Tepid times again
When John wrote to the assembly at Laodicea, it could not be called a Christ-centered assembly. It had been at one time (Col. 4:15) but now it was the only one of the seven assemblies in Revelation where He was outside the meeting, knocking to get in (Rev. 3:20). Perhaps this helps explain why our Lord describes Himself from Revelation 1:5 rather than from John’s vision of Christ in Revelation 1:9-20, as with the other assemblies. In Revelation 1:4-5, John prays for grace rather than revealing Christ in the midst.
The Savior’s Names
The Lord presents Himself to Laodicea as the Amen, the source of eternal reality. Believers end prayers with “amen” (1 Cor. 14:16), meaning “may it be so.” On earth, the Lord Jesus Christ alone began sayings with “amen” meaning “truly.” Only John’s Gospel doubles the “amen” (25 times). It is equivalent to the Old Testament’s “Thus saith the Lord.”
He is also the Witness. In Him, eternal reality is revealed. He faithfully bears witness, not sparing mere pretense. His witness is true and genuine. He can be relied upon. So Christ is the touchstone of every assembly. Only with Him in the midst is spiritual and eternal reality known and practiced.
Furthermore, He is the Beginning (or origin) of the Creation of God. All creation begins with Him as its Creator and also as the Firstborn (Col. 1:15), we being made in His image and likeness. This applies to both creations, old and new. Without Him in the center of the meeting, we need a new beginning as a local assembly.
The Savior’s Rebuke
It is not surprising that He knew their works (Rev. 3:15). He alone is the test of reality. The Lord uses the second person singular “you” in all these letters as He is writing to the assembly as a unit. His testimony describes the whole assembly. Laodicea was no exception.
They were not “cold.” A cold glass of water on a hot day refreshes the soul (Mt. 10:42). A cool head bringing God’s peace in time of trouble reflects the presence of the Lord. Our Lord demonstrated such a refreshing influence in Gethsemane (Mt. 26:51ff) when Peter cut the ear off Malchus. Except for His cool spirit of perfect peace, murderous strife would have engulfed them all.
Neither were they “hot.” They were not on fire for the Lord. There was no zeal in their assembly affairs. A work without heart is a lifeless work. If we are not excited about our message and our ways, why would anyone else pay attention? Contrast this with the passion of Christ’s love for His own (Rev. 3:19).
Lukewarmness shows clearly that Christ is not in the midst. Nothing of Him was found in this assembly for He is surely “cold” as seen by His practical, spiritual, advice in verse 18. He is just as surely “hot” as seen by His love in verse 19 (not to mention the “spewing” of verse 16). The reality of Christ in the midst refreshes in all ways.
Very possibly Laodicea held right doctrine, church order, and meetings. But no spiritual refreshment was to be had. Temporal glory (v. 17) was all they boasted of. There was no lasting value to their work. Perhaps they criticized others for being “emotional” (hot) on the one hand or “legal” (cold) on the other.
They also demonstrated that Christ was not in the midst by testifying of themselves (v. 17) which testimony is not true (Jn. 5:31). Strikingly, this is the only place in the book of Revelation where we read “you say” (second person). Clearly, the Word of the Lord was not in their mouth (Rom. 10:8f) so their works did not glorify God (Mt. 5:16). It seems proper that the Lord threatened to “spew thee out of My mouth” (v. 16). Imagine the faithful and true Witness with nothing to say about us because we are not in His mouth!
An assembly that pats itself on the back is in great danger. Self-satisfaction takes what belongs to the Lord for its own self. When we meet around Him, He is made known and glorified. Only so is His refreshing Spirit available.
The Savior’s Solution
How could this assembly return to Christ-centeredness? The Lord counseled them (v. 18) to exchange their riches for pure gold proven in the heat of fire. Their enthusiasm had to be for Him. Perhaps a good start would have been to speak often (warmly) of Him, for we talk of what is important to us. They would quickly have found they didn’t have much to say (witness). This would have forced them back to the Scriptures to learn of Him and His love.
He also counseled them to cool the burning shame of their nakedness with the robes of His righteousness. Their walk had to be by faith rather than feeling. When they began to boast of His doings in their lives, they may not have had much to say. This would have forced them to walk prayerfully by His Spirit.
But they needed eyes opened by personally applying salve. Who other than the Amen, the faithful and true Witness could open them? They had to do more than read the Bible. They needed to hear His voice and know when He was speaking of them. A clear conviction of need makes the rest much easier.
Here, for the first time in these seven letters, the Lord addresses the individual. All seven letters end with a personal exhortation to the hearers and the overcomers, but only here is the body of the letter addressed to an individual. The “anyone” of verse 20 refers to any individual in the meeting. Just as the whole impacts the individual, so too the individual impacts the whole assembly. One person can make a difference.
Israel’s well-being was endangered by one man right at the start. In Joshua 7:21f, Achan explains how he came to sin. He saw…coveted…took…hid what belonged exclusively to God. It began with a look but it ended with God’s possession becoming Achan’s possession. In Joshua 7:2ff, the whole nation did the same. By means of two spies, Israel saw that Ai was a small town and felt sure they could take it for themselves. It seems Achan’s sin preceded Israel’s, influencing the whole camp.
The church also began so. Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) sold a possession and gave it to the Lord. That was fine but they kept for themselves part of what they said they gave to the Lord. There was no burning zeal for Him. Their “cold” was selfish human calculation.
As a result, they jeopardized the whole church.
Is that what happened in Laodicea? They took the Lord’s portion as their own. They testified of their own greatness. Their glory was that which only lasted for time. But God is not deceived. He is the faithful and true Witness who reveals all to them. His love is hot. His counsel is cold. Both provide refreshment.
Notice the grace of Christ in the midst. He did not demand but rather “wished” (verse 15) that they were like Him. He “counseled” (v. 18) them. Even more amazingly, He (the Lord of the Church) stood outside, knocking (v. 20), patiently waiting for anyone (you? me?) to open the door and enjoy fellowship with Him.
Let Him cause your heart to burn. Let Him quiet your heart with His cool comfort. Then you can return to a Christ-centered meeting. How great is the God we adore!
Uplook Magazine, September 2012
Written by Jack Baker