[Seven Churches] The Church of Laodicea
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October 30, 2011 |
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 * The Church of Ephesus
* The Church of Smyrna
* The Church of Pergamum
* The Church of Thyatira
* The Church of Sardis
* The Church of Philadelphia
* The Church of Laodicea
Why did the Lord tell the Church of Laodicea to be wary of 'lukewarm faith' and to become either 'cold' or 'hot' in faith rather than just to be lukewarm?
It shows the burning heart of the Lord who wanted to let the members know how dangerous lukewarm faith is.
A Letter of the Lord to the Church in Laodicea (1)
"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked." (Revelation 3:14-17)
The gospel was preached in Laodicea through Epaphroditus, a co-worker of the apostle Paul. He also had an interest in the ministry in Laodicea (Colossians 4:15-16). At that time, wool was abundant there and the people in Laodicea were so rich that they had commercial banks from early days of their history. Under such favorable conditions, the Church of Laodicea was established. They had a good environment, but rather than having growth in their spiritual life, they stagnated due to the temptation of money and the comfort that they had in their lives.
1. The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this
The Lord, who gave reproof to the Church of Laodicea, said only 'Yes' and 'Amen' to Father God. There was no disobedience by saying 'No'. He existed in the form of God, but came to this earth being made in the likeness of men in order to lead sinners to the way of salvation. He was despised and rejected by His own creatures and crucified, yet there was only 'Yes' in Him (Philippians 2:6-8).
We, as children of God, must be able to say only 'Yes,' and 'Amen' before God. We must consider our ideas, theories or whatever we think as being right, as being worth nothing. There is nothing of value but our obedience to the word of God. Then, God will guarantee the results of our obedience and receive glory through us.
Next, the Lord is "the faithful and true Witness." The faithful man doesn't assert his own ideas. He doesn't even seek his own benefit. There is only 'Yes' and 'Amen' in him. For example, when a king commands, a faithful servant goes, even if he knows he may die. Since our Lord was faithful He completely fulfilled all prophecies concerning the Messiah that were prophesied in the Old Testament such as Isaiah 53:4-10 and 61:1-3, and Zechariah 9:9. He didn't spare his life for sinners, but only worked faithfully, so He became the true Witness to the fact that the promise of God is fulfilled completely.
The Lord is 'the Beginning of the creation of God' as written in Colossians 1:15-17. Originally the whole universe and everything in it was created at the word of God. John 1:1 says, "The Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:14 also reads, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." The Lord is the same in origin with God, and the Word that came to this world in the flesh was Jesus.
That's why the Lord is "The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God." The scripture explains about the Lord in such detailed ways in order to ensure that all the word of God will be surely accomplished and that the judgment of God is just and right. The Lord, who is the Beginning of the creation of God, and who completely accomplished all the word of God only with 'Yes' and 'Amen', also wants to remind them of the fact that the word that is given to the Church in Laodicea will also be accomplished.
2. Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
The Church in Laodicea was reproved by the Lord for being neither cold nor hot but lukewarm in faith. What does it mean to be cold, hot, or lukewarm in faith?
To be cold in spirit is to have no works of the Holy Spirit in one's heart; it is the condition of having nothing to do with salvation. Among church-goers, many haven't received the Holy Spirit. They do not know what true faith and salvation are and they make little or no effort at all to live by the word of God. Even if some of them received the Holy Spirit, when they do not cut themselves from the worldly things, they may easily fall into the world again and then the Holy Spirit will be quenched. A person who has become distanced from salvation in such ways can be said to be 'cold' in faith.
On the other hand, to be hot in spirit is the condition of receiving new spiritual strength from above and growing and increasing in faith every day. Those who have such faith fight against sins to the point of shedding blood according to the word of God. Their flesh in their hearts dies every day, but spirit in their heart grows day by day. They try hard to accomplish the kingdom of God and sacrifice themselves. They also love God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength according to Mark 12:30. This condition is to be 'hot' in faith.
Here, to be 'cold or hot' in spirit does not refer to one's measure of faith. It's not necessarily true that novice believers have cold faith. Nor is it true that those who have attended church for a long time or have a title in the church have faith that is 'hot'. Even though someone has just a little bit of faith and doesn't follow the truth perfectly, as long as he does his best to follow the will of God according to his measure of faith, he can be considered to have 'hot' faith.
What, then, is lukewarm faith? Lukewarm faith is the faith that stagnates. It is the faith that does not become hot even though the person knows that God is alive and both Heaven and Hell exist. With this kind of lukewarm faith, even though a person goes to church thinking that he has faith, there is no communication with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, he cannot hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. He can neither be guided by the Holy Spirit nor discover himself even while listening to the word of God.
There are some church leaders who look faithful outwardly, but do not circumcise their hearts. In such cases, there is no change in their lives even though they have been Christians for a long time. If they stay in the state of lukewarm faith, their faith will soon become cold. They attend church because they know that they will go to Hell if their faith becomes cold. But they still won't sacrifice themselves for the Lord nor will they give their hearts to Him.
