Laodicean Lukewarm
Photo by John-Mark Smith on Unsplash.
What does it mean to have a halfhearted or indifferent faith? What does it look like when our faith is apathetic or dispassionate?
The Laodicean Church was the poster child for an apathetic people towards their God. Jesus called the Laodiceans lukewarm. He said they were neither hot nor cold, and wanted to spit them out of his mouth—to have no part with them. Unlike the other six churches in the Book of Revelation, the Laodicean church had nothing positive that could be said of it.
Jesus begins his message to the church of Laodicea with condemnation, saying, “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” (Revelation 3:15-17, ESV).
The cause of average is thinking you have arrived. You cannot grow, or gain anything, if you think you have everything already. The Laodiceans were prideful, self-reliant, and self-focused. They said, “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.” If you think you do not need anything, you also think you do not need God. This was the case with the Laodiceans, who did not even take assistance from Rome after an earthquake in the 60s AD, as other cities did, but rebuilt on their own, using their own power and resources.
Jesus addressed the prideful arrogance of the Laodiceans, saying, “But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” The Laodiceans were worse off than they realized, and they desperately needed God. Jesus’ response to being locked out of the lives of the Laodiceans was to knock on their door and to pursue intimate communion with them.
Jesus encouraged the Laodicean church saying, “ I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” (Revelation 3:18-19, ESV).
The people of Laodicea may have had wealth, trade, power, and position, but they were not spiritually well off. These people needed an incorruptible portfolio of heavenly treasure, the white robe of God’s righteousness to cover their shame, ointment to open their eyes to God, so that they would no longer be blind to him, and they needed to receive the love and discipline of God, which leads to repentance and true life.
May we turn away from our own apathy and self-satisfaction toward God, and move from a lukewarm Laodicean-like faith to repentance and intimacy with God as we hear him knock and open our lives to him.
A Collect for the Second to Last Sunday of Epiphany: World Mission Sunday: “Almighty God, through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, you revealed the way of eternal life to every race and nation: Pour out this gift anew, that by the preaching of the Gospel your salvation may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Book of Common Prayer, 2019).
Begin the year with a #dailydevotional. I will be creating a #devotional book for each month, a devotional for every day of the year, and offering them for #free by subscribing. Get a link to #Grow365: #February—A #Daily Devotional here: https://www.robbiepruitt.com.
Photo by John-Mark Smith on Unsplash.
