The church in Laodicea and churches like her need to be spiritually transformed, allowing the Holy Spirit to transform them to be Christ like. Three years ago, I attended a church that is very cold, because of her coldness, every week some members left the church. I spoke to the Pastor regarding this situation, and we prayed together. The answer is prayer, the church needed to come together once a week for prayers. Jesus said, “my house shall be called a house of prayer.” (Matt. 21:13) (NIV). The members are rich and no need of anything, the prayers did not hold. Dull, and cold church. I later left the church. The church at Philadelphia is probably hot, worships the Lord, sets a day during the week for prayers, and seeks the Holy Spirit in one accord for answers.
Are you or the Church you attend cold or lukewarm? Please brothers and sisters, do not allow Jesus to vomit you out of His mouth.
Laodiceans were wealthy, so need nothing, but the angel reminded them “how wretched, miserable, poor, blinded and naked they are without Jesus. The Lord advised them to come to Him and buy gold and white garments, for He is the giver of good things.” Rev. 3:17-18. It is all about Him. Jesus does not care about one’s wealth, for example, textiles, money, and houses. Mankind was created to love the Lord, to worship Him, pray to Him, trust Him, hope in Him, serve, and to have a relationship with Him. When a church is lukewarm or cold, the church then folds or fails. Stedman Ray tells us. “Archaeologists have discovered an interesting fact about Laodicea. It had no local water supply but obtained their water through an aqueduct from the hot springs at Hierapolis, some six miles away.” Penley Paul Affirmed. “There are three major cities around the valley, Laodicea, Colossae, and Hierapolis, and all had distinct water sources. Laodicea piped water from the mountains to the south, 6 miles in an aqueduct, the water arrived lukewarm with a gritty concentration of calcium carbonate. Laodicea’s piped water was best suited for the textile industry or flushing the city’s plumbing system. If one ingested the water, it would function as an emetic causing one to vomit. Laodicea’s lukewarm water supply made people vomit after drinking. Whereas Hierapolis had hot water beneficial for therapeutic purposes and Colossae had cold water for a refreshing drink.”
Our Lord and Savior used Laodicea’s water system or supply as a metaphor. “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth” (Rev. 3:15-16). In Rev. 3:19, the angel of the church of Laodicea pleaded with them to repent, because “if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come, the old has gone, the new is here” 2 Cor.5:17 (NIV) but, I think they were focused on their wealth, just like most churches in America and around the world that are lukewarm or cold, just church-going Christians who do not have the love of Christ in their hearts, only thinks about tithes and offerings, luxury cars and private jets. The Scripture says. “If indeed the Spirit of God lives in you, and if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” (Rom. 8:9) (NIV).
Brothers and sisters, “when you open the New Testament, you have left the 21st century gentile Christian world, and entered a world very different from your own, namely, the world of 1st century Judaism.” (Dr. Robert Stacy, Liberty Seminary).
While the goal may be to make the messages throughout the Bible more understandable for today, we will not be successful if we do not start with the context, setting, and historical background to support the doctrine.” Erickson 2013, 68).
The story that comes to mind is when Jesus talks about “The Door and the Good Shepherd. In the 1st century Judaism, sheepfold is also called a pen as an example. In Judea walls are built of stone, a walled or fenced area where sheep could be gathered together at night. There was a gap between the stones at two ends, so that the shepherd and the sheep can go in and out through the gap.
In this case, Jesus is the Door of the sheep, and we are the sheep, and by Him we can go in and out and find pasture, (John 10:1-18). (Safety, be fed spiritually, receive healing, deliverance, peace, protection, joy and gladness) Psalm 100:3 tells us “we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus please restore churches like the one at Laodicea that is lukewarm.
Amen.