kong. Tariffs from tweets that have greatly complicated my sourcing responsibilities. The time away from family and friends has been hard. A question I’ve asked many times – Why would He do this?
During this time I’ve had much time for reflection. A lot of alone time with the Lord. The Holy Spirit has been casting light on many parts of my life…
A life defined for so many decades simply with one word. Lukewarm.
Fixated religiously on my special university and sports. Lukewarm. Committed for many years to pursue financial security. Lukewarm. Pursuit of parenting practices with a strong performance focus. Lukewarm. Committed for years chasing children’s athletics aspirations on Sunday over corporate fellowship. Lukewarm. Focused on sloppy internet habits. Lukewarm. Fixated on my marital needs (much more than Sherri’s). Lukewarm. The list goes on and on.
You might say that I’ve become a poster child here. This so-called “expertise” has allowed me often to spot the same in others. It comes through in the topics being discussed. Their priorities. Their passions…or absence of the same.
The US church is infected with being lukewarm. Hong Kong might be one of the more affluent places I’ve ever been. The same applies here. If a celestial letter or critique was penned for bodies of believers in either region today, I have a strong suspicion that the copy and paste function could be used from the critique provided by John for Laodicea. The world is desperate to see the church…with the dial on “hot”. To reflect laser-like light in increasing darkness.
There is hope. In repentance.
Lord, I’ve been so busy that it has been difficult to hear your voice. I’m sorry. There really is no excuse. It seems that you needed to set me aside by myself so I can hear you and process this message. A message really rooted in love. Because you are desperate for me. Even if it means delivering a strong message. I want to be with You in heaven some day. You know too well that repentance isn’t just confession. It also involves turning away. Please give me strength. I’m desperate here to be set on the “hot” dial and to turn away from my past. Towards you. Also, please specially touch other friends and family members infected with the same. Chase them like you’ve chased me. Open the eyes of their hearts. You know their names. I’ve whispered them many times. I want to love you more. Amen.
What if the church truly caught a vision for how the pursuit of material things…and security can enable eternal separation…from a Lord desperate to spend eternity with us?
What if the church became revived…and heeded the warning?
What if this revival started with us?
What if... 