The Laodicean church was located in Turkey. It is mentioned as one of the churches in the book of Revelation. Revelation 3:14-22, 14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest*, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 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. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
These scriptures deserve a much more in-depth study than this, but I just wanted to give you something to think about. Verse 5 says “I know thy works” Strong’s concordance defines work as: 1. business, employment, that which any one is occupied, that which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking. 2. an act, deed, thing done: …
Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. What is our relationship to Jesus and our worship of Him and works for Him really like? We can easily deceive ourselves, and even others, but we cannot deceive the One who created us.
Verse. 16. “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” Lukewarm is a metaphor of the condition of the soul wretchedly fluctuating between a torpor and a fervour of love. Torpor is described as a state of physical or mental inactivity; lethargy, listlessness, apathy. Fervour is an intense and passionate feeling; passion, ardor, intensity, zeal
If you took a hard, honest look at yourself in regards to your “works” for the Kingdom of God, which word would you use to describe yourself; torpor or fervour?
Jesus knows. Many in today’s church and those who call themselves Christians, are like the Laodicean church described in these verses. Many would be offended by this, but we need to diligently search our own hearts and make sure this isn’t us.
Verse 19 tells us “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent”. It tells us to be zealous and to repent. Zealous means fervent, ardent, fiery, passionate, impassioned, devout, devoted, committed, dedicated, enthusiastic, eager, keen, avid, sincere, wholehearted, hearty, earnest, vigorous, energetic, zestful, purposeful, forceful, intense, fierce, single-minded, go-ahead, pushy…
Repent means; to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins. Abhorrence; a feeling of repulsion; disgusted loathing, hate.
Being able to search our hearts requires determination to face the truth. It usually is not what we want to hear and see. It is usually hard to accept. We see ourselves one way, while Jesus sees deep inside us. Verses 20-22 tells us: 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 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. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
In order to overcome, we must allow Jesus to bring His searchlight and poke around in areas of our life we would prefer him not to touch. If we will be willing to do so, He helps us overcome the hurt and fears and addictions or whatever else is holding us back from giving the King of kings and Lord of lords the fervent worship He deserves and it will change our lives for eternity. He is standing at the door of our lives, asking to be let in. Will you let Him?
The Laodicean Church
