#42 ON THE NATURE OF GOD: REVELATIONS FROM REVELATION: LAODICEA

Have you ever coerced a friend into joining one of your organizations like the Lion’s Club? Then, he wasn’t an enthusiastic member like you? Despite all your talking and showing him the club’s activities, he remained cool to the Lion’s Club’s main activity of helping the blind. He didn’t quit the club, but he wouldn’t do much to help it reach its goals. He was lukewarm to the Lion’s Club.

The church in Laodicea was somewhat like that, Revelation 3:15-18:

“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 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.”

It is the nature of God to know that at one time they had been converted and were, no doubt, on fire for the Lord. However, any enthusiasm they had exhibited earlier had evaporated. Now Jesus labels them as lukewarm. They had not completely abandoned Christianity. They were doing some of the works of the church. But they were not enthusiastically working to advance the cause. Some would say they were merely ‘keeping house for the Lord.’ Unfortunately, they mentally felt they were a faithful group and could continue in their present state indefinetly. But it was the nature of Jesus to know how they really were. He evaluates them as being in pitiful shape—poor, blind, and naked. They were so bad that Jesus would spew them out.

The solution was to repent and become alive and active for the Lord once again and correct this condition of just ‘keeping house for the Lord.’ They were to buy gold, white clothes, and eye salve from Jesus. This meant they should read, study, and obey Jesus’ commands in the New Testament.

The lesson for us is to evaluate our lives as Christians. Are we actively working for the Lord? If not, we need to repent and change our outlook and actions to become ‘hot’ Christians in the service of God.

God’s nature is to warn us through His Spirit-inspired word of the danger of being lukewarm and urge us to repent.

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