However, when a person's faith is cold, discipline may come to him. He might have a chance to repent and turn away through the discipline. For example, when one commits sins, God will turn His face from him. Then, he may meet with accidents, diseases, or disasters. If he realizes his wrongdoings and repents thoroughly, he will have the possibility of regaining his faith. But if one has lukewarm faith, it is very hard to have such a chance.
Of course, it doesn't mean that he has to have faith that is cold. Since it is never easy for those who have cold faith to turn away and repent even while they are being disciplined. Even when the person is forgiven of his sins by God, it is still very difficult to restore the relationship with God once it has been broken.
The most significant and fundamental characteristic of lukewarm faith is that the person tries to straddle the fence between God and the world with his faith. In other words, the person keeps one foot in the world and the other standing outwardly on faith. Then the person chooses to stand on the side that benefits him more depending on the time and situation. In Revelation 3:16 the Lord says that He will spit such a person out of His mouth. To spit out of His mouth means that He will not recognize them as God's children and that they will not be saved. It is a very stern warning.
3. You say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing"
The Church in Laodicea said, "I am rich and have need of nothing." But as written in Matthew 5:3 saying "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," those who are poor in spirit have humble hearts. They have the thirst to seek God and rely on Him. However, those who are rich in spirit are filled with arrogance, pride, selfishness, and desires. They do not seek God but rather they keep on trying to fill their heart with worldly things.
There are some people who start their lives in Christ being poor in spirit, but as time goes, their spirits become rich. As the fleshly attributes that they had been suppressing resurface, their hearts are stimulated toward worldly things. It should come as no surprise that as they come to possess wealth, fame, and authority, their faith may change into fleshly faith. They seem to be leading lives in faith, but they don't have any longing or thirst for the truth. They gradually pray less and less and finally stop praying. Now, they don't do anything with faith, but their faith is shown only as a formality. They put priority in their own work and the works of the world rather than God and the works of God. The members of the Church in Laodicea were like them.
4. You do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.
If we realize and acknowledge our shortcomings we will receive the chance to turn back. But those with lukewarm faith think to themselves that they are rich. Then, they are unable to realize their shortcomings so they cannot acknowledge them. Even though the Holy Spirit groans, they don't recognize it. So, they do not try to be fervent or change themselves. They may lack nothing in a physical sense, but if they keep on going in the way they are headed, they will end up far from salvation. That is why they are wretched.
Also, the wealth that they enjoy on this earth is only momentary. Those who store up rewards in the heavenly kingdom are truly rich people. But those with lukewarm faith are not faithful in the sight of God. They don't sow before God because they ardently desire money. They have nothing that they have piled up in Heaven. Therefore, even if they repent, barely receive salvation, and go to Heaven, they have no rewards to receive. That's why such people are called 'poor.'
Those who understand the word spiritually will have absolute hope for eternal life. So, they diligently search and find themselves through the Word and come out of darkness and go into the light. In order to pile up the rewards in Heaven, they will become faithful, and eagerly sow for the kingdom of God. On the other hand, those who live Christian lives that are lukewarm do not know the spiritual world, so they just see the reality rather than to have hope for Heaven. That is, they are 'blind' in the spiritual sense.
Such people can't find darkness in their hearts, so they cannot help but stay in the darkness as recorded in Matthew 6:22-23. Since they do not wear the garment of righteousness that believers should put on, they are 'naked' in spirit. The garment refers to the heart of man, and 'to wear the garment of righteousness' means to accomplish righteousness by circumcising the heart. Those who are 'lukewarm' in faith do not circumcise their hearts nor act in the word of God. They just live in sins. Spiritually, it is to reveal their shame of nakedness. Putting on splendidly beautiful clothing on outside does not mean they are truly beautiful. If people don't circumcise their hearts, but keep their evil in their hearts, no matter how beautiful the clothes they are wearing outwardly, they are revealing the shame of their nakedness from God's perspective.
5. Today's cases that are like the Church of Laodicea
Many churches today stagnate. They are just managing to keep 'lukewarm' faith like the Church of Laodicea. When a church prays hard and works faithfully for the kingdom of God, then God gives them revival and financial blessings. There are some churches today that misuse the blessings given by God. That is, with the blessings given, the church and the members compromise with the world.
As the church increases in size to some extent, they also gain wealth, fame, and social authority. If they then neglect the works of God and increasingly follow the fame and wealth, then they are 'straddling the fence' and acting, living and playing between God and the world. Rather than directing their interests toward saving more souls and enlarging the kingdom of God, they compromise with the world. Increasingly associated with the world they become united with those who have wealth, fame, and authority.
Of course, it does not mean we have to avoid or exclude those who have wealth, fame, and authority in the world. We have to embrace them with the love of Christ, have fellowship with them, and plant faith in them to give glory to God. Surely in this way, it is a good thing. But without having genuine interest in such a purpose, but just to increase wealth, fame, and authority, some churches compromise with the world. The Lord is reproving these churches saying they are lukewarm.
To be continued in the next edition
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