Revelation 3:14-22
The Lukewarm Church
14 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,
‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’”
The angel of church at Laodicean was told to convey this warning to the people there who had lost their first love in a sense like that of those in Ephesus. These had become spiritually lukewarm, tepid and tasteless to the Lord. They were accused of being neither hot nor cold, spiritually unmoved and comfortable in all they possessed while imagining that they did not need anything else and had it made. It was revealed that they actually were “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked,” meaning that they were unfulfilled and lame in soul with nothing of value to cover their lives with. How easy it is to receive undeserved blessings form the Lord and then to bask in the comfort of the wealth and image we need nothing more since we have it all, only to have the Lord reveal to us that we have nothing apart from Christ and all possessions we have been entrusted with are for stewarding to help others. These things are not to keep us from the works prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10) to give glory to God in showing our love for Him in loving others by ministering and serving them in material and spiritual things. Like those Laodiceans, we would be wise to buy refined garments of grace to clothe our spiritual nakedness and solve of understanding by the Spirit to see as God does, obtaining the true purified gold of goodness from Him in contentment (1 Timothy 6:6-9) as our riches and service as our exercise of grace in humble return. We do well to accept rebuke and correction from God’s word (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and zealously turn from self-seeking sin to humility of mind in turning to follow Him as we are given the command and example here. Like these in this old church, we should listen to His voice spoken inaudibly to our souls and open the door to His control as we yield to walk in the Spirit and fellowship with Him as we see our humble estate and look forward to the crown of righteousness in His presence by seeing our true state and not focusing or relying on what we have. All we have is God’s and as good and faithful stewards we should be on fire in zeal for things of eternal and lasting value (Matthew 6:33) instead of lackadaisically living in feigned contentment. Overcomers who see these things will sit in His presence without shame as we listen and heed the words of God given to the seven churches and to us now in all the churches to follow. If we are His, then we have these spiritual ears to hear because He gave them to us just like the spiritual eyes with heavenly vision to love kingdom lives now. Are we lukewarm and tepid, or are we striving to be zealous and valiant for living the truth?
